Wednesday, Lafayette, Indiana

A new study offers empirical evidence of what most of us have suspected for a long time. Watching television is bad for children. Well, duh!

With the average American now watching an average of over 32 hours of TV each week what do we expect but that we are circling the drain. The report shows that children that watch the most hours of TV engage in sexual activity at a younger age. And of course there is a well established connection between excessive television viewing and a propensity for violence.

What are parents to do in light of these findings? Well, obviously the answer is moderate the exposure to television of their kids. But for so many parents, overwhelmed and busy with work and other responsibilities, the television as an occupier of their children’s attention is too tempting to resist. But this research indicates that later you amy well pay the piper. The lesson is to remain strong and get kids involved in activities where they are with other, real live other people and engaged in healthy activities. Like so many other realities in life, early discipline yields fruit later.