Mental & Emotional Health

This seems to be geared towards parents of children, but I bet that at least one of my readers has a child. *nods*

Healthy TV Time
* Limit the number of TV-watching hours by
o stocking the room in which you have your TV with plenty of other non-screen entertainment (books, magazines, toys, puzzles, etc.) to encourage your child to do something other than watch the tube.
o keeping TVs out of your child’s bedroom.
o turning off the TV during meals.
o not allowing your child to watch TV while doing homework.
o treating TV as a privilege that your child needs to earn - not a right to which he or she is entitled. Tell your child that TV viewing is allowed only after chores and homework are completed.

* Try a weekday ban. Schoolwork, sports activities, and job responsibilities make it tough to find extra family time during the week. Record weekday shows or save TV time for weekends, and you’ll have more family togetherness time to spend on meals, games, physical activity, and reading during the week.

* Set a good example. Limit your own television viewing.

* Check the TV listings and program reviews. Look for programs your family can watch together. Choose shows, says the AAP, that foster interest and learning in hobbies and education.

* Preview programs. Make sure you think they’re appropriate before your child watches them.

* Use the ratings. Age-group rating tools have been developed for some TV programs, and usually appear in newspaper TV listings and onscreen during the first 15 seconds of some TV programs.

* Use screening tools. Many new standard TV sets have internal V-chips that let you block TV programs and movies you don’t want your child to see.

* Come up with a family TV schedule. Come up with something the entire family agrees on. Then post the schedule in a visible household area (i.e., on the refrigerator) so that everyone knows which programs are OK to watch and when. And make sure to turn off the TV when the “scheduled” program is over instead of channel surfing until something gets your or your child’s interest.

* Watch TV with your child. If you can’t sit through the whole program, at least watch the first few minutes to assess the tone and appropriateness, then check in throughout the show.

* Talk to your child about what he or she sees on TV and share your own beliefs and values. Teach your child to question and learn from what he or she views on TV.

* Find out about other TV policies. Talk to other parents, your child’s doctor, and your child’s teachers about their TV-watching policies and kid-friendly programs they’d recommend.

* Offer fun alternatives to television. If your child wants to watch TV but you want him or her to turn off the tube, suggest that you both play a board game, start a game of hide and seek, play outside, read, work on crafts or hobbies, or listen and dance to music.

Healthy Habits for Video and Interactive Computer Games
* Look at the ratings. Video games do have ratings to indicate when they have violence, strong language, mature sexual themes, and other content that may be inappropriate for your child.

* Preview the games. Even with the ratings, it’s still important to preview the games - or even play them - before you give them to your child.

* Help your child get perspective on the games. Monitor how the games are affecting your child. If your child seems more aggressive after spending time playing a certain game, it’s a good idea to discuss the game and help your child understand how the violence that’s portrayed is different from what occurs in the real world.

Internet Safety
* Become computer literate. Learn how to block objectionable material.
* Keep the computer in a common area. Keep it where you can watch and monitor your child. Avoid putting a computer in your child’s bedroom.
* Share an email account with younger children. That way, you can monitor who is sending messages to your child.
* Bookmark your child’s favorite sites. Your child will have easy access and be less likely to make a typo that could lead him or her to inappropriate content.
* Spend time online together. Teach your child appropriate online behavior.
* Forbid your child from entering private chat rooms.

Dowshen, Steven. “Healthy Habits for TV, Video Games, and the Internet.” Kids Health. Feb 2005. KidsHealth.org. 17 Jan 2007 .