Monday, April 14, 2014

The effects of second-hand television

My son and I are in the grocery store, and the nice man bagging our groceries sees my son's Batman-logo t-shirt.

"Cool shirt," he says and whips out his cell phone's Bataman-logo case. "Are you Batman? Are you off to fight the Joker?"

My son looks bewildered, so I try to explain. "My son doesn't watch much TV, so he doesn't really know a lot about Batman. He just knows that Batman is a hero and has a neat logo."

Now the guy is looking at me like I'm crazy.

Which makes me ask myself, "Are my TV limitations for my son wrong? Will my son get bullied or picked on in school because he doesn't know who a popular character is or watch a certain show?"

I mean, I know that too much television is wrong. Dozens of studies warn us about the damaging effects of television before the age of two, or that it causes social issues, or that it could disrupt children's sleep. But what about social awkwardness because my son can't relate to what his friends are watching?

But then I take a deep breath and realize something...he didn't learn about Batman in our household. He picked that up at school from his friends. The same way he picked up knowledge of Superman, Disney princesses, Spiderman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Thomas the Tank Engine.

So, for now, I'll keep my limited TV rules in place, and continue to steer him toward the educational and fun programing that is age-appropriate for him (Except for Thomas. I can't stand that train; that show is so horribly boring.) Like most parents, I'll need to stay flexible as he grows up and we can reassess his viewing habits when he enters Kindergarten. 

Most of us watch too much TV as adults. What's the one show you should give up watching but just can't do it yet? Tell me in the comments.

No comments:

Post a Comment