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Andy Griffith Show Family Lessons
Although it might seem pretty corny to a lot of folks today, the old Andy Griffith Show really did have a lot of common sense family values that we could learn from today. Take for instance the episode "Bailey's Bad Boy" that guest starred Bill...
Baby Names - Avoiding Family Conflict
Naming your baby is one of the most time consuming and frustrating processes leading up to the birth of your child. There are literally tens of thousands of choices. It is difficult enough to find one you are happy with, let alone one that both you...
Discovering The Organic Difference For Your Family’s Health
The organic movement, if you will, is growing steadily in popularity and recognition. Not too long ago, it was a rare site to see organic anything. In the past 10-15 years it has been making its way into our homes little by little, until now....
Family Meetings: 3 Behaviors That Don't Work
There are 3 behaviors that can upset any Family Meeting. As a kid, I had all three. In fact, my grandmother called me a “Butinski”. I’ve never seen it spelled but it sounds like: But-in-ski. I was always butting in on the conversations between my...
How to Understand your Cat
Did you know that everyday your cat talks to you? Not with spoken words, but through body language, motions and gestures. Just like humans, cats feel happiness, unhappiness, boredom, affection and nervousness. Each of these is expressed by a...
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TV's effects on your family: Lessons from the Easter Egg Hunt
It was the big Easter Egg Hunt. My friend Christy and I lined up with the other kids. We all gazed greedily at the field of goodies before us. "GO!" yelled the announcer. En masse we rushed forwards. For some reason, everyone veered to the left. I stopped. I glanced at the untouched feast to my right. I ran right, gleefully scooping the candy before the rest caught on. At the end, I had a bagful of candy. Christy, who had followed the herd, had one piece. I was eight at the time, but I never forgot that day or its lessons.
What did I do differently from the other kids that day? I simply stopped. I stopped, looked around, and analyzed the situation. And I left the herd. I saw quickly that it was to my advantage NOT to follow the herd that day.
Leaving the TV herd
In 2003 I left the herd again in a much bigger way. I got rid of my TV. I am one of those rare few that do not have a TV, by choice. And I am reaping the benefits of being TV-free.
The reason? In 2001, the kids and I were without TV for several months. Like I did when I was little, I stopped. This time I took notice of the changes in my children and myself during the time we did not have a TV. Then when we got it back, I took notice of the changes again. Based on my observations, I decided we were better off without a TV.
Stop and observe YOUR family
But it does not matter what TV does to me or my kids. It does not matter that numerous studies show TV's links to obesity, illiteracy, consumerism, etc. The real question is: How does TV affect you and your family? Find out by stopping and observing.
Zombie kids
Stop and observe how your body and mind react to TV. Look deeply into your kids zombie-like eyes as they watch TV. Compare that to the look in their eyes as they play outdoors. How do you and your spouse look when watching TV? Take pictures if
necessary.
Take note of how your children behave after they have spent the afternoon in front of the TV set. How do they behave after playing with their friends? How well do you behave after watching several hours of TV? Your spouse? You may need to get an outside opinion for accuracy.
Consumers 'R Us
How do your children behave at the store when confronted with the cool blue gizmo that has been advertised for months on TV commercials? Are they whining and begging and nagging incessantly for that gizmo? How much extra money do you spend chasing the latest fads and fashions, as shown on TV?
Feelin' Groovy
Observe how much you really remember of that educational program you just saw. How well do you remember the last book you read in comparison? Test yourself. Stop and consider how you feel after watching several hours of television. Do you feel alert, happy, and energetic? Or do you feel lethargic and depressed and ready to turn the TV back on? Keep a diary to get an accurate assessment.
Family Time?
Most importantly, monitor the number of hours you and your family spend in front of the TV per week. Is it 20?...30?...40? The average American spends 28 hours per week in front of a TV set. How much do you watch? Now ask yourself: Is this how you really want to spend your time? Is this how you want your kids to spend their time? By age eighteen the average American will have spent three full years in front of the TV? By age seventy the total is 11.67 years.
Stop and think if this is what you really want out of life. I did, and I got rid of my TV.
About the Author
Katherine Westphal is the founder of a daring new website TrashYourTV.com, that makes it fun and easy for people to get control of their TV set. Are you addicted to TV? Take our TV Addiction Quiz (http://www.trashyourtv.com/survey) and find out!
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| Family.org |
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| FamilyFun: Fun stuff for Kids, Parents - and More Family Fun |
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| Family.com - closed beta |
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| FamilySearch.org - Family History and Genealogy Records |
| Search for family ancestors. Billions of free family tree, family history, ancestry, genealogy and census records. |
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| Family - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| A family consists of a domestic group of people (or a number of domestic groups), ... Members of the nuclear family use descriptive kinship terms: ... |
| en.wikipedia.org |
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| Family (biology) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| The concept of rank at that time was still in statu nascendi, and in the preface to the Prodromus Magnol spoke of uniting his families into larger genera, ... |
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| Family Guy |
| The official Family Guy website with everything you ever wanted to know about the show and more. |
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| Parenting advice, child development and family reference at ... |
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| Family Life Today |
| FamilyLife, a division of Campus Crusade for Christ, provides practical, biblical tools to strengthen marriage and family relationships, including the ... |
| www.familylife.com |
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| WorldVillage - A Family Friendly Portal for Families, Kids, Adults ... |
| WorldVillage is for families, kids, adults, parents and teachers. Features include coupon codes, online games, downloads, internet monitoring and internet ... |
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| Open Directory - Home: Family |
| Family Check-up - Provides assessment activities and access to educational materials related to family health with respect to family life, finances, ... |
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| Free Family Ecards, Family Greeting Cards, Family Greetings, Cards ... |
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| kids and family news articles - arizona education - arizona family ... |
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| Google Directory - Home > Family |
| Many articles dealing with a wide range of topics from single parenting, family life, child development and stress management. ... |
| www.google.com |
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| Family Research Council: Wednesday, December 6, 2006 |
| Christian organization promoting the traditional family unit and the Judeo-Christian value system upon which it is built. Provides links, commentary, news, ... |
| www.frc.org |
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| Sesame Workshop - Home Page |
| The non-profit educational organization behind the show and related educational outreach. |
| www.sesameworkshop.org |
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| National Sex Offender Registry |
| Free national US search for registered sex offenders. Map registered sex offenders to see who lives in your area. |
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| FHI Family Health International |
| Provides the highest quality research, education and services in family planning, STDs/HIV and family health to improve the health and well-being of ... |
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| National Family Caregivers Association |
| Caregiving advocacy organization with tips and statistics on caregiving in America. |
| www.nfcacares.org |
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