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This is a difficult question. The key word here is "raise." As parents we should raise our children with a set of moral values, knowing the fundamental differences between right and wrong. As parents we should raise our children to understand that they will be expected to be participating citizens of their country when they are adults. As parents we should raise our children to think for themselves.

A television set ought to be in the same category as the radio was years ago: a source of entertainment and news. My grandparents heard about the call of a nation to war on their radio. My grandmother used to enjoy sitting in her rocker knitting while big band music played on her radio in the background. My grandparents didn't "raise" my dad on radio, it just was a part of daily life including work, chores, and playing games around the kitchen table.

As a child, I remember watching "Howdy Dowdy" and getting excited every Christmas because "The Wizard of Oz" was going to be on television for its annual showing. I remember when I was grade school age I watched the funeral procession for President Kennedy with my parents. I wasn't "raised" by the television, I was raised by my parents who picked and chose what I watched. In fact, I was greatly influenced by the choices they made. The television was never set to "on" and just allowed to blare in the background. The location of the set in the living room was wherever the "rabbit ears" could get good reception.

My children watched "Sesame Street" and would recite the poems and songs they learned. I never used the television set as a babysitter because it never occurred to me to do so. As a family we decided on the evenings' activities, which sometimes included watching something together on the television or doing other things. Often their school work took precedent over their time anyway. I didn't "raise" my children on television.

A television set is a device for allowing us a window into creative entertainment and a window into our world. But it's only one window. Let's hope that no one is raising their children with television but rather, that they are using good judgment as to the value of the programming they allow to come into their home.

Learn more about this author, Linda Smith.
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