Parenting Tips      

      
  Help!  How do I take charge of the Television?   

      
  Today's child spends many hours a day watching television, seeing thousands of acts of violence a year. According to a recent study, the average child between 5 and 15 years old will witness on television the violent destruction of more than 13,400 fellow human beings. This statistic does not include cartoon characters that the child will see battered, smashed, or self-destructed. Children learn few skills from television and receive little support for growth toward adulthood.

  Few television images depict competent, kind and honest women. Men, especially fathers, are portrayed as dimwitted in sitcoms and abusive in dramatic programs. Children are generally precocious, disrespectful, and dressed in clothing beyond most families' means. It is difficult for children to find the balance between the fantasy of television and the reality of life.

   OK…the reality is that television is here to stay. What can you do as a parent to try to get a balance for your child's television viewing?

Some suggestions:

  Decide on a limited amount of time that you are willing to let your child watch television each day. Every Saturday or Sunday spend an hour with your child reviewing the TV listings for the week and circling the permitted programs. In the hour or less that it takes, you will have spent time reading, writing, working math problems about time, teaching the art of negotiation and compromise, and showing your child that you care about how TV time is spent.