Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Oh No! Watch Out For Television = MYTH

According to the Associated Press, “Eight in 10 children younger than 6 watch TV, play video games or use the computer on a typical day.” (Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/12948895/)

With new studies in the news of the impact technology and the electronic media have on child development I will share my thoughts as a parent on my family and technology.

As we all know more research is necessary before any real results on the impact various new media forms can affect child development. Some doctors feel that television is good depending how you control the media source, while others feel that it is bad because the media outlet is simply an inanimate object with no meaningful recipircation possible.

As a parent, I believe limited time (7-14 hours a week) of SUPERVISED interaction with television, computers, and video games can positively stimulate child development. I use Baby Einstein videos for behavioral and educational stimulation and they are a great tool for our children’s development. I use video games to improve my children's educational knowledge, strengthen hand-eye coordination, build a foundation for a good sense of direction (an underrated skill that can be learned playing video games in my opinion) and an increase their memory power.

Use your own instincts and explore all the possibilities with your child’s development with whatever medium you like and experience life, but most importantly SUPERVISE what you are putting forth for your children to see, hear, feel, touch and smell. Stay educated, stay active and stay ahead of the curve as more tests, theories and thoughts are on the way. As we couldn’t not have guess that! Enjoy your family!

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