Do you remember when you were a kid and your mum to say to you: “Turn off the box now, you watch too much TV if you’re not careful you’ll get square eyes!” It might have stayed with you, despite the fact that we watch more TV and consume more media than they did 30 years ago. But is watching TV such a sin? Read on to find out.
Contents
Benefit – Quiet activity
Firstly, and some would say most importantly, this activity is something that you can do with the kids that enables them to spend some time in quiet. Quiet, in a house full of kids, is one of the most valuable commodity there is. While you probably don’t believe in the adage ‘children should be seen and not heard.’ It is nice for a least one hour a day, to not be confronted with a barrage of “Mum, Mum, Mum!”
The only problem with this is if the TV isn’t working properly. Then you have a riot on your hands and your peace on quite can go out the window! Some homes can benefit from getting a TV aerial. As this usually involves working at heights it best to get a TV aerial installation service like JNB to come in and help you put it up.
Benefit – You can monitor it
Another great advantage of TV today is that you can monitor your children’s consumption. Especially you are all watching together as a family activity. Many kids have round the clock access to the internet. Luckily, most parents are responsible and use parental controls actively. But it can still be difficult to know what you kids are doing all the time
Pitfall – Not That Active
One of the pitfalls that has been discussed a lot of late is that TV is a sedentary activity. Meaning, while you are looking out for your kid’s health with whole foods, they still don’t get enough exercise, if they are watching too much TV.
There is a few solution for this, though. You can limit the amount of TV they watch, thus encouraging them to get out more. Or you can get them into TV shows which promote health behaviours like Lazy Town.
Pitfall – There is too much choice
Cast your mind back to the summer holidays when you were young again. Can you remember huffing and puffing about the house repeatedly telling your mum that you were bored? Well, kids, these days don’t have that luxury. So they never get to learn how to deal with those feelings of boredom and make use of their imaginations. Also, it is quite easy for them to become overwhelmed with the choice on offer, making it hard to pick anything at all.
Benefit – You can personalise your choices
However, this element of choice is a double-edged sword. While It can paralyse some into making no decisions at all, and remaining bored. Others can use it to their advantage, customising the type and way they watch TV to suit their own needs better.
No Comments