Posted in General Parenting
I remember someone telling me the story
of how they had allowed a stranger in their home and had let him set up
shop in their den. The stranger told wonderful stories, but some of his
stories didn't have any good messages in them. The stranger dined with
them, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Most of the time, he was
entertaining and witty, but other times he was crass and rude. He made
insulting jokes about their marriage, their family, and their faith.
Why on earth did they tolerate such behavior from a guest? Mostly
because he was who he was. His name was Telly Vision.
I don't know who told this story, but it helped me understand that the "behavior" we tolerate from a TV would be insulting and rude from a guest in our home. Since then, the guest's behavior has gone from bad to abysmal. My children, still 9 years old and younger, understand that the television is not their friend. As parents, we allow them to watch certain shows and when the shows are over, the TV is turned off. Aside from that, we don't watch nightly sit-coms, late night talk shows, or even Fox News, unless something significant is happening.
We also have intentionally curbed our "stranger's" rights around the house. He sits in one room. He is on for two or three hours a day at best, usually for children's shows or the occasional hockey or football game. Sure, there are conflicts in schedules, but I would rather deal with this inconvenience than have our children go off with a stranger. We have a weekly show that we all watch together, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We can often talk about the shows we've seen and use them as a common reference. In this way, TV is used constructively.
That's not to say the TV monitor is not used. DVD's of Little House on the Prairie get some play along with parent-approved movies. They are stories that make you think and often contemplate what life is really about. They are a far sight better than Survivor, According to Jim, Still Standing, Desperate Housewives, Wife Swap, Meet My Folks, and the dozens of shows that may have a nugget of truth piled in with a ton of horse manure.
I don't mean to imply that my family has it all together when it comes to entertainment choices. Believe me, there are times when my guard is down and things sneak in. On occasion, I've had to discuss a kids' version of the birds-and-the-bees and explain the way things ought to be between a man and his wife. I hate being put in that position and try to avoid it whenever I can. What I hope is that parents like you and I take enough of an interest in our kids' well-being that they aren't stuck shoveling out their minds of the worst our culture has to offer.
Will this policy change as my kids get older? Probably not. I may let them watch movies that are more intense and violent as they approach the time to leave the nest. The Lord of the Rings comes to mind, but only after they have read the books. By then, I will hopefully have trained them to think and make good choices and help them realize that letting the stranger in is a double-edged sword. Do I want my children to be ignorant of the culture? No, of course not. I want them to be equipped to redeem it. They stand a better chance of that if they don't share very much of their time with the stranger.
Other things I've had to say about Television:
I don't know who told this story, but it helped me understand that the "behavior" we tolerate from a TV would be insulting and rude from a guest in our home. Since then, the guest's behavior has gone from bad to abysmal. My children, still 9 years old and younger, understand that the television is not their friend. As parents, we allow them to watch certain shows and when the shows are over, the TV is turned off. Aside from that, we don't watch nightly sit-coms, late night talk shows, or even Fox News, unless something significant is happening.
We also have intentionally curbed our "stranger's" rights around the house. He sits in one room. He is on for two or three hours a day at best, usually for children's shows or the occasional hockey or football game. Sure, there are conflicts in schedules, but I would rather deal with this inconvenience than have our children go off with a stranger. We have a weekly show that we all watch together, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. We can often talk about the shows we've seen and use them as a common reference. In this way, TV is used constructively.
That's not to say the TV monitor is not used. DVD's of Little House on the Prairie get some play along with parent-approved movies. They are stories that make you think and often contemplate what life is really about. They are a far sight better than Survivor, According to Jim, Still Standing, Desperate Housewives, Wife Swap, Meet My Folks, and the dozens of shows that may have a nugget of truth piled in with a ton of horse manure.
I don't mean to imply that my family has it all together when it comes to entertainment choices. Believe me, there are times when my guard is down and things sneak in. On occasion, I've had to discuss a kids' version of the birds-and-the-bees and explain the way things ought to be between a man and his wife. I hate being put in that position and try to avoid it whenever I can. What I hope is that parents like you and I take enough of an interest in our kids' well-being that they aren't stuck shoveling out their minds of the worst our culture has to offer.
Will this policy change as my kids get older? Probably not. I may let them watch movies that are more intense and violent as they approach the time to leave the nest. The Lord of the Rings comes to mind, but only after they have read the books. By then, I will hopefully have trained them to think and make good choices and help them realize that letting the stranger in is a double-edged sword. Do I want my children to be ignorant of the culture? No, of course not. I want them to be equipped to redeem it. They stand a better chance of that if they don't share very much of their time with the stranger.
Other things I've had to say about Television:
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