Sophia’s babysitter e-mailed me a link to an educational video she plans to show The Kid. (LOL) The video is of Biz Markie giving a beatbox lesson on Yo Gabba Gabba’s Web site. It rocks, and our babysitter rocks for finding all the best fun and games. She’s much cooler than the hubby and I combined.

On the “screen time” topic, I’ve been giving this some thought lately and I’ve relaxed my original goal of no screen time before 2 years old. We’re not parking the baby in front of the television, but she does watch a couple of cartoons and I’m OK with this. “The Backyardigans” is often on following the morning news, and “Sesame Street” is on the approved list as well. In practice Sophia doesn’t do a good job of watching the shows, and still wants to play and read books the whole time the TV is on. My husband and I both grew up on “The Street,” and our brains didn’t completely rot. As long as we keep it in check I think it’s OK to expose Sophia to some fun and educational shows. I don’t buy the whole “watch this video and your child will be a genius,” approach to child rearing, and the cartoons and shows we let Sophia watch tend to be background noise for snacks and play breaks.

Even if we locked up the televisions, Sophia’s world contains more electronics and screens that mine did as a child. She plays with our cell phones and has learned to use the keypad. She doesn’t know who she is dialing, but Nana’s numbers are programmed in and she regularly gets calls. Sophia sees her father and I use laptop computers every day; her baby monitor has a video screen; when we leave the house and visit stores and restaurants, televisions play all around.

I’m more concerned about balance and sharing the best of the world, instead of pieces of the world. Screen time is part of modern culture, and as a modern parent it’s my job to provide balance.

Following her beatbox lesson with Biz Markie, The Kid may want to learn more of his tunes. My mom still tells the story about how I could recite “The Night Before Christmas” on my first Christmas. If this year Sophia entertains the family with her version of “Just a Friend,” I’ll be proud of that as well.