Television - The Great Satan!
|
I've often thought that in 6 million years, archaeologists will marvel at the devotion the 21st century Earthlings had to their household gods. Excavation will show these deities in virtually every home, obviously objects of devotion, the focal point in a room. The gods were believed without question. Families emulated them, discussed them, and scheduled their lives around them. The parent was secondary in influence to the various versions of these boxes with a glass screen that captivated an entire civilization.
Despite the title of this article, I do not really think that we are all guilty of worshiping the god of the underworld. I am, however, quite turned off by the amount of affection and devotion we give to the unworthy television. Last week I was teaching a class of four year olds, and before the lesson began, one of the children informed me that she had to leave early so she could get home in time for American Idol. As a society, I'm afraid we truly have made television an idol ? and not just an American one. Studies disagree on how much we watch per week; studies agree that we watch too much.
My husband I refuse to give others remote control of our home, and have taken several steps to channel our boys away from the seductive and addictive influence of the television. We thank the major networks for loaning us their initials to broadcast our system to you:
CBS ? Cut the Box on Schooldays. Consider taking the extreme position of not allowing television on weekdays. This has earned us the title of 'most unreasonable parents in the school', but we wear it with pride. To soften our image, we allow television freedom on the weekends, after chores and homework.
MSNBC ? Make Summertime Nice. Bribe Children. During the nine weeks school is out, television time can be bought. For every minute spent on reading, we award time on the television or computer. We have an Excel spreadsheet that keeps up with time earned and spent. (If you're interested, email me and I'll send you a copy.)
FOX ? Filter Out X#$&%. What children watch is often worthless, at best. At its worst, television undermines everything we teach as it spews foul language, violence, casual attitudes about sex, and disrespect for authority. Our family uses TV Guardian to help with the language. The other negative elements are impossible to remove, which is why the television has an 'off' button.
NBC ? Note Basic Content. Teach your kids to evaluate a program by its main premise. "Aladdin" is one of my favorite movies, but it quite frankly glorifies being a thief. Gentle "E. T." leaves the impression that adults aren't to be trusted, and that dishonesty is justified when its purposes are noble. After watching a show, ask, "What did that movie just say? Was it a positive message or a negative one? How did it try to influence you?"
CNN ? Cultivate Natural iNquisitiveness. Try to broaden your world so that your children are interested in more than cartoons and sit-coms. Make friends with those from other cultures. Discuss world events. Travel and visit museums to pique interest in topics explored on The Discovery and History Channels.
BET ? Be Exemplary Teachers. A student doesn't rise above the teacher. Set a good example to your children by developing good viewing habits. Participate in National TV Turnoff Week April 21 ? 27, and evaluate how addicted to the television you are.
About The Author
Kayla Fay is the publisher of Who Put the Ketchup in the Medicine Cabinet and the author of The Spy Party, a cool birthday idea. Kayla and her husband have four sons, and only one television. Visit Kayla at http://www.goaskmom.com/ or write her at mailto:goaskmom@goaskmom.com.
|
|
|
How Useful Are Bed Wetting Alarms
Whenever parents discuss how to deal with bed wetting, the topicof alarms inevitably gets raised. Bed wetting alarms can be usefuldevices, but in spite of the popularity wi...(related: Parenting)
Mom Vs. Dad: Navigating Parenting Differences With All Good Intentions
Let's face it: raising children can be quite the adventure. Rewarding at one turn, challenging at the next ? it's the ultimate roller-coaster for the parenting thrill seeker. In the Game of Life, you rolled the dice and accepted the role of co-parent. While the rules seem deceptively s...(related: Parenting)
Effects Of Jealousy On Childs Personality
Dear friends here we will charge up our mind with the information of jealousy, Meaning of jealousy, causes of jealousy & effects of jealousy on personality.Meaning- Jealousy is an form of emotional stress. Jealousy comes form the feeling or insecurity & inadequacy in situations the person regards as curcial to his happiness & welfare.Causes ? Jealousy develops in early adolescent. specifically parents are responsible for it. Parents compare their kids with the other kids or subject or anything who has lesser standards than their child. Or simply sa...(related: Parenting)
Quality Time?
There's a phrase that's become popular over the past few years that fills me with wonder. That phrase is "quality time." We've all heard it, and we all seem to accept it as a real concept. But to the average country person, that phrase is difficult to comprehend.Here's what I mean. Last summer, my 10-year-old son Cody and I spent an entire day walking the fields, checking fences. When we saw a post that needed straightening or a stran...(related: Parenting)
How To Cope With Colic
When my oldest daughter was born, I walked the floor night and day, rocking and swaddling, singing and even crying...anything to make my new little miracle stop her endless crying. Well, everyone told me she just had colic and that it would pass. And, alas, pass it did, however I wish that I would have known then what I know now.There are many theories about the causes of colic. Many believe that it is breastfeeding that causes it. "Either you are eating something that is not suited to her little tummy or you must be feeding her too much.." they will tell you. Well, maybe...(related: Parenting)
Parenting Your Teenager: Self-decorating Or Self-harm - How To Tell The Difference
Q. I need your help with a question about my teen-age daughter. Getting her ears pierced was no big deal,...(related: Parenting)
Developing A Fantastic Relationship With Your Child
Here's a scene: A parent "might suddenly grab a happliy playing child and shower him with excited hugs and kisses without warning." What's wrong with this picture?I would say that, simply, the parent is not in...(related: Parenting)
Ten Ways To Become Your Teenagers Best Friend
Best friends! It may seem impossible to believe, but today's teens do want to consider their parents as friends, even though they think we could never understand the realities of their world. They are also interested in what it was like being a teenager during the Stone Age. Life without cell phones or the Internet must have been unimaginable!So even with this interest, can parents and teens really become best friends when competing with busy schedules, and raging hormones? The answer is a resounding YES?and it is worth the effort!What is important to understand is that both of you have to want the new relationship on a long-term basis. You cannot appear to be going through the motions, or acting like you are fitting this new relationship into ...(related: Parenting)
Family Meetings Are Now On The Agenda
"Not another meeting!"That tends to be the reaction from many parents when they hear the M word mentioned. Parents tend to associate meetings with the workplace rather than families. Even at work, meetings tend to be tolerated rather than keenly anticipated.My research and my anecdotal evidence suggest that families that have a process to share decisions and to resolve conflict have more cooperative kids and less open sibling disputes. To be truthful, I stopped talking about family meetings in my presentations some years ago as people's eye...(related: Parenting)
site-map - Copyright © 2006 | Contact Webmaster | All Rights Reserved. | Parenting