I'm curious because of my youngest grandson, M, pictured here reaching across the coffee table for the clicker. Some context for you:
1. The moment he spots it, nothing will deter him from his quest for this holy grail, this diadem of an object. He's like Odysseus/Ulysses and this is his Odyssey, ha.
2. HE'S 9 MONTHS OLD.
3. HE CAN'T YET WALK (so think of the extra energy expended).
4. Once spotted, toys strewn about mean DIDDLY-SQUAT by comparison.
5. He cares little about the actual TV. Mostly, he yearns to hold it and press buttons buttons BUTTONS....
2. HE'S 9 MONTHS OLD.
3. HE CAN'T YET WALK (so think of the extra energy expended).
4. Once spotted, toys strewn about mean DIDDLY-SQUAT by comparison.
5. He cares little about the actual TV. Mostly, he yearns to hold it and press buttons buttons BUTTONS....
In contrast, his two-and-a-half year-old sister will find the clicker and hand it me. Hmm...is that more proof of this theory? You might think that our grandchildren watch a lot of TV. Nope. Sure, his older sister and I watch Miss Rachel or Bluey occasionally, but TV time is limited. No 9-month-old should be watching TV.
So, is he obsessed by the buttons or is this some inner drive for the (great and mighty) power afforded by this dopamine-regulation doodad? What's going on in his budding mind? Is he already astute enough to have gleaned its magic? Have you seen similar behaviour in near-toddlers?
Yes, dear friends, I apologize, but these are things I think about.
What does the research say? Well, Facebook says men are indeed obsessed with remotes so yup, science. I josh. Truly, I hope Facebook's extinct by the time my grandchildren are adults. I have no idea what the research says, but I'm curious what you say? In this age of smartphone obsession, does anyone even care about the remote control? What have you observed? Who in your family has jurisdiction? Do you and your partner have (legally) separate TVs/ clickers? (My spouse and I are both Gen Xers and yes we do, ha.)
My grandson likes to hold the actual remote in his hand while watching TV, my husband likes to have it beside him. It's thing:)
ReplyDeleteAh-ha! Confirmation (bias), haha.
DeleteI don't watch a lot of TV. Clicker control isn't a thing for me.
ReplyDeleteWell done, sir. *contemplating my choices*
DeleteMen don't want to know what's on. They want to know what *else* is on. Hence the 'gotta control the remote control' thing.
ReplyDeleteWe bought our first television back in the early 80s. Hubby told me in front of the sales guy that he didn't care what we get as long as it has remote control. I told him that his chances of controlling it were already remote.
Sales guy laughed so hard he snorted.
Haha. So true! Don't you love it when people snort-laugh?
DeleteMy grandsons love the remotes, pressing the buttons and turning things on and off. (like my fireplace) They also love my cell phone and want to play with it/on it. Gadgets of any kind fascinate them.
ReplyDeleteMy my experience, both genders of Grands go through a stage of being fascinated by anything with buttons on them.
DeleteYes, it's the buttons, and they do love the gadgets.
DeleteIt is the buttons, I am sure of it. They are soft and move a smidgen, and they are a perfect size for small hands. I quite like the feel of a remote control button, even though I don’t quite understand what the buttons do. With our remote control, this is mostly nothing.
ReplyDeleteAnother vote for the buttons. Agreed. I hadn't thought about that small movement and the curiosity that might be connected to that. And I can see from your explanation who has clicker domain.
DeleteYour post got me to thinking about my own remote control. And I think I am guilty of keeping it close to me when we are watching tv! I can remember growing up, we didn't have a remote control and we had to get out of our chairs to change the channel or the volume. My times sure have changed.
ReplyDeleteOh, I too recall the days pre-clicker. To remedy that childhood me would sit in front of the TV but sometimes it wasn't necessary as we only had two channels.
DeleteI don't think it's just a man thing, i have to admit I'm the one in my house that usually holds the remote, probably because my partner fumbles with it when those pesky youtube ads come on, have a nice weekend.
ReplyDeleteThis would tip us toward the buttons again and your dexterity in that department. Thank you.
DeleteI'm not a channel surfer and rarely even bother to zip past commercials, so wielding the remote isn't a big deal to me. Once the TV is on and the volume is set, I'm good to go.
ReplyDeleteI applaud your attention span. Well done, sir.
DeleteYep, around 6-9 months, my grandson wanted everyone's cell phone. The parental units got him a toy one with music, and he loves to eat the corner of it. Cell phones help with teething. So do toy remotes. I miss the old popcorn rolling toy on the floor. Linda in Kansas
ReplyDeleteHa, you'll be happy to know we have one of those popcorn rolling toys! We were also quite nostalgic after my wife found one at the local thrift shop.
DeleteWe watch at lunch and supper and have similar tastes, so we don't squabble over the clicker, which is what we call it.
ReplyDeleteThank you AC for your response and also for modeling how to be the ideal couple. Well done, sir.
DeleteAnother vote in your favor, my son was far more enticed by the remote than the girls were. In fact, I looked for toys that mimicked it - with various buttons and such. He wasn't watching the tv either. We each have our own tv at night, we watch different things.
ReplyDeleteExactly what we experience!
DeleteThat's funny. My grandson is more into his phone.
ReplyDeleteOh yes, that will happen soon (but not too soon I hope).
DeleteWith each passing day, there is less and less worth watching on TV!
ReplyDeleteThere is indeed a lot of garbage on TV.
DeleteMy husband and I fight over WHO HAS TO HAVE THE REMOTE. Neither of us wants it. Deciding what to watch irritates both of us mightily. And muting all the political ads gets so very tiresome.
ReplyDelete