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"Sunny day. Sweepin' the clouds away. On my way to where the air is sweet. Can you tell me..." if Sesame Street didn't have an impact on your life when you were a child?

There probably isn't very many of you who didn't learn their ABC or how to count without the aid of this show. You probably even got told off for stuffing your face full of cookies like the Cookie Monster. Tried to do "The Pigeon" like Bert and ate cookies in your brother's bed so you wouldn't get crumbs in your bed like Ernie.

Were you a little bit afraid of Oscar because he was so grouchy? And in awe of The Count because he was so spooky?

How about in the afternoon when the movie matinee came on, do you remember watching black and white westerns and later on in the day going out and playing Cowboys and Indians?

If you have any recollection of these experiences in your childhood then you were "affected by television programming"

If children's television didn't have an influence on children and teach them how to interact in the world television networks wouldn't bother to make it. In comparison if bright, colorful advertisements for fast food and toys didn't have an impact on children, advertisers wouldn't compete to have their advertising during children's viewing hours.

The offspring of most warm-blooded living things learn to make their way in the world by observing their parent's actions and mimicking them.

The baby duckling follows its mother into the water and learns how to swim. Baby lion cubs learn how to stalk their prey from their mothers. You show your child how to brush their teeth or kick a football they copy you.

Every living thing is a product of its environment. As a result if you put your child in front of the television or let them play video games all day, these machines REPLACE YOU! and the child believes what he sees is how things should be.

The most influential time of a child's life is in the first five to seven years. There are a lot of "firsts" happening to the child during this time and the kind of things you expose them to will determine their behavior in later years.

Therefore it is important to monitor what and how much television your child watches.

Perhaps stick to the educational shows in the morning then let them go out and play with other children in the afternoon. During the evening have family time doing puzzles, playing card or board games while you talk about each other's day. Alternatively watch television as a family and discuss the shows that are being watched.

By supervising the television your child watches you can ensure it is an entertaining and positive experience that will help develop them into social and well-balanced adults.

Try watching Sesame Street together. After all it is intended to be entertaining to adults for this purpose. You may even experience a positive affect yourself.

Learn more about this author, Blonde Rose.
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