The next time you find your children gathered around the TV, don’t turn it off. Sit close together, watch what they are watching. Not all TV serials are suitable for children. Make sure your hyperactive four-year old isn’t watching Friends or following the latest Hindi soap-opera – the content in these programmes is meant for adults (and no, your ‘mature’ 16-year-old still doesn’t qualify).
If you don’t like what your kids are watching, look for a serial which you like better, and watch that with your children instead.
Television can be a wonderful way to have strong bonding experiences and share entertaining experiences, jokes, and laughter, without stepping out of your home.
Older teens still need you to set benchmarks of conduct. Teens need guidance to get them through the mess of contrary messages they get from friends, parents, teachers, relatives and the media. They may roll their eyes at the idea of family TV viewing, but parent-child bonding is critical at this impressionable age. Good serials give all the right messages in an easy-to-digest, easy-to-follow format, so take advantage of this medium to subtly educate your teen about right and wrong.
Be the cool momRelax! Sure, children need to learn. But kids are pretty smart, so they’ll catch on if TV-time is moral education or an extended science lesson in disguise. Throw in a healthy sprinkling of pure fun. Hey, nobody said being a mom meant being boring! Melissa and Joey might not be your first pick, but what kids watch is a part of the unique culture of their time.
Kids need to know about pop-culture to fit in with their peers. Let them watch the latest popular TV shows, as long as they’re not age-inappropriate or disturbing. Is a favourite TV programme coming at dinner time? Don’t get up in the middle to prepare dinner. Order in pizzas for once, so that you too, get to sit down and enjoy the occasional TV dinner like everyone else.
Bonding zoneTransform the TV den into a family room. Ask each person to contribute something to the decor.
Elements like flowers in your favourite vase on a coffee table, your husband’s sports trophies will give the room a cosy, lived-in feel. This is where you house your child’s shell collection, display your toddler’s latest artistic efforts, keep your mother-in-law’s prized indoor plants, or put up your teen’s collage.
Use TV-viewing time to do simple things together, even if it’s just shelling peas as you all watch a programme, to foster family feeling. Encourage children to use the room for other activities, so that they learn to be around a television without needing to watch it all the time or even have it on as background noise.
