Who Has Control Over Your Child?

        If you turn on the television at around seven o clock at night, you will see plenty of violent shows.  This violence on television affects the behavior of children, causing their play to become more aggressive. Americas parents do not exercise enough control over their child's television viewing habits, often using the television as a sort of electronic baby-sitter.
        Violence is everywhere in the world of entertainment.  Most of the movies in the theaters contain at least a little bit of violence.  Even the popular Star Wars series contains violent content, such as murder, torture, and dismemberment.  Television cartoons also contain violence, such as Wyle E. Coyote getting run over by a truck and getting up unhurt, that affects the way children behave. 
        When I was a child, my siblings and I watched about five to six of hours of television per week, but from the beginning, our parents explained to us the difference between reality and fantasy.  We knew the real world was not the same as what we saw on television and at the movies.  In contrast, my cousins now watch about an average of ten hours of television per week and their parents have not quite explained this concept to them very well.  They have not quite grasped the concept of reality versus fantasy.
        I have four young cousins.  Their ages are eight, six, four, and two years old.  During the day, the two younger ones watch several hours of television.  When the two older ones come home from school, they immediately park themselves in front of the television for the next two hours.  Their younger brothers always join them.  My cousins usually watch cartons that have fighting scenes.  Sometimes they try to mimic what they see.  So, they start fighting.  At first, it is playful; after a while, the fighting gets a little more serious.  At this point, I usually hear one of my cousins crying because someone hit him too hard.  This happens almost every day.  Their parents do not seem to notice what effect these television shows have on their sons.
        My four young cousins think that violence is the answer to all problems.  For example, if they dont get what they want from another sibling, they sometimes hit or threaten to hit that sibling.  They think that if they resort to violence, they will always get their way.
        I know of several solutions that will help parents control what and how much their child watches.  First of all, they have to talk with their child about what the difference between reality and fantasy is. Understanding a childs grasp of reality versus fantasy will help parents decide what shows he or she is mature enough to watch.  Secondly, there are other activities that a child should participate in besides watching television.  For example, parents should encourage them to take up new hobbies to occupy their afternoons after they finish their homework. Children should also be encouraged to do more reading instead of watching television at night.  Reading helps to expand a childs vocabulary and will help them do better in school.  Thirdly, parents should buy a television that has a v-chip installed into it.  By around the year 2000, most television will have this as a part of its standard feature.  The v-chip locks out certain channels or shows that contains violence.  Only parents can unlock this function by entering a special code.
        Some parents might argue that they will not have time to monitor their childs viewing habits because they work all day.  Another argument might be that they do not have enough money to buy a television that has a v-chip installed in it.  Another parent  might argue about their child going over to their friends house to watch something that they are not allowed to watch at home. How can they keep their child from doing this? If I were a parent, I would be concerned about my childs future.  If a child is aggressive as a child they will most like be very aggressive as an adult.  This is one reason why so many crimes are committed.  Secondly, ever adult has authority over their child no matter how old.  It just depends on the degree of authority.
        I think that children should not have too much freedom or else they can end up doing something that is harmful to their bodies and their minds.  Watching too much violent shows on television does not help their development as a person.  Therefore, it is imperative that their parents exercise their authority over their childrens television viewing habits.




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