My kid, the TV addict
My eldest daughter, Sofia, is a certified TV addict. At two years and eleven months old, she’s practically memorized and has quite an extensive understanding of almost all there is to know about her favorite shows on the tube. When she wakes up in the morning, she utters one thing, “Disney Channel!”
Sofia’s such a Disney Channel fan that I’ve pretty much also gotten to know the schedules, characters and even the plotlines of the shows she is fond of watching, including Disney’s current primetime (for kids, that’s mid-mornings and late afternoons) offerings, Kim Possible, Martin Mystery, Lilo & Stitch, Ducktales, and countless of other Mickey, Donald and Goofy stuff. Come to think of it, some of these series were popular way back when I was younger and also a cartoon-watching kid!
My daughter’s TV shows have captured my interest so much that I’ve even done my research on the backgrounds of the shows and characters (here’s an area where Wikipedia excels). My mobile phone’s SMS alert tone is Kim Possible’s messenger tone!
Of course, as a parent, I do understand that there’s an upside and a downside to all this. Kids, especially at these early ages (my other daughter, Cate, is one-and-a-half) are quite impressionable, and anything they see and hear they can easily mimic and even integrate into their persona.
So whatever Sofia gets to watch on TV, she does get to learn a lot. And this is not only in terms of broadening her knowledge base, but also in affecting how her personality and psychological make-up is developed.
This means we better make sure what she watches are not of violent or objectionable nature. And it’s always best for her to be exposed to shows that are educational and interactive in nature–shows that make her think and use her imagination, rather than just feed her information. She’s already learned quite a few concepts from watching Hi-5, Blue’s Clues, Lazytown and Dora (this time on Nickelodeon).
And we do realize that kids’ televiewing habits are best supported by parental guidance–kids tend to ask questions about things they’ve just watched on TV. In this regard, being there to answer and give your opinions would surely matter in how your kid analyses things as he/she grows up. Also, not everything on supposedly kids’ channels are for kids my daughter’s age. For instance, Disney only allots certain times of the day for pre-school age kids. Some hours, like TV primetime) are for elementary-age kids or tweens.
Of course, another problem would be her eyesight. As kids, my wife and I grew up watching quite too close to our TV sets (and to the computer screens, too), and now our eyesights are far from perfect. I think it’s time for more eye-friendly television screens (LCDs are great, but still quite expensive for me).
Here’s a useful guide to TV and parenting I found at AAP. Across the Web, however, opinions may vary, and I understand it’s really upon a parent’s discretion, how you’d let television influence your kid’s habits. For one, my wife’s into child development and she should know what’s best for our children. TV’s not necessarily a bad thing for kids, as with any other technological tool that may be used for education. How you use it is what matters!
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