Can You Keep Your Children Away from TV and Can You Too Remain So... ?

Slacklining (walking on a rope between two trees); Scooter Safari; Canoe down a river; Sleep in a wood;  Snorkelling;  Walk on high ropes; Sleep in a family-size sleeping bag;  Cook and eat in the wild; Floodlit swan feed; Go without electricity for 24 hours; Spot red squirrels; Night walk in a forest ~ looks like up somebody has lined up some activities – not too consistent – could not find a link though…. In Office pantry during lunch and tea breaks – one can hear anxious and concerned mothers share their thoughts and their ideas of up-brining children.  ‘I have ordered them not to watch TV’ one would thunder – other woman after the 1^st had left would state that she is not so cruel and that she allows only 2 hours of time and also would dictate what needs to be seen….. but whether she has stopped watched soap operas is too well known… Many would complain of their wards spending too much time on TV and not reading enough……. If you so thought that their concerns are genuine and that one needs to concentrate on children as they near their board examinations, you might be clean bowled to find that their wards could well be in LKgs and Nursery class.. !!  ~ some friends have stopped Cable TV / dish networks for a year or more when their wards are in X or +2.. Distractions apart, those who study well, find time to study and study well. When one stop children from watching TV, there has to be engagement and they should be doing something worthwhile during that time… here is something on parents who banned their daughters from watching TV for a year and set them a 100 outdoor challenges instead (some of which you saw at the start of the post)_............. read this interesting report in Daily Mail. Tim Meek with daughters Amy (front), Ella (back), and wife Kerry make a happy family . The family completed 100 outdoor activities in one year to avoid becoming too lazy.  The parents were determined not to let their two daughters become couch potatoes, so  set them 100 outdoor challenges to complete - in just one year. Kerry and Tim Meek were eager to get daughters Amy,10 and Ella, eight, out of the habit of watching television and playing games. So the parents from Arnold, Nottinghamshire, challenged their children and themselves to complete the gruelling activities in just 365 days. Walking on high ropes, foraging for food, snorkeling and cliff jumping were among some of the daring challenges which the family completed on Saturday after spending the night in a suspended tent tied between two trees.  Mr and Mrs Meek also wanted to test their daughter’s social skills by encouraging them to get up in front of the school to announce a bake sale they were holding to raise funds for a charity - the aim of another task to stand up for a cause. Mr Meek, 44, said the family had taken on their 'year of adventures' to encourage a positive mindset. The parents said they were  not very adventurous people and when their kids were growing older, they wanted to provide the mindset so that they don’t simply sit infront of TV and idle their time all the way. They said that they provided gruelling tasks indirectly making them stay away from TV.  They continued that Kids are resilient and  many parents wrap them up in cotton wool too much. After some time, they began looking forward to each challenge and planning it as a family.  The family, who documented their adventures on a website, have been invited to several outdoor activity centres and festivals to encourage people to be more active. The list of challenges, which the family drew up together, also included getting the girls to cook their mom a dish using just one pot for Mother’s Day. So how do you bring up your kids – allow them enough space or keep them under wraps all the time ….. do you think this sensible and practicable ~ may not be for many of us who are emotionally attached to our only child. With regards – S. Sampathkumar
15^th Nov. 2013.