This an article which I had posted for Parentous.com in the month of May 2013
This is a scene from the sitting room of a nuclear family.
The mother enters the room. Rahul , her three year old son is watching
TV, which is tuned on full volume.
Mother: “Rahul Sunny get up. Come and take bath.”
Rahul: Mamma please. I will close the TV in five minutes.”
Mother comes again after fifteen minutes.
Mother,” Rahul you are still here watching TV. I am switching it off.”
The TV is switched off. Now starts the
pandemonium. Rahul starts throwing tantrums, shrieking loudly, goes out of
control and starts hitting his Mother.
The Lady seems to have no other option; again the TV is switched on. Within
seconds, the child goes and sits in front of the “idiot box”, as if nothing has
happened. I was a witness to this episode.
I have observed that over the years parental control has considerably decreased.
The only reason, which I feel is that there are smaller families with only one
or two children, who tend to be the ‘darlings’ of their
Mom and Dad. Whatever may be the reason,
every parent wishes a happy and successful future for the child.
Sitting in front of the
television during the major part of the day affects the mental as well as the
physical growth of the child. Many children aged two or three years old keep
watching cartoons to which they become
addicted. I have seen children who do
not even understand the language enjoying every
minute of such cartoons. In many houses TV is
always on full volume. It is of utmost importance that the parents fix a time
for viewing TV or even playing video games. The children must have physical and
mental exercises. Through outdoor activities the children develop better
reflexes, learn the basics of give and take, cooperating with others. Excessive
use of TV and computers is taking away the joys that we, as children, experienced
because these gizmos were not there to divert us.
Outdoor activity provides children opportunities to scrutinize,
experiment, discover, shout, sing, dance with joy, fight and reunite with
friends of their own age group. Swami Vivekananda, a renowned saint,
philosopher and a spiritual leader of India, whose 150th birth
anniversary was celebrated recently, rightly and wisely observed that leaders
are made on the play fields rather than in class rooms.
Children who are encouraged to play instead of
watching TV or Computers are healthier, develop self esteem and a spirit of
comraderie. Medical and health research personals have
emphatically advocated that to
avoid life style induced diseases, it is necessary that right from child hood
the children must be exposed to outdoor activities. It is essential not to have a sedantry life style right from a
very young age. Of late a new trend has
been noticed. While sitting in front of TV or internet, children keep munching
fast food, which is readily available everywhere and delivered at home. This
uncontrolled eating of undesirable food leads to obesity in children. This life
style is a matter of concern for health researchers. According to a survey conducted
in metropolitan cities the percentage of obesity in children has
considerably increased. I quote below an extract from The Times of India dated March15,2013 an article
titled ‘Too much Tv can give your kid
cancer’------- the increasing hours of watching TV, playing computer games or
surfing the internet could put them at a much higher risk of getting cancer in
adult life, experts have warned . Doctors fear that long spells of inactivity
while glued to a screen may lead to childhood obesity and the associated health
dangers, and now they are calling on parents to restrict the amount of time
kids watch telly……..’
Another serious effect of indulging in TV by continuing to sit in
the position or lie down to watch TV affects the posture of the children.
A Physiotherapist friend told me the other day that a
large number of young
children visit Hospitals
for treatment of spondylitis,
which is caused by incorrect posture.
Some parents may say there is no open space near their residence. Generally
in all group housing societies open space is available. The idea is that the
children must be exposed to fresh air. They may take some exercises which
are essential for the nourishment for the body and the mind.
An old adage ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ is correct for all times. However
if there is no open space the child must not be allowed to sit in front of TV for long hours. Several
indoor games are there in the market. The
aim should be that the child has some
diversion to enable him/her
to develop his/her faculties of
the body, mind and soul.
My entry for the Write Tribe Contest no.1
In response to prompt ,100 words on Saturday.introduced by Every Day Gyaan.