Will You Make the Pledge with Me?

I once heard a mom say, “When my daughter is older I don’t want her to ___ but I know that when the time comes I will give in.”

Really?

I felt very sad for this mom.  She already had decided that she would cave to her daughter’s wishes despite the fact that she knew it was not a good decision.

In reading an article in the Thriving Family magazine published by Focus on the Family, I thought back to that conversation.  Did you know that 70% of kids over the age of seven have a TV in their bedrooms?

As I read the many scary statistics that come with allowing your child to have a TV in their bedroom, I wonder if this is another area that parents cave.  They know the negative aspects but don’t have the willpower to tell their child no.  Or maybe they selfishly want the TV to themselves?  Maybe the bedroom TV makes an easy babysitter?

Using the statistics from the “TV + Bedroom = Unhealthy Kids?” article, I wonder if you will join me in saying, “No way, no how.”

1.  According to a study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, “Bedroom TV viewing is related to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, and childhood obesity.”

2.  The same study showed that having a bedroom TV is related to “lower amount of sleep and lower prevalence of regular family meals.“   These both “relate to weight gain and obesity.”

3.  According to a nationwide survey from Common Sense Media and the Center for American Progress, 77% of parents with children ages 18 and younger believe media violence contributes to America’s culture of violence.

4.  Sex is immorally gloried through movies, shows, and commercials.  Even “family” entertainment is filled with images that are unhealthy for any child to see.

5.  Drugs and violence is shown without consequences.

6.  Disrespect to adults and parents is okay and funny on almost every show, movie, and commercial.

7.  Language and conversation topics are require the mute button.

8.  Very little from Hollywood is God-honoring.