by Lisa Bjurstrom

Created on: November 27, 2009

It's a Monday, and you've arrived at work. While getting your coffee, you casually talk with a co-worker about your weekend and what interesting things your children did. Your co-worker questions something that you said, perhaps it is the character you mentioned in the story, and you respond that it's something on a TV show. And then you hear those words, Oh, we don't let our kids watch TV. How many of us have been in a similar situation? How did you respond?

We all want the best for our children. The children are the future, as the saying goes. However, isn't it best to equip them with an awareness of the world around them? With supervision, there is some good that can come from letting your children watch television.

There have been arguments regarding the amount of violence on television, the use of the television as a babysitter, and its' effects on the child's ability to learn. The responsibility for each issue above rests with the parent. The parent should be monitoring what the child watches, how long the child watches it, and the educational value of each program. There is much that can be gained by parent involvement in each program. Does your child want to watch Phineas and Ferb on the Disney Channel? Yes, it seems at first glance a mindless cartoon, but think of the imagination that the two boys in the program have! Or consider Zeke and Luther, also on Disney, to see what can be learned from the situations that the main characters find themselves in. Discuss the programs with your child to see what they picked up from them.

What else do we find when we turn on the television? There are hundreds of channels filled with news, documentaries, educational programming, sitcoms, drama, and cartoons. Choices are endless! But, one thing is common to almost every one of these shows. The information is current. Your child will see what's popular now, or important now. It also reflects the culture and environment of the world. The television can be used to show our children how the world has changed over the last 50 years by showing older programs and comparing them to those today.

There is a wealth of information to be gained from the TV. Is your child interested in history, sciences or travel? There are so many programs that are created for specific interests like these! What did America look like when their Grandpa was their age? Do they want to see Mars without clicking through the internet for it? Would they like to see tigers in action, in their own habitat? What is life like in Peru? The television will visually walk your child through these things, give them the information and grow their interest even more!

Children should also learn teamwork and friendly competition to survive in the world. Will your child be raised without watching your area's favored NFL or NBA team compete for the championship? Sports are played in public school and as your child grows he or she will want to see these games on the professional level.

When debating whether or not to raise your child with the television, there is more to be gained by having the television present. We need our children to be aware of the world around them, and our TV's show our culture, past and present. There are countless educational programs available to choose from which will help develop your child's interests. However, the most important aspect in relation to the television is parent involvement. You are raising the child with the television as a resource, and like most things with children, it should be used in moderation.

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