|
**I think I got this
from a parent magazine a long time ago...no longer know
which one...and have done internet searches and can't
seem to find a way to contact the author for official
permission...still trying!**
Most parents I know worry
about the amount of television their children watch.
Many recent books and articles warn about the dangers of
excessive television viewing. Children who watch
commercial television are exposed to frightening levels
of violence and commercials designed to turn kids into
eager consumers. Even children who watch only
educational programs still show the decreased attention
spans and increased passivity that result from the act
of watching television, regardless of the content of the
programs. But, as we all know, it is very difficult to
turn off the tube. The author Marie Winn calls
television the "plug-in drug" because it is addictive,
and once we start watching it regularly, it's hard to
break the habit. When my daughter was a toddler, she
routinely watched the morning session of Mr. Rogers and
Sesame Street. I'd turn on the television and race to my
desk, frantic to get in the hour and a half of work that
was impossible otherwise. Quite often I'd put Mr. Rogers
and Sesame Street on again in the afternoon, so that I
could get supper cooked and the house tidied. I depended
on those slots of time and planned my days around them.
By the time Katherine was
four she was turning on the television, and she and her
sister were demanding to watch shows throughout the day.
I found myself in the throes of a T.V. war, and I
realized that we had all become addicts. Horrors! My
daughters were television junkies, and I was a named
co-conspirator. I decided I had to reorder my
priorities. I was beginning to learn a lesson that has
remained with me: to change anything in my children's
behavior, I have to change myself first. With clarity
and resolution and commitment to a course of action, I
can bring about change. Without that conviction, I
engage in a battle of wills, uncertain of the outcome.
I looked at the whole
pattern and saw that television was dominating our life.
I looked ahead and foresaw that the issue would only get
worse. I reminded myself of the arguments against
television and tried to envision the greater richness,
interest, and depth of our family life once we got past
dependence on television. Strengthened in my commitment
to limiting T.V. viewing, I decided to eliminate the
afternoon session. I didn't announce that this was the
plan. Instead I scheduled a series of afternoon
activities that I knew the girls would enjoy. We visited
a new park. We went to the river. We invited a friend
over and baked gingerbread and so on. When Katherine or
Margaret asked for television, I told them that instead
we would be doing fun activities together in the late
afternoon. The transition went fairly smoothly although
it took some work for about a month when I had to plan
the diversions and free myself up from other activities
so that I could be with the girls during the late
afternoons. I also had to remain firm in my resolution
to control the amount of television viewing in our home.
Within six months we went through the same process and
eliminated the morning television session.
It has been three years
since we unplugged the television and the benefits have
been incredible. When television disappears as an
option, children discover how to fill up their days.
Forced to become self-reliant, they become active
creators of the adventures of their own lives. Instead
of watching an animated version of Cinderella, they may
delve into the dress-up box and become Cinderella or the
stepsister or the handsome prince. When they are tired,
instead of zoning out in front of the screen, they may
quietly put a jigsaw puzzle together or color at the
kitchen table or lie on the grass, looking up at the
clouds. Thus they learn that they are responsible for
themselves, that they can fill their days with
interesting, useful activities, that they can take care
of themselves, calming themselves when they are
frazzled, diverting themselves when they are restless or
bored. With this assurance they can go forward into
their lives, having developed some inner resources to
help them on their journeys.
Books about Children
and Television:
Four Arguments For the
Elimination of Television,
Jerry Mander, (NY, William
Morow)
The Plug-In Drug and
Unplugging the Plug-In Drug,
Marie Winn, (NY,
Viking/Penguin)
Amusing Ourselves to
Death, Neil
Postman, (NY, Viking)
Who's Bringing Them
Up? Martin Large,
(Gloucester, UK, Hawthorn Press) |
