Before I start, here's a pic for you that may or may not have any relevance to what I want to say today. (sweetening the deal maybe?)
As you can see, this is what we use our TV stand for. As a place for toys and books to reside, it works rather well. On the wall behind, you can get a glimpse of 'the king was in his counting house', from 'Sing a Song of Sixpence'. This is a series of watercolour nursery rhyme illustrations my dad did for me when he was 'up north' during the Second World War. One of these days I want to publish them in a book because they're really quite delightful. And not cartoonified, as are so very many of the children's books available today.
Okay, so the habit you don't want to establish for your child is the TV/computer habit. More and more research is coming out that proves the deleterious effects and how the hours spent in this fashion are increasing year by year. Quite apart from content, and no matter how much this might be touted as 'educational', it means children are sitting passively instead of doing what they should be i.e. experiencing the world in real time and space.
The approach I'm advocating on this blog is all about life and having it more abundantly. When you're tempted to expose your child to the virtual world, just ask yourself, wouldn't the real world be better?
