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!