The biggest challenge parents face is the struggle to restrict the screen time of their children. Television addiction is a huge issue affecting children today. The adamant nature of children is not the only cause for the same. The main cause for this condition is the misuse of television by parents as a ready made babysitter that will entertain their child day and night. This is the main reason for the rampant spread of this issue. As long as parents use television as a method to keep their child occupied, while they are involved in something else, this problem is never going to end.
Children are highly susceptible to the influences surrounding them. Children copy what they see and what they hear. They do not have the ability to judge whether something is good for them or not. When they sit in front of the television mindlessly watching cartoons and serials, their brain absorbs whatever they are viewing. The television characters become their heroes and the language, mannerisms, style and qualities that they find in their heroes attract them. Children begin to copy them.
It is easy to find out whether your child is obsessed with television characters. Does your child call his walk a Mickey Mouse walk? Does your child shuffle his hair and tell you proudly that is how Jerry wears it? Does your child shows signs of aggression or violence? Does your child speak in a dialect or use words that you do not use at home? Does your child laugh when Nobita brings home a zero on his test? Does your child believe in ghosts, aliens and monsters? Do they scare him at night? If you answered yes to even one of the questions here, your child is obsessed with television characters. He identifies with them and believes in their views and actions.
A child has an impressionable character. Though this TV character that he adores has influenced him, it is easy and possible to erase that impression and create a new fresh impression in your child’s behaviour. A few ideas on how you can do this are listed below:
- The first thing you have to do is to understand that the obsession exists. You need to understand that this obsession can affect him. To remove this obsession, you need to commit spending time with your child.
2. The next thing you have to do is to control the TV time of the child. You need to monitor the programs they watch on television, their sitting posture while watching television and the food they like to gorge on while watching television. Do not use the television as a babysitting device.
3. There are many programs on TV which are informational and entertaining. Discuss with your child about these programs, set a time to watch this program and watch the program along with your child.
4. When you restrict a child’s TV time, you need to provide other recreational activities that they can indulge in. Buy books for them. Read to them. Encourage them to pursue hobbies. Create family bonding time when you can play games together.
Once your child is engaged in such activities in your wonderful company, the child will no longer miss television. Such children prefer to have fun with you rather than rot alone in front of the television.
