Stop Sticking Your Kids In Front Of The Effing TV!
I grew up without cable. “There are better things to do than watch TV,” said my mother. So I read books, did arts and crafts, and found a lot of ways to be constructive without 790 channels standing in my way. Sure, I watched movies and the occasional TV show (I have babysitters to thank for the latter), but television was never a priority, and I think it’s been pretty beneficial in my adult life.
However, more and more often one hears, “My son/daughter LOVES [insert TV show]” and less and less often I hear “My son/daughter LOVES [insert book]!” What the hell? Where’d all the books go? They turned into educational DVDs, that’s where.
However, I’ve uncovered yet aNOTHER study (click here to read the first one) that says that the less time kids spend being couch potatoes, the smarter they are. Says LiveScience,
Even infants zone out in front of the television, and it turns out this translates into less time interacting with parents and possible lags in language development, a new study finds.
“We’ve known that television exposure during infancy is associated with language delays and attentional problems, but so far it has remained unclear why,” said lead researcher Dimitri Christakis, director of the Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development at Seattle Children’s Research Institute and professor of pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine.
In fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics discourages television watching before the age of 2, a time when critical development, such as language acquisition, occurs. (Christakis said a baby’s brain triples in size during the first two years of life, so there’s a lot going on in that little noggin.)
Not popping in DVDs doesn’t mean you have to have a ton of time to spend with your kids, either. My mom was a single mom, and we got along just fine. Just let the kids do what you do! If you’re reading, read out loud and follow the words with your finger. Or let them read with you. If you’re cooking, let them stir. You’ll find that you have more time to spend with your kids than you thought, and eventually they might prefer a good book instead of another episode of Spongebob.
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Comments 7
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Imasexyred
Damn, this article won’t get the kind of attention you TRULY hope for, with that headline.
Kountry_Mayne
Better things to do in life besides drink , smoke , club and party. So how can an immature adult raise a child when they still havent figured it out them selfs?
Late6Knight
I walk with my little brother to the corner store and we also talk about sports and dinosaurs. I’m ol’skool so i support the effort to get kids outdoors and not indoors. If indoors, read a book or build something. Education and the arts have become diseases that parents today use TV as a treatment.
Arrielle2007
I agree. And then parents are allowing their kids too be raised by the TV. BET and MTV and VH1 are doing parent’s jobs.
alpha111906
well…it isn’t about just going outdoors…cause that can be a babysitter too. It is about interacting with your child…teaching them…there are so many things that you can teach your child…fishing…camping…how to interact with people…etc…take them to plays…take them to the museum…Kids learn best when it is in front of them…hands on. They learn best from their parents. TV is temporary…and it has improved dramatically as far as age appropriate educational channels…the shows are only temporary..they don’t repeat/reiterate things…and is why kids quickly forget..so it is up to us as parents to teach/introduce concepts to our kids. My kids have a crap load of books…and my son is only 4 years old and they recommend him for 1st grade…my daughter is also ahead of most 6 years old…and this is because I started teaching them early…while most parents are too busy throwing them off on other people and daycare while they get their groove on, I was busy teaching them basic reading/writing/language skills. I refuse to give my kids a video game unless they are playing on the computer in which I teach them basic computer skills…typing..etc. This was done without a large income/budget so to say you have to be rich in order to get a great education is bullcrap…I had to put time and work extra hours in order to give my kids what they deserve…there were times where I couldn’t even afford their schooling..but I didn’t take them out…I just made sacrifices and it is paying off so far…so in summary, you have to get involved in your kids lives..don’t let them wait till they are “school aged” before they start learning valuable skills…if they can learn the lyrics to a rap song that you are playing loudly in your house or car…then they can learn to speak spanish or words in a book…
ablackbutterfly
I totally agree, t.v. is good sometimes but never as a babysitter. So many children can tell you all about their “favorite” shows, yet lack any understanding at school and could care less about a book.
mokalicious69
thats true most of the parents now a days stick their babies in front of the t.v and as they get older thats all they want to do is watch tv. i on the other hand was brought up old school so my daughter doesn’t spend all of the day watching the tube. she loves the outdoors and basically spend most of her time outside playing with the other kids…