07/08/98

Less TV, More Interaction..

In response to the The Screen Habit

• - Your take on television viewing is askew, a bogus opinion taken up by parents to absolve themselves of responsibility for doing their job of parenting. As a mother and woman you make the silly statement that "A person watching a screen is usually physically inactive and psychologically unavailable for conversation, play, work, love or any other form of interaction." The person has parked himself or herself in front of that screen probably to avoid all of the aforementioned!
  People give their attention to the screen for entertainment, information and just to waste time, often too tired to carry on a conversation and watch TV at the same time. Children and men (who are really just big children) like it that way. They will not be persuaded to read books, play games or interact with family and friends if you punish them by taking away TV.
  As a parent you probably used TV as a baby-sitter...plopped the kids in front of it to keep them out of the way for awhile. Now that they're maturing and becoming more adult, are you more interested in talking with them? Are you trying to undo the damage or assuage your guilt for instilling the habit in the first place?
  A word about copycat crimes from TV. One of the greatest sorrows of Rod Serling's life was that he wrote a teleplay about people high jacking a plane. No one had ever done it before and it became a worldwide problem, but who can say whether he started the idea? And would we want to miss seeing Serling's other fine works, like "Requiem for a Heavyweight," "Patterns," or the recent adaptation of his outcry against bigotry and prejudice, "A Town Has Turned to Dust?" No. Television is a tool to be used for keeping in touch with the rest of the world, for entertainment and for occasionally wasting time. To ban it or downgrade it is the conscious act of a lazy parent. Put TV in its proper perspective and balance viewing with homework and physical activity. Get your child psychiatric help if he or she is confusing TV stories with reality; that child needs help even if TV is not a factor. Finally, why can't women let men watch a game without choosing those two particular hours to suddenly engage us in "meaningful dialog?"
  -- Kids and Men like to waste time with TV!

• - How about no TV since 1982! Our three children, ages 2, 5 and 8, don't watch TV, videos or movies. We constantly receive compliments about their intelligence, charm, health and friendliness.
  -- Doing Fine without TV

• - Who was it who said "A body in motion stays in motion; a body at rest stays at rest?" It's definitely true. My children, now 12 and 15, were latchkey kids. I didn't try to dictate what they could watch after school (since I couldn't enforce it), but when I walked into the house, the TV had to be turned off and each child took a turn helping me prepare supper. After supper the other child washed the dishes while I read to them. It wasn't long before I came home to find them reading instead of watching TV. Even today they have to ask permission to turn it on and if they are behind on their chores, the answer is usually, "No!"
  -- Chores and reading come first.

• - As a child I rode my bike all the time, seven days a week in summer and at least two or three days a week in winter. These days the play yards and back yards are empty. Parents/people need to stop driving everywhere and use their legs. If I were a parent there would be no TV in the house. Not as a punishment but as a way to prevent electronic interference from ruling our lives. Kids lack excitement, adventure and independence in their lives.
  -- Reduce TV and increase adventure

• - I have often listened to conversations at work and at family gatherings, frightened at how much dialogue centers on TV. I watch those people and think, "What are your hobbies? Do you know who Chaucer or the Bronte sisters are? Wouldn't you want to actually travel to those exotic places to really see a wild giraffe or elephant? Have you ever formed an opinion on your own?" After a few minutes speaking with avid TV viewers, I find myself thinking that reading "Farenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury ought to be mandatory in schools! Thank you for contributing your thoughts to the SNET website. If just one family changes their viewing habits this summer, your essay will not be in vain.
  -- Read a Good Book!

• -I have waged the TV war with my kids, and I've partially won. My 17 year old son rarely watches it, but my 12 year old is more inclined to veg out in front of the screen, if given the chance. I think one of the problems is that there is always something on for kids to watch, from the networks to Nickelodeon to Disney, 24 hours a day. Now that she's getting older, she's discovered other programs, too. I screen them all, and not just the violent ones. Although many kids watch them, I don't allow her to see soaps, talk shows, or any of the Baywatch/Melrose/90210 ilk. Trash is trash, no matter how you jazz it up. She's a good reader, loves fishing and soccer, so I try not to get too crazy about the TV stuff. Blowing it out of proportion can ruin all your good intentions. -- Black-out Programs Judiciously

Please send questions or comments to bbruno@snet.net.