by Gauri Trivedi

Created on: January 19, 2010

Modern society has evolved, so has parenting. As family structures changed, so did the norms of what was acceptable and not so acceptable in child rearing. Much before the internet, television came and caused a revolutionary change in our day to day life. From entertainment to information television did and still does play an important role.

Parenting is one of those things where there is a constant debate of right and wrong. Each generation has its own view of how a child should be raised. Some parents prefer to follow what the experienced have to say, whereas some choose what works the best for them.

A fact that is very obvious is that parents today do need help other than family while raising kids. Gone are the days when grandparents/siblings were either in the house itself or always around to aid the parents. Additionally more and more women are working out of the house now. What this means for parents is, there is more to do and less of support.

Technology is supposed to aid human development. Therefore the modern day practice of using T.V. as a babysitter is not really surprising. T.V. as a babysitter is neither as weird nor as damaging as it sounds. It has its pros and cons and in the end everything bottles down to how much and how well you use it.

Advantages

1)      There are situations when either of the parent is in the house but not able to closely supervise the child. Finishing chores, working from home, cooking and many other tasks are done around the house where taking care of child side by side becomes difficult. While doing certain kind of work you would rather have the child out of your way for their own safety.  In such situations T.V. is a boon. Put on your kid’s favorite cartoon and finish your work in peace.

2)      If you already have a Television for your own use, this babysitter is free of cost. To most of us it would make sense to make use of this free assistance, while we are still in the house and able to keep a watch on the kid now and then.

3)      You save on time spent in dropping off and picking up from daycare/babysitter. When you need your kids to be occupied for only a short amount of time, it is only logical to find something inside the house.

4)      Entrusting someone so precious to babysitter or a day care where there maybe professionalism but no personal touch is a difficult thing to do. If it is an everyday

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>