Now-a-days it’s pretty common to have a TV in the car. Television is everywhere. How is it influencing your child? In our home, we have chosen to pay close attention to what our children are watching because my husband and I understand that what our children view is what they will become. We learned this lesson all too early in our daughter’s life. From the very beginning we were pretty tuned in to what was entering our home via the television, but sometimes, as a mom, I was pretty fried and wanted to shut down for a bit. So I foolishly thought that anything on a kid-friendly channel was okay.

Now before I tell you this story, let me clarify that I am not “anti-Dora.” Dora the Explorer just happened to be what tipped me off to the fact that everything aimed at kid’s viewing is not necessarily so. The basics of our story is that my daughter was watching a block of about 3 shows and I didn’t think much about Dora, after all, she was teaching her Spanish. But what I began to notice was that every day after my daughter watched Dora, she began yelling at everyone, barking out her commands and was all around biligerant. It took me awhile but somehow I put the connection together and stopped letting her watch Dora. It was amazing how she didn’t act that way when she didn’t see that as an example every day.

Then there was the time that I thought that Animal Planet was simply educational. I thought for sure it would just teach them all about animals, right? Imagine my dismay when I allowed them to try out the show that I think is called the “Crocodile Hunter”. Do you know what my kids took away from that show? Wrestling. Great. Just what I needed more of in a house full of boys. As soon as the show ended my kids were figuring out who was going to be the Crocodile Hunter and who was going to be the crocodile. Thus the wrestling began. Now this example is pretty harmless, but if something as simple as wrestling is what came out of that, then what else are my kids taking away from the other shows they watch?

Now I don’t expect my kids to watch Teletubbies and Curious George for the rest of their life. I anticipate that as they get older, so will their tastes. What I aim to do as they get older is to equip them with the ability to filter what is good viewing and what is not. We have begun that process with our children lately. This is how the process goes.

One of my kids – “Hey Mom, can we watch… (whatever show it is at the time)?”
Me – “I don’t know. Why don’t we sit down and watch it together and find out?”

So we watch whatever show it is that they want to check out together. Afterwards we have a question time. I don’t tell them what I think of the show (although it is hard to hold my tongue sometimes), instead I ask them questions about the show and then let them answer. Usually by the time they are done answering my 20 million questions, they have come to the conclusion on their own. Thus, it is not me who says “yes” or “no” to the show–I’m not the bad guy, but instead it is them. They take more ownership and when I’m not around they are more apt to turn the channel and view what is acceptable.

So does it always work out that way? No, of course not! Sometimes my response is that I don’t have the time at the moment. But I do recognize that I can’t always say “no”. If I want to equip them to make wise choices in their viewing as they grow up, I have to be willing to make the investment of time now. It’s a sacrifice now for the greater good of my children in their future.

Here’s another reason that it doesn’t always work out in such a black and white way. Recently one of the shows that my sons were interested in checking out was Spongebob. So we went through the process. Even after all of the questions, I couldn’t really put my finger on what bothered me about the show. So I let them watch it for awhile. Then it hit me! Even though there was no particular issue that I had with the show, there was no good redeeming social value to it. That in itself became in enough of a reason to me so I had to back pedal. I had to explain to my children why I didn’t think it was a good investment of their viewing time and so Spongebob was effectively kicked back out the door of our home. To my benefit, a few days later, my children tried out another new show that had a great message to it. It became the springboard for a discussion where they got to compare and contrast the two shows. That opportunity solidified for them why I had to trump their decision and by the time we were done with our discussion, they took ownership over the Spongebob decision.

I don’t know what your views on TV are, but I would challenge you to think about what is entering your home on a daily basis via the television. Think not only about what actions are being played out on the screen, but also what type of people and their attitudes are entering your living room and on into your children’s minds. Remember, what they see as an example will eventually be what they become. Just more to think about along the road. I certainly don’t want your mind to turn to mush in this season of motherhood!

In case you can relate...

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