There's a species of parent that truly disturbs me. That's the one that comes in and tells me, "He comes home, closes the door, and sits and watches the TV all night." There are variations, of course. "All she does is go to My Space and talk to her friends in ___________ (whatever country she comes from).
My solution is simple. Throw the TV/ Computer/ Playstation/ Cellphone/ Ipod, or whatever out the window. If that's too drastic, or too costly, the next best thing is to leave it with a friend. But parents say,"Oh I couldn't do that." No amount of argument on my part seems to dissuade this position.
I believe in drama, and assuming it fit, I wouldn't hesitate to toss a television out the window if my kid were watching it in lieu of doing homework. Fortunately, my kid doesn't have a TV in her room. My mother-in-law, who occasionally shares my daughter's room, laments she's the only child in America without one. She favors my sister-in-law's home, which doesn't suffer from such unacceptable drawbacks.
Thus, she generally ends up sharing a room with my 15-year-old niece. And when my niece gives birth in a few weeks, the three of them can all enjoy her TV together.
My hapless 10-year-old seems destined for years of deprivation.
Also: Check out the Carnival of Education, hosted this week by A History Teacher.
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