Parents,
Menonton TV tidak dianjurkan pada anak dibawah usia 2 tahun. Tapi jika disikapi
dg bijak bisa menjadi media yg mendukung perkembangan anak. So..be wise!
Adapted from Encounters With Children by Suzanne D. Dixon, M.D., and Martin T.
Stein, M.D. (Mosby, 2000). Lots of parents—stressed or not—use television as
an occasional babysitter. In fact, the average American kid watches three to
four hours of television a day. The recent tough recommendation by the American
Academy of Pediatrics that children under 2 watch no TV at all underscores the
difficulty all well—intentioned parents have trying to work out what's best
for their children and what's realistic. As in all things, a little compromise
can go a long way.
A Child's Perception of TV
A child under age 5 cannot distinguish between the many types of information
available on television: commercials that sell products, fictional dramas, talk
shows, sitcoms, and news. Your preschooler lives with one foot in fantasyland
at all times anyway, so TV is always "real" at this age. This is why disaster
dramas are just as frightening as documentaries about real disasters. Only at
about age 7 will your child be able to distinguish the real from the imaginary.
A preschooler believes that the actors on TV continue to feel and live in the
same way between shows as they do during a show. Also, children under 3 are
fascinated by television's fast-moving bits of imagery, but they don't make the
narrative transition from one image to the next. That's why such techniques as
flashbacks and multiple story lines make no sense to them at all.
Guidelines for Responsible TV Watching
Add to these developmental issues the content of TV programming, with its high
component of aggression and violence, and it's easy to see why some might
suggest a total ban on watching. But that's not necessary. What follows are
some ways to make television watching a productive part of your preschooler's
life.
‧ Set a limit on hours watched per day: one to two hours is plenty.
‧ Discuss your TV-watching plan with your partner, your babysitter, and anyone
else who has regular contact with your child so what you're saying is not
contradicted by others.
‧ Don't use television as a reward.
‧ Keep meals TV-free.
‧ Watch with your child. It tells her that you think the activity is more than
something to keep her busy while you're doing something else. It also allows
you to explain the show and to point out the difference between it and the
commercials.
‧ Plan what to watch. This cuts down on surfing, which just increases
confusion and unwanted exposure for your child. Good shows to watch are those
that ask questions of a child and encourage her response. If a program you've
watched talks about numbers or letters, try to follow up with your own examples
("A is for apple; it's also the letter of Grandma's first name. What's
Grandma's first name? Right, it's Alice") or with books that can extend the
idea.
‧ Tape shows that you'd like to watch with your child so you can put them on
as your schedule permits.
‧ Avoid news programs that concentrate on the day's violent events.
‧ Remember: Just because something is labeled a children's program does not
mean it's free of violence. Don't turn kids over to Saturday cartoons, for
example, without knowing what they're watching.
‧ Turn off the program when it ends. This says to your child that it's time
for another activity, which you should have in mind.
