I was indeed thinking of late 90′s Williamsburg. Thanks for your recollection. I think I remember those posters…

You’re probably thinking about the late 90′s when you talk about Lost Williamsburg. You’re right, it was very different. I spent months working on a film in a little place on Maujer, just off Leonard. At that time, posters of Guiliani as Nosferatu were popular – and the city had already been lost.

Glad you had fun. Isn’t Lena fantastic? And I know Cynthia Z. too – she read in my reading series in New Haven recently. Also fantastic.

(P.S. Pseudo baby size beds don’t count. I mean a regular size twin bed — with flashy branded sheets. The kid will probably think big boy bed is a blast.)

Love your postings.

We started letting her watch TV when she was a little over 1.5. Feist’s fantastic music video from Sesame Street prompted us to purchase a couple of full episodes. At first my wife or I would sit and watch it with her and talk about what was going on. It didn’t take long for us to realize it was a good time to prepare a meal or do the dishes. As you said, moderation is key. And discipline. Too much TV is like substance abuse. I’ve seen kids throw the biggest fits in order to get more TV watching time. I think limiting the time and sticking to it helps kids understand how to self-moderate. I was happy when our little one was not yet two, but turned the TV off herself when I told her to. I was happier when halfway through an episode of Yo Gabba Gabba she said, “All done,” turned it off and started playing with blocks. Of course, she still throws fits from time to time. And there have been days when I let her watch too much because I just needed the time to work. Like your reference to your post on Patch, let’s not be to hard on ourselves.

All that said, scientists may say that toddlers don’t learn words from TV, but here’s a little story:
We were on a long drive (for us), and we let the little one play with the iPad for a little while. She was under two, but good with a few “edutainment” apps. After 20 minutes or so, we said that was enough and put some music on. A little crying, but she contained herself.
“Can I play iPad, please?” she asked.
“No, you already played with it enough. Do you want a book.”
“Persistent,” she said quietly to herself. My wife and I looked at each other, startled. “Can I play iPad, please?” she asked again.
“No, how about we sing along?”
“Persistent,” she repeated, and then she asked again. No joke. While my wife and I use the word in conversation, I have no doubt that she was helped by a Sesame Street clip in which David Beckham and Elmo talk about the word.

I’m not as versed in classical music, but Stravinsky’s Firebird seems another to add to your list. The beautiful modernist parts contrasted by the folk music dances. Seems like it shouldn’t work, but yet it does.

Thanks for your comment!