We all want our families to be healthy. Teaching about eating right and being active are important ways to accomplish this goal. Other habits are also worth evaluating including the television habits of your family. Focusing on TV habits each April by turning off the television for one week as part of a nationwide campaign is one step forward. While this is a great practice, healthy television habits in the home the remainder of the year are also important. There were basic television viewing rules in my home while growing up in the 1970's. Before cable television or satellite dishes, we were limited to only a few channels and an antenna that dictated which of those channels would come in and when. Exercise was part of television viewing as well since there were no remote controls and many times the children were the ones to run and turn the dial when it was time to change the channel. Back then, there were commercials that made you hungry, caused you to ask your parents for a new toy, or embarrassed you because you were watching with your dad or your brothers just like today. In the Greater Dayton Ohio area, many children enjoyed special programming weekday afternoons on Clubhouse 22. The program host and characters like Duffy the Dog, Stan the Man and Dr. Creep kept things interesting between exciting shows such as The Brady Bunch, Speed Racer, Gilligan's Island, and Lost in Space. Evening viewing was limited by our parents but our family enjoyed watching situation comedies like Happy Days or M*A*S*H* as well as family focused series like my favorites Little House on the Prairie and The Waltons. Sunday evenings were my favorite television viewing time of the week because my mother would spread out newspaper on the floor in the family room and we would all enjoy a picnic style dinner while watching The Wonderful World of Disney. I have been just as particular with my own children's television habits as well. When they were little we did not subscribe to cable television so we did not have to deal with so many competing options. PBS and their commercial free children's programming was our friend when it came to enjoying some educational television time. We followed many of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) television recommendations, limited viewing time and encouraged smart selections. Our children have also loved our "movie" nights when we eat dinner around the coffee table and enjoy a movie together and even as teen-agers, it is something our family does regularly. Television can have a positive place in your home. Here are some guidelines to help you put it in its proper place for your health-focused family. Devise a family television viewing plan - Just as eating and activity have to be planned if they are going to move your family toward health, so does television viewing. The AAP recommendations suggest limiting viewing to one to two hours of quality programming per day. Planning helps decrease the use of television to fight boredom and ensures that what is watched is of value for the time invested. Limiting family television time can also reduce the incidence of mindless eating in front of the television and can increase family conversation time and quality. Establish television rules for your home - Many homes have rules for eating such as doing it only at the table or not eating in your bedroom. What types of house rules do you have related to television? Are your children required to ask before turning on the television? Do they have to complete chores or homework before enjoying a favorite program? Do adults commit to having work, family and home responsibilities completed before their favorite show comes on? Can the television be on while other things are going on in the home such as meals or homework? Setting home television rules and family expectations can help increase everyone's ability to relax and enjoy favorite programs while also meeting other family goals and responsibilities more efficiently as well. Understand the benefits as well as the risks - Extreme views related to television cause some people to refer to it as the "idiot box" and say it isn't necessary while others use it constantly as back ground noise or an excuse for not having time to accomplish other things. Television can provide benefits to the family when evaluated and used in a healthy way. In addition to providing family entertainment, television and other media can allow people to explore places they might not be able to visit, learn about things they have not yet experienced and enhance understanding regarding topics of interest. Selecting television for these types of benefits can help reduce the risks. Not all television viewing is harmful or a waste of time. When used in the right way, TV viewing activities can build families, enhance critical thinking, and provide additional educational opportunities. Watch programs as a family - Watching a television program with your children can provide a variety of benefits. Interactive programs allow you and your child to participate together. Even if a program is not designed to be interactive, parents can ask open-ended questions (what do you think is going to happen, why do you think that happened, what color is that truck) that turn them into wonderful learning opportunities. Watching with children also provides a chance not only to sit and cuddle with your child but also to talk about ideas and concepts that may not be familiar to them. For instance discussing the differences between make believe and reality when things on TV are unrealistic. Explaining that something viewed would not happen in real life helps children learn about real and make believe. When viewing with older children, talking about words, behavior or content that you feel are inappropriate provides an opening to reinforce your family values. Talking about the plot, characters and main idea of a program helps children learn to summarize and explain a story. When watching with pre-teens and teens, encourage them to ask about words or ideas that are not familiar to them. Pay attention to the comments they make and the shows they are drawn toward and then use those as a springboard for additional learning and an indication of possible career interests. Follow up with a trip to the library or an internet search to clarify ideas, events in history or interests to extend the viewing into a deeper learning opportunity. Use modern technology to your advantage - Today we are not limited to a handful of channels. Instead, there is an overload of opportunity and a variety of ways to view media in addition to the family room television. While all these options can provide excess, they can also help you make the most of your media viewing experience. A VCR or DVR can reduce the need for annoying and sometimes embarrassing commercials by allowing you to start viewing a program later and zipping right through them. DVD, video and the internet provide wonderful opportunity to watch what you want, when and where you want to watch when chosen wisely. If you will not be home with older children, pre-teens, and teens and you are not sure they will make wise choices, use parental controls to block programs you do not feel are appropriate. Know what your children are watching - Sometimes parents are in the dark when it comes to knowing what their children are watching. This is especially true when you are the parents of teens but also when you are the parent or grandparent of very young child. One of the biggest mistakes parents and grandparents make is assuming very young children are not watching or listening to a television program or movie while playing in the room. Assumptions are made that because the child isn't sitting and staring at the screen, they must not be watching or listing. This is not a safe assumption. Since young children are like little sponges, many times very young children are learning by listening as well as catching glimpses of images as they glance and play. It is important to know the TV parental guidelines for the programs your pre-teens and teens are watching. The rating system provides quick basic guideline information regarding content and age-appropriateness and allows you to establish viewing expectations for your teens for those times when you will not be viewing with them. Healthy eating guidelines encourage portion control and nutrient rich foods. When it comes to healthy television and media viewing guidelines, portion control and educationally rich programs fill the same bill. Do you have television viewing guidelines and expectations in your home? Is television enhancing your family time or limiting the goals you or your family are reaching. |
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