By managing TV viewing, parents and children have more opportunity to develop skills and qualities. There are so few hours for a) parents to interact with their children and b) children to develop and grow. By setting limits on TV viewing, parents can ensure that the following areas of their family's lives also gets equal attention.
Less TV Means Time to Develop Important Social Skills
Less TV gives families the chance to rediscover the art of conversation! Children today aren't getting enough practice in the art of conversation – and it is an art! The ability to listen to what others have to say, respond in a way that makes them feel the other party was interested, and expressing themselves articulately and even amusingly, doesn't come easily to most people. The best way to give children these skills is to give them the opportunity to practise. Ask them hypothetical questions like "what would you do if you had a million dollars?" or "what rules will you make when you are a mum?" People who are good conversationalists have a skill which will be of great benefit to them throughout their life.
It also gives parents opportunities to teach manners and social skills. The habit of watching TV while eating dinner is an opportunity to teach manners which is often overlooked today. The dinner table is a great place to start teaching children courtesy and etiquette. These are social skills that give children confidence as they will always know how to behave in social situations, no matter where they are or who they are talking to. This is a great advantage in the competitive modern world.
People can find more interesting topics than TV to talk about. Too much TV means that one's ability to converse on varied and interesting subjects is pretty limited. Not everyone will be interested in what happened on Simpsons last night! Switching off the TV forces a child to do something else, whether it is reading, calling someone, discovering news items on the net, homework or working on a hobby. In the process, the child learns things that make him more interesting to talk to.
Less TV Means a Chance to Develop More Character
It allows the child to become a more balanced person. Kids should enjoy TV but understand that it is just a small part of their life. Their physical, mental, emotional and spiritual sides also need to be developed and strengthened. A child who spends all afternoon after school watching TV is going to miss out on developing other areas of his being. He may never discover the charm of having an active imagination, expand his knowledge by creating science experiments or get in touch with nature by growing a vegetable garden. Yet every new experience teaches a child about himself and the world.
It gives children an opportunity to read. This is such an great habit for children to develop, but many don't ever get that opportunity, because it is so much easier to sit in front of the TV and passively be entertained. Yet reading allows the brain to develop, it fills in the gaps in one's education (and there are many gaps today!), it stimulates the imagination, and increases vocabulary and understanding of grammar. Indeed, a recent report by Sciencedaily.com, "'Brain Exercises' May Delay Memory Decline in Dementia" even suggests it prevents dementia.
It allows parents to teach values and beliefs. Children will absorb these things from TV shows if parents aren't equally vocal about their beliefs. The kind of values TV espouses are not always the kind parents want their children to follow, so parents need to find opportunities to discuss what values are important to their family and why. They can set up a Code of Conduct for their family. Have weekly challenges to see who can demonstrate a specific value. When they are watching TV shows, they should look for opportunities to challenge the value presented.
Less TV Means More Time for the Family
It creates more time to laugh and have fun. Whatever happened to games?! Kids still love to play board games with their parents, wrestle on the carpet, have tickle fests, play horsey, or challenge them to Wii games. Parents have a chance to get back in touch with their inner child and demonstrate to their kids that they are more than disciplinarians. Here is a chance to show kids that they love being with them!
Parents can build strong bonds with their family. Modern lifestyles mean parents can spend the whole day without having any significant exchange with their children. TV, computers, mobiles, and games like xbox promote a lifestyle of individual entertainment. Switching off the TV – and preferably all electronic gadgets at the same time – means rediscovering each other again. Building and maintaining family bonds are fundamental to a happy family, and this is one easy way to do so.
Less TV Means a Healthier Lifestyle
It sets up a healthy routine that children will follow for life. People are creatures of habit. Set up a child to get used to only watching TV at set times and the chances are good that he will continue that habit in adulthood. For example, ban TV viewing between 9 a.m.-4 p.m. on weekends, and do something else instead.
Everyone can get fit! Switching off the TV during the day and after school allows children to get outside and play sports or swim or play with the neighbourhood kids. As long as the TV is on, the children will sit in front of it, so it is up to the parents to set limits on their watching time. Children are also more likely to seek parents out to join in a game when the TV is off, so they have no excuse either!
Make the decision to switch off the TV for at least part of every evening. Take the time to love and laugh, and the family will reap the benefit for a lifetime.
Sue Dillicar - My love of writing began as a child, with short story writing. I took this passion into adulthood by studying English and Journalism at ...
