How Much T.V. Is Okay For Kids?
Times have changed and continue to change almost daily it seems. Ever since the invention of the television, children, like anyone else, have been drawn to the different programs and sports events that are found on television. When television was first invented, there wasn't a great variety of shows available. As each year has passed, however, there has been more variety and channels offered to the public so that anyone can find something interesting to watch. In fact, today's latest technology allows one to watch what they want when they want.
As each generation follows children are spending more and more time either watching television or more recently, viewing the Internet. The days of playing in the yard with neighborhood kids seems almost to have become a thing of the past. Even within the last decade there has been an overwhelming trend noticed among young people and the lack of physical activity in their daily life. Studies show this is a major contributing factor to childhood obesity.
One Individual's TV Rule Of Thumb
So what would a good rule of thumb be to follow when deciding how much TV is okay for kids? There must be moderation, but that isn't to say that children shouldn't be allowed to watch any television. What is a happy medium? This can seem like an overwhelming question and decision at times. One individual, Mark, stated that in his family the rule was very simple yet very effective.
The rule in his home growing up was one hour of TV for every hour spent playing outside or doing some type of physical activity. This also included household chores; one hour per household chore equaled one hour of television. Mark said that it wasn't very popular at first with he and his siblings, but his parents stuck strictly to the rule and after a time, their family not only began to enjoy spending time outdoors, but also started spending more time together.
Their family actually became closer because, as he says, they were forced to actually interact with each other instead of sitting silently next to each other on the family room couch. Mark went on to say that not only did he appreciate that particular household rule, but that when the time came for him to have a family, he enforced the same rule in his home. He says that it's a definite rule that will always be in his home.
He says on average, his children come home from school and do about an hour of outside play-time and about one half hour of chores which equates to 1 1/2 hours of TV time in the evening. Whatever parents decide regarding how much TV their children watch, it is important that there is variety in a child's daily routine, and that included in that routine is time spent being physically active.
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