Parents of Schoolgoers  Discussion Forum

With families becoming more and more nuclear, most mothers start off by using the television as a \" babysitter\" . Children as young as a year old are left in front of the TV to keep them out of trouble while the mother cooks or bathes. The child soon plonks herself in front of the TV whenever it is switched on and even needs the TV to be on while eating. True, mothers can go about their work with the assurance that their child will not get into trouble, but most parents would rethink their strategy if they are aware of the side effects of over exposure to the television.

With television being such an integral part of our daily lives, its almost impossible to completely banish it from our child's life. However as parents we could:

Choose the programs our children will watch, and stick to the schedule

Encourage children to cultivate the reading habit.

Help her develop other hobbies such as building models, drawing.

Get her interested in sports

Finally, set a good example by limiting your own television viewing.

What do yo do when your child gets glued to the telivision set? Share with us! Sang replied. My son is now 6 yrs old. As both of us are working he use to spend most of his time with his grandparents. My in laws are a great adict of Televison. Right from they wake up till they go to bed at night their Televison is on. So is now the habbit of my son. Though we try to control him by switching off our TV and enaging him in studies and other useful activities. But we can' t ask my in laws to remove their cable connection or not keeping on all the time. They r very dominating. What to do?? We don' t want him to be spoiled. shabana replied. get your child attend a summer camp offering various activities ..and let him discover his interests Ruchira replied. I fully endorse the views. As both my husband and I are working and children stay at home with a baby sitter, my daughters sat glued to the tv sets after returning from school. Though I watched TV to unwind myself, my husband and I decided to banish it from our home as our daughters were becoming socially inactive. selma pinto replied. Yes, I do second your article. Children are tempted as long as the television set is at an easy reach. First of all, we parents have to control ourselves. Personally I am not a TV addict. To makes things easier, our home is built in such a way that the living room can be locked in case I go out. While I am at home, somehow rules are followed and I trust my sons obey when I am out too.