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Parents should monitor what children watch but raising kids without television is denying them access to a strong cultural link and education tool.

Television is a bonding experience. Bring up Ed Sullivan in a room full of baby boomers. then prepare for an avalanche of memories to flood the room. Unfortunately, the variety show has given way to reality series complete with cruel judges or border line psychotic roommates, but their are still programs with a positive message around. Parents should pay attention to what their kids are watching and try to discuss it with them. Compare "Hannah Montana" to "The Partridge Family", or "Naked Brothers Band" with the Monkees. Initially the kids will see a world of difference between the old and new, but family loyalty and teamwork have remained constant themes in programs aimed at kids.

While you may not want your children to grow up as pop culture junkies, you can use television to talk about the evolution of social norms and the break down of etiquette in our daily life. Of course you shouldn't open up the discussion with academic buzzwords, but it won't take much to get a conversation going if you talk about characters that your kids like. Seek out the squeaky clean re-runs of our youth, like the Dick Van Dyke Show, and talk about how clever the responses were when people didn't rely on profanity. Think about the ways that t.v. has shaped your own social life. Have you sought out a group like, "Friends" or "Seinfeld" or do you have a strong, sometimes frustrating bond, with your family like the ladies on the "Gilmore Girls"?

Its not hard to keep your kids television view habits in check. There are locks you can put on objectionable channels, and you can always "TiVo" things so that kids can watch them on the weekend with you instead of on a school night.

Learn more about this author, Julia Masi.
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