Blessings!!

Blessings!!
Seventeen blessings that make growing older worth the effort!!...and 2 more blessings since this picture was taken!
Welcome



Wouldn't it be wonderful if your family were the envy of all your neighborhood? Not because your family had the biggest house, the fanciest car or the very best interior decorator.

The reason isn't that you are the parents of the most beautiful children, you have a "to die for spouse" and you command a 6 figure income.

The fact of the matter is, you don't own a fancy house, your car is a CarMax reject, and your interior decorator is the local Goodwill Store.

Is all of that important? No! What is important is that your family is "The Happiest Family on the Block"!

I will be sharing our secrets that worked with our 6 children, 6 sons and daughters-in-laws and 19 grandchildren! I will share secrets and ideas that we did do and wished we hadn't, things we didn't do, but wished we had, AND things we did do and are glad we got something right!! Hindsight is 20/20 you know!

The "happy family" revolves around:

Marriage

Raising children

Faith

Schooling

Discipline

Childbirth

Hobbies- cooking, sewing, crafts, decorating

Making money

Finances

Being friends with your grown up children

Being the best grandparents you can be

Etc, etc, etc

Grab a cup of coffee, sit down, relax and let's visit!

My Darling Grandaughter

My Darling Grandaughter

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Television

I am starting this post by quoting a poem that most of us know, if not by heart then at most we've probably read it.
Children and Television

(Poem taken from Roald Dahl's book, Charlie and The Chocolate Factory)

"The most important thing we've learned,

So far as children are concerned,

Is never, NEVER, NEVER let

Them near your television set-

Or better still, just don't install

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we've been,

We've watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

(Last week in someone's place we saw

A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)

They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they're hypnotized by it,

Until they're absolutely drunk

With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,

They don't climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,

They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink-

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

This does to your beloved tot?

IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!

IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!

IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!

IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND

HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND

A FANTASY, A FAIRY LAND!

HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!

HE CANNOT THINK-HE ONLY SEES!

'All right!' you'll cry. 'All right' you'll say,

'But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to enertain

Our darling children? Please explain!'

We'll answer this by asking you,

'What used the darling ones to do?

'How used they keep themselves contented

Before this monster was invented?

Have you forgotten? Don't you know?

We'll say it very loud and slow:

THEY. . . USED . . . TO . . . READ! They'd

READ and READ,

AND READ and READ, and then proceed

TO READ some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lives was reading books!

The nursery shelves held books galore!

Books cluttered up the nursery floor!

And in the bedroom, by the bed,

More books were waiting to be read!

Such wondrous, fine, fantastic tales

Of dragons, gypsies, queens, and whales

And treasure isles, and distant shores

Where smugglers rowed with muffled oars,

And pirates wearing purple pants,

And sailing ships and elephants,

And cannibals crouching 'round the pot,

Stirring away at something hot.

(It smells so good, what can it be?

Good gracious, its Penelope.)

The younger ones had Beatrix Potter

With Mr. Tod, the dirty rotter,

And Squirrel Nutkin, Pigling Bland,

And Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and-

Just How the Camel Got His Hump,

And How The Monkey Lost His Rump,

And Mr. Toad, and bless my soul,

There's Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole-

Oh books, what books they used to know,

Those children living long ago!

So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,

Go throw your TV set away,

And in its place you can install

A lovely bookshelf on the wall.

Then fill the shelves with lots of books,

Ignoring all the dirty looks,

The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,

And children hitting you with sticks-

Fear not, because we promise you

That, in about a week or two

Of having nothing else to do,

They'll now begin to feel the need

Of having something good to read.

And once they start-oh boy, oh boy!

You watch the slowly growing joy

That fills their hearts. They'll grow so keen

They'll wonder what they'd ever seen

In that ridiculous machine,

That nauseating, foul, unclean,

Repulsive television screen!

And later, each and every kid

Will love you more for what you did.

Need I say more?? Television is doing more harm to our children than most of us realize. This poem makes it seem funny, but there is scientific evidence that TV actually does affect the brains of children. There is scienitfic evidence that TV contributes to ADD, learning disabilities, reading problems, etc.
Children who spend long hours in front of the television lose the ability to use their imagination, to be creative and think for themselves. They don't know how to entertain themselves and their God given curiosity is stifled.

Turn off the television!!  Turn off the video games!! Send them outside use their imagination and create imaginary people, places and things. Let them build sandcastles, forts in the woods and use pinecones and acorns for imaginary food. Give them books to read, crayons and paper to draw on. Let them use modeling clay to mold wild and crazy things that could only come from fertile imaginations.
Our home never had a TV. Our children learned from a very young age to entertain themselves. Even today, when they are all together they sometimes talk about the fun things they did growing up, using their imaginations...... and they read, read, read! Oh my, when we went to the library we almost needed a trailer to bring all the books back home. I had to pry them away from books to do their chores, homework and even to sleep!
Even if you can't bring yourselves to get rid of the television, at least limit it drastically. Children should not look at TV more than one hour every day, max. Less would be better!
 I promise you,  you will reap the rewards!

17 comments:

VKT said...

I agree wholeheartedly. Between video games and television, children are not getting the exercise they need like they used to when I first started teaching. I think some get so overloaded in activities like horseback riding, gymnastics, ballet, etc. that all they want to do when they get home is plop down and play games...or so they say.

Liz Mays said...

I'm a huge, huge supporter of encouraging imaginative play! I never ran out of ideas and activities for my kids!

I'm following you back now!

Jackie said...

Thanks for stopping by.

I limit my son's tv as much as possible. I try to take him out for walks or try to do some creative activity with him. Around bed time, I let him watch about an hour of tv to wind him down. Then, we read his books. Boy, does he LOVE to read.

wacki04@TheKing'sCourt IV said...

Thanks for stopping by from Tuesday Tag-Along! I'm returning the favor!

Michelle Faith said...

Well to be honest the TV and Video games are my babysitters! If I turn them off the kids are fighting. Ahh but Yes it is true it should be turned off more then its turned on.

Thanks for stopping by blissfulbabble friend.

Anonymous said...

That is a great message. Things are definitely different these days.

Visiting and following from Friday Follow. Thanks for posting our button too.

Lynn
http://www.middayescapades.com

Tammy @BeatriceBanks said...

Thanks for the reminder. I agree. I grew up without a tv and I'm ok. About your spanking poll, I wanted to vote b/c I believe in spanking, just not with the hand. I believe the hand is for loving and a child doesn't need to flinch when you raise your hand towards them. If you take time to go get a belt or paddle, you also have time to cool down and explain to the child why he/she is getting the spanking, which is as important as the spanking itself to me.

Joy@TPMG said...

I totally agree with you! I love to watch my daughter use her imagination as she pretends to cook dinner or become a princess.

Rose said...

There is too much tv watching. Some programs have little value. Limit the amount of time a child is watching tv.

I'm a full-time mummy said...

Hey, I tagged you in a photo meme. Come on over and hope you can join in the fun!

http://imafulltimemummy.blogspot.com/2010/04/photo-meme.html

Anita said...

It's a work in progress. Thanks.

Juliana said...

I absolutely loved reading this and I am now your newest follower. I cannot believe I was not following you until now!!!!

Murdock's mama said...

I love this post! I'm a nanny and it drives me nuts to see all the parents that allow their children to sit in front of a tv...and they try to say it's 'educational' tv!
I'm here from Tuesday Tagalong & your newest follower!

Abby
www.murdocksmama.com

malia said...

hi from tag along tues-- love this-- thanks for the reminder

Kari said...

Very true. We hardly watch tv at our house. Don't even have cable. Thanks for stopping by my blog and following. I'm following you back now! Have a great day!

Anonymous said...

I am in such agreement with this post!! We are moving very soon and I am seriously debating whether to take the darned thing with me or not. Maybe it will get 'lost' in the move.....
;)
Found your blog on FF and hope you can take a minute to check mine out too at http://kids-accessories-by-kidcessory-haven.blogspot.com/

Thanks!!

Lisa
Kidcessory Haven

Candi said...

Following you from TAT please follow back. cute blog!

http://littlebittyspicecakes.blogspot.com/

1 Precious Daughter, 2 precious Grandaughters

1 Precious Daughter, 2 precious Grandaughters
I am blessed!