To DVR or not to DVR...
There really is NO question. Yes! You want a DVR; you want the best and biggest you can get. Here's why:
1. Entertainment.
I DO NOT condone dropping your child in front of the television for hours on end but let's face it, unless you are "super parent" your child will watch some TV. Plus, Not all TV is bad. Some television, like Baby Genius, Baby Einstein, etc. I think are quite good for very young children. But... children do not conform to network programming so here is where the DVR comes into play. Record the shows on a recurring basis so that you'll be ready when you need a new or favorite Wiggles episode.
There's another part of the entertainment aspect you need to think about; kids don't care that TopGear is on! I know, it's hard to believe but they just don't. If they have a need, they have it now and Jeremy Clarkson will just have to wait. But of course, Jeremy Claskson does not wait. He and the rest of the television world would go on about their business. Now however, you can record your favorite show and watch it after the kids are asleep; on your time, your schedule. Once you get use to watching television when you want to and not when the network execs want you to, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
2. Cost.
Who can afford to buy every Wiggles, Blues Clues, Bob the Builder and Hanna Montana DVD there is and then hand them over to a child with gooey hands and no sense of value? With a DVR, you can record all of those episodes as they come on and you'll be ready when you child has the sniffles and MUST have The Wiggles at 0400 in the morning.
3. Time.
I prefer DirecTv to cable. The quality has always been better and now there's a new reason. With their online guide, I can schedule a recording over the Internet. From my desk at work, I can schedule a new recording on their web site and they push it down to my DVR. Which is great for those show recommendations that you get at the water cooler.
4. Conclusion.
The point for using technology in parenting is about shaving off minutes here and there. Minutes that you can turn into quality time with your family. A DVR is one of the few tools out there that can give back not just minuets but hours; hours that you can put back into your family. You might even save a little bit of your sanity in the process.