Parenting Pathway #132:
Watch That TV
Christina Lombardo Ray, PCC, CPCC
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 Are you tired of your children constantly sitting in front of the TV or asking
to do so? If so, then this Pathway is for you.
"Researchers have found that every hour preschoolers watch television each day
boosts their chances -- by about 10 percent -- of developing attention deficit
problems later in life," CNN reports April 5, 2004. This report was based on a
study appearing in the April issue of Pediatrics. Other studies suggest that too
much TV is linked with aggressiveness and obesity.
Whatever the reason, our children seem to be more and more attracted to what is
on the tube these days.
Like most children, my children LOVE Disney moves and the cartoon channels. It
is because of this entrancing love that they would sit for hours, maybe even for
days, in front of the TV if allowed. When an animated film is turned on, my
children stare at the TV like hypnotized zombies with tunnel vision. The house
could catch on fire and I could run back and forth in front of them screaming and
they would not even blink.
As a parent of young children, I know first hand how difficult it is to
"compete" with the TV or to organize an activity that is as desirable to a young
child as watching a Disney movie. To help me with this ongoing issue, I designed
a system for our children that supports the idea that TV is an earned privilege,
and one that is to be taken in moderation.
My children earn "movie coupons" that they make themselves with construction
paper, paint, and markers. They earn one "movie coupon" for each time they lend
a hand with a major household chore. Picking up their shoes and taking their
dinner plates to the sink does not cut it. However, for things like sorting and
folding the laundry, dusting the family room, and cleaning the bath tub/shower,
they will earn one coupon for each chore. It takes two coupons to watch an
entire movie and one coupon will get them a 20 minute cartoon.
By the way, I don't use the word "chore" with my children. We call this system,
"Lending a Helpful Household Hand". Now that my system is in place, when my
children arrive home from school they ask, "What can we do to earn a movie
coupon?", which at this point is easier for me to swallow than, "Can we watch
TV?" Additionally, we've implemented limits: one movie every other day and one
cartoon each day.
I invite you to implement a TV system that works for your family. The key is
consistency and talking with your children about the benefits of the TV system.
Coaching Inquiries: What impact does too much TV have on my relationship with my
children? What are we missing out on by watching TV? How does what my children
watch on TV influence them? Who is it that I want my children to be as children?
 To reply to this Pathway, use our Feedback Form. To learn more about our Parenting Coaching Programs and to arrange for a
complementary Parenting coaching session, Click Here or
Email Christina.
May you be filled with goodness, peace, and joy.
Christina Lombardo Ray, PCC, CPCC (Christina@LifeTrekCoaching.com)
LifeTrek Coaching International
Columbus, OH
U.S.A.
Telephone: 614-332-9747
Fax: 415-634-2301
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