Rearing Kids Without TV
We grew up without a television in the house. I think I mentioned that in my last post. It was not simply because our parents could not afford to buy one but more because they believed that TV was not essential to our development as individuals. I remember going to our cousin’s house next door after school to watch a little bit of TV. I remember long summer months wherein we would have to go next door to get our share of cartoons.
Back then, I felt so deprived. My classmates would be talking about the latest episodes of the most popular cartoons and I would feel so left out. All I had were images in my head from stories that I read in the countless books that we had at home. Little did I know that that experience would enrich my life even more than the TV shows back then. Looking back, I realise that our parents actually did well in deciding that we should not have a television set.
Today, though, I can’t help but wonder if this practice can still apply. For one, we already have our own TV at home. We even have other similar gadgets like the computer, DVD player, and a video game console – all of which the kids can use. Of course, the books are still there – they can never be taken out of the equation.
I think that the times have changed. The television and other multimedia devices can help with our children’s development. However, there has to be discipline. What they watch, when they watch, and how long they watch needs to be controlled. They have to know their limits and balance their priorities as well.
February 15th, 2008 at 9:48 am
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June 3rd, 2008 at 5:53 am
I agree that things have changed. I was also raised without much tv, and wasn’t terribly happy about it at the time, but looking back understand it was a good thing. As an adult, I am a part of a company that was founded on the belief that media is going to reach modern children one way or another, so let’s raise the quality standard, and give parents a website to visit that only has the best, most wholesome, organic content out there. http://www.lilipip.com/shop/. Lilipip is a work in progress and just getting it’s feet off the ground, but we are trying to do enrich kids lives through higher quality media. If anyone has any feedback on the site we would love to hear good or bad
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November 9th, 2008 at 5:45 am
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