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Well, those who hold this opinion are not
altogether wrong. They are in fact right on both counts. However peer
pressure is one reality that needs to be taken into account here. The
child interacts with several others in school and while at play. He has to
take part in conversations that more often than not center around popular
TV shows. Not being able to participate might give rise to an inferiority
complex. So it is not advisable to ban the television altogether.
Some amount of involvement by parents is also
a good idea. Maybe parents and the child can put their heads together and
agree on certain shows. At times watching it with your child and enjoying
it at his level might also be a good idea. A few good laughs are great for
relieving stress.
Have
TV should see
A few parents feel that their children have every right to watch whatever
they want on television for as long a time as they want to just because it
is available. They want to give their children all that they could not
have in their own childhood.
Stop and think - are you not spoiling your
child? Would you feed him mangoes throughout the day just because he loves
it? Certainly not. He would suffer from indigestion, wouldn’t he? Well,
watching too much of TV would have a similar effect on the mind. As
mentioned earlier, it would stunt physical growth and mental alertness.
Go ahead and indulge them, but within limits,
or else you will be doing them a disservice. Weaning a child away from
television is not an easy task. You will need to use all your ingenuity to
make an alternative task more interesting and stimulating for him to
willingly take it up. The best bet would be to encourage the child to take
up an outdoor sport along with other children of his age.
Indiscriminate
viewing - some pointers
The global village that we now live in has given us access to several
things and multiple television channels is just one of them. Flicking
through the various available channels will show that there is lot of
material with lust and violence out there that you would want to shield your child from. Do it,
but with the child’s cooperation and consent. Explain to the child that
certain channels and programmes are not meant for him right now. Do tell
him that they are not ‘bad’ but are meant for older people. And as far
as possible engage the children in some interesting activity in another
room before you sit down to watch your favorite sitcom, music video or
movie. Encourage the child to ask questions and clear doubts of any kind
regarding anything unsuitable that you think has prompted the question.
Explicit commercials, promos and the like expose children to concepts
that they cannot begin to comprehend. When questions regarding such issues
are raised, try to explain at the child’s level as truthfully as
possible.
Extract
some benefits from TV
Yes it is possible. Visual images have a more lasting impact on our minds
than audio or written material. Several skills can be honed by using the
child’s TV viewing habit. This will be both interesting and beneficial
at the same time.
Write,
talk and draw TV shows
Capitalize on the advantage of great visuals by asking the child to
relate an incident from a cartoon show. If the child loves drawing and
playing with colors you may ask him to draw something related to the
show. Or may be write a short essay on what he saw. This will give him
exercises in recalling information. Sounds familiar? Is it not what we do
when appearing for a test - recalling information? This is an interesting
way to practice this skill. You can
also help him sharpen observation skills by playing a small game. Agree on
a short advertisement and then ask questions regarding what has just been
seen. Once he knows he has to come up with an answer he will absorb the
picture he sees in greater detail. Eventually it will become second
nature, making him a very observant person. Keen observing is a skill that
comes with practice, one is not born with it. Make the game more
interactive by letting him ask the questions. After all, adults too can
use some sharpening of skills from time to time.
Join
them and benefit
Never use the television as a tool for keeping your child quiet when
you have some important tasks to wade through. Spend some time with the
child and gently guide him towards informative programmes. Sit through a
few of them yourself. When he sees you preferring an informative program
to ones that merely entertain, chances are that he will emulate you.
Enhancing your general knowledge would not be a waste of time either.
Sharpen
those ears
You can even play a ‘listen and tell’ game. Have the child turn away
from the television and then name the characters whose voices he hears.
Try your hand at it too, and you will agree that it does take a lot
of effort to watch television with full attention!
Aim
at being a well informed family
It would also be a good idea to make news hour a family viewing time.
This will automatically cultivate an interest in and an awareness of
current affairs.
Television is here to stay. Whether we turn
into the TV’s slaves and plan activities around TV schedules or we turn
the TV into our slave to be at our beck and call to amuse, inform and hone
certain skills, is totally in our hands. Television
is going to have some impact on your lives and the secret of channelizing
this impact in a beneficial way lies with you. So go ahead and take charge
of both the television and its effect on your life.
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