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Television can be a useful tool for parents when raising their children. It can also be misused if not monitored. With a small child, age appropriate programs on PBS and other learning shows like Sesame Street, have value in teaching children basic knowledge of letters, shapes and numbers. However if these lessons are not reinforced or even approached by the parents, children will not perceive the link between television and how to apply this knowledge to the real world. Parents have to show their children how to relate these images to their surroundings.

As a child grows, parents need to be aware of the violence in cartoons. They have to again be aware of what their children are watching and explain that boundaries which are overstepped on television cannot be overstepped in the real world. For example, there are consequences to hitting your friend over the head with a baseball bat. On television the consequence may be comical, but in real life it is not. It is the parents' responsibility to point out unacceptable behavior and reinforce it in the child.

For many children the line between what they see on television and the real world is sometimes blurred. Especially between the ages of five and nine children imitate the behaviors of cartoon characters. Sometimes parents think this is cute, but they have to be aware if the imitation goes too far. For an only child their pretend world may mask other behavioral problems. Every child pretends, but how do you know when the line is crossed and the child is escaping into a fantasy world when he responds to you in a line from his favorite show, or make gestures like what he has seen on television?

In the pre-teen and teenage years watching television with your children can again become a learning tool and a way to stimulate important conversations about a variety of subjects. For example, watching a show about teen romance can lead responsible parents to asking their child - "What would you do in a situation like what we saw on that show?" Do you think the character made the right choice? It can even be an avenue for a parent to reinforce the boundaries they have set for their children. "You know I don't want you to smoke, right?" "You see how staying out late lead that character into a mess of trouble?"

In the same vein, television may introduce teens and pre-teens to behavior that they would not otherwise encounter if not for some programs. Kissing, fondling, even half naked bodies are the norm in many

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