Children and Television
photo credit: MelvinSchlubman
A lot of children spend a majority of their time in front of a television. These days there are more networks dedicated to children on cable, digital cable, and satellite. Children can learn from television or can watch the wrong programs and not learn anything. One thing about parenting is the need to supervise what your child is watching. There are a lot of programs that seem to be adult oriented and children should not be exposed to such TV until they are old enough to understand it. Parenting and step parenting means setting rules around what a child can watch and also when they can watch television.
A parenting tip is to remember that children watch and learn from the television. Whether the lessons they are learning are positive or negative depends upon what the child is watching. Make sure as a parent to monitor what a child watches. Do not allow children to watch shows that have sexual activity, violence against others (some cartoons may even be too violent for youth depending on age), or other topics that are of an adult nature. Remember children pick up on these topics and may act them out or learn to think that such activities are appropriate at times when they are not. Even when it is time for parents and step parents to choose television shows they may want to watch be aware that the prying eyes of children may see what you are watching and if it is not appropriate they may learn something negative from it.
Parenting help may be needed when a child sees something inappropriate on television. It is important for parents to explain what happened on the show and why it happened if a child is exposed to something inappropriate. That way the child has a better perspective of what had happened and this can avoid acting out such inappropriate behavior.
Remember to get children away from television to do other activities. Although television can work as a great reward when a child completes a task, it is not the only reward. Children with the help of their parents and step parents should learn alternatives to television. Children should be able to appreciate reading for leisure, going outside to play when the weather permits, having a night where the family plays board games or video games together ( also where parents can catch up on what is going on in a child’s life and vice versa), and working out . Children learn a lot from television and miss out on valuable lessons from books and family that may help them along in life.
As a parent make sure your child does not constantly sit in front of a television. Set limits of how much time and when they can watch television. When it is not their turn to watch television or just not the time when the family watches TV encourage the child to partake in other activities. The key is to monitor what and how much television a child watches on a daily basis.
More Parenting Help and Tips
Today television, the Internet and computer game have become a big problem for children. On the one hand, television is a good source of information, but on the other hand it has a harmful impact on health of people.