familyfitness

It is estimated that kids watch an average of four hours a day watching television.  FOUR HOURS! Kids who spend that much time watching TV are less likely to be involved in family activities, get poor grades, have sleep problems, express behavior problems, become obese and indulge in risky behavior. There is also research to illustrate the thought that very young children who watch television may deal with attention deficit disorder as a result. Their brains are being rewired-permanently. On top of that TV shows (even shows intended for young audiences) include violence, prejudices are perpetuated, and a skewed sense of reality is portrayed. All reasons to turn it off.  Better yet … unplug it.

Sounds great, we all understand that it is better to not watch than watch. But realistically, it can be quite the challenge.  At my house we employed simple kitchen timers to get them on board with the 30 minute rule–30 minutes of viewing time per day. The boys were each given their own simple kitchen timer to decorate and personalize as they liked. We had always had a 30 minute rule for TV viewing.  As they aged, became more independent and began viewing allowable shows on their own-the time limit became an issue. Que the timers. The boys set their timers for 30 minutes as they watched television (and I also set a timer so there would be no fudging!). When the timer went off they would pop up, turn off the tube and go play.  It really was as simple as that.  Giving them the ability to watch the time pass, estimate when it would be over, gave them the perspective they needed to not be surprised when viewing time was over. I know not every kid will take as kindly to this process–I am lucky in the fact that the television holds little allure for my boys–but the effort will be worth the benefit.

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