Very few things are all good or all bad. Most have some disadvantages and some benefits. Two exceptions to this rule, things having only negative consequences, also represent the two worst parenting decision of my nine year career as a father. The first one I can blame on my wife as it was she who convinced me to purchase a Nintendo Gamecube last Christmas. I didn't need any help to make the other poor decision: ordering cable television.

Now, it's not that my son didn't like the Gamecube. In fact, he liked it better than reading, playing outside, chess, and the lovely educational computer games he enjoyed previous. It was that he wouldn't do anything else. I still don't understand why a parent would let Santa squeeze one of those monstrosities through their chimney. Scratch that. I think parents buy these horrible devices to keep their kid entertained, freeing mom and dad to pursue their reading or TV viewing (or blogging) without the cries for attention that accompany children until they're 16 and don't want anything to do with you.

Cable television was worse. The parade of fart jokes, lightning quick cuts, and jokes meant more for immature adults than children serve no uplifting purpose at all. If you've seen the show Ed and Eddy or listened to the effect television has on your child's vocabulary, you know what I'm talking about. I managed to take away television. I did miss Battlestar Galactica, but after a couple of days, nobody in the house noticed it was gone. Besides, we have Netflix, which is great. The Gamecube might be tougher and, darn it, I can use the blogging time.

So, fellow parents, Just like there is no advantage to having cookies in the house, there is no advantage to having video games or cable TV. You'll save some money as well.