1 of 168

Yes

Write now Article Tools

I grew up in a home of avid... no, ferocious... television and movie watchers. In fact, until I got married, I thought "family time" was mostly composed of sitting down to a movie, MASH, Star Trek, or anything else that the could be watched on TV.

It is likely that this trend would have continued into my adult life had I not married Margie. In this respect, Margie was my polar opposite... she grew up without a TV. In the early days of our marriage I wondered why it was such a shock to her system when I constantly suggested that we spent "quality" time together watching something on TV or going to the movie.

It took her over 7 years to totally disconnect me. Regular TV programming went first and it went fairly early on. But plopping down in front of a movie on a regular basis, that was a bit harder to drag me away from.

Now, let's bring children into the discussion. You should know that we are the parents of 7 (almost 8) children. As my children started growing up, I noticed that they too were beginning to believe "quality" family time was sedately sitting in front of the TV.

I noticed something else as well: I noticed the impact of long-term, current programming on the minds, attitudes, behaviors and work ethic of other children who were several years ahead of ours. (Currently our oldest is 10yrs). In that observation, I saw a direct and powerful correlation between the parents who were constantly bemoaning behavior challenges with their children and the sheer volume of TV that their children digested.

Parents would say, "My child simply does not listen to me!" And then I would see the child absorbing "The Simpsons". Hummm... Interesting. I could go on, relating challenges with smoking, drug use, violent behavior, disrespect for authority, etc... and connect them to hundred of different TV and Hollywood programs that portray, perpetuate and popularize these themes.

It seemed to make sense - just like eating a steady stream of junk food will eventually take its toll on your physical body, consuming large quantities of corrupt information will inevitably reflect itself in your behavior.

Somewhere around the year 1000 BC, Solomon penned these words: "For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). In 1902, James Allen took that phrase and wrote a book called, "As a Man Thinketh", which detailed the vivid connection between the thoughts playing in our mind and the realities in the world around us.

Consider this

• 1
• 2
• 3
• next page >>

Add your voice

Know something about Should parents raise their children without television??
We want to hear your view. Write now!