TV in the kids' bedroom

[KalamityKel]

In 1986 (the "red triangle" era) I was too young to really know wot a telly was. Only that you got static shocks off of it when u tried touching is with sticky fingers :p

[Alan Dale]

Bookworm Wrote:

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> If you speak to some

> teachers they will tell you that the TV is a

> childminder in a number of houses. They are the

> ones who have to deal with bad behaviour in the

> classroom and it can't be easy. The teacher in

> question told me that she could tell I don't do

> that because my children can read and hold a

> proper conversation with an adult.

I think that teacher is oversimplifying.

It would be nice to think that children's life chances are determined by their parents' TV policy but I think the children she is referring to have more serious problems.

If TV wasn't a childminder in those houses then who would be looking after them? Better learning sing and sign in the hands of Justin Fletcher than learning swearing and smoking from a disinterested and poorly educated parent.

[KalamityKel]

Alan, Bookworm is referring to her own children not the rest of the world (minus the places where they don't have televisions - maybe a topic for a new thread?) :p

[Asset]

well I plonked mine in front of the TV whenever I had to get on with something when he was little, he's now 11 and hardly watches any TV plus he can read very well, hold a conversation with adults and generally take part in society. I expect most of the people who say 'oh my kids never watch telly, I engage them constantly with educational toys and games' are being economical with the truth.

TV is not the problem, however it can add to the problem in some circumstances.

[mockney piers]

Eeeek, I, hit 13 in 1986.

I don't know why but I'd always pictured myself as at least half your age *Bob* :-/

[KalamityKel]

hehe ur all just OLD! :p *hides*

[*Bob*]

mockney piers Wrote:

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> Eeeek, I, hit 13 in 1986.

> I don't know why but I'd always pictured myself as

> at least half your age *Bob* :-/

Maybe clean-shaven.. but the beard puts at least 5 years on you.

[Keef]

I turned 8 in 1986, and have a clear memory of sitting in the CPT with my dad and his friends as they discussed football. I must have been 7 at the time, as I clearly remember saying that Liniker would be the best player at the world cup, so it was obviously before that. No idea why I felt the need to share that, but it just popped in to my head.

Bookworm Wrote:

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> To be honest, I think the Ninentendo DS and PSP are worse than TV. They are really addictive and because they are portable, are taken everywhere. We've had to restrict usage on those too.

Agree, I always liked computer games, but these days they are designed to be very very addictive, and the hand helds don't help. Mrs Keef's 7 year old nephew was round ours the other week, and was just blanking everyone that tried to speak to him because he was so involved in his PSP... I swear I had to leave the room or I would have taken it off him and thrown it out the window! (or just nicked it and played it myself after he'd gone).

I hate playing games with kids that age too. They always chose the games that they can't do on their own, so you have to basically do everything for them, or they chose the game where you have to let them win, and they start getting all cocky... I hate myself when I am determined to give a 7 year old a severe beating (on the game!!!!!) just to wipe the smile off his smug face!

I'm not sure I'm going to be a very good dad :-S

[Kerri]

I had a TV in my room from the age of 9. I'm 21 now and always was top of the class etc. Being over restrictive as a parent is worse. I had a very liberal mum, I did pretty much what i wanted, was very independant, and mature above my age. My friends with strict restrictive parents were rebellious and immature and did stupid things, that I would never consider doing.

[mightyroar]

i didnt have a tv in my room.

and i did some quite remarkably stupid things as a teenager.

but i have just cancelled sky because i cant stand my kids watching the adverts any more.

And I too hit 13 in 1986!

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Perhaps a dictionary would be better than a tv in the bedroom: independant.

[KalamityKel]

I also had a TV in my from from about the age of 9. I never really watched it tho as I was quite happy to continue doing things in my own little world. Going through my teens I was too busy with music and dare I say it "homework" to have much time really to watch it. So, it didn't do me much harm :)

[Asset]

actually both spellings of independent/independant appear in the dictionary but I agree the latter looks wrong.

No TV in my room as you can see!

[Keef]

Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

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> Perhaps a dictionary would be better than a tv in the bedroom: independant.

Things like this make me laugh. So bloody what if she spelled independent "independant" why does one feel the need to point this out to everyone, it's like saying "look everyone, this person can't spell, they must be a bit stupid".

Not very nice, and comes across a fecking smug in my opinion.

Sorry PGC, wasn't just meaning you, as others on here do it, but this particular one just made me want to say something.

[Alan Dale]

Couldn't agree less.

Especially relevant in a thread where someone is claiming to have been top of their class.

[Keef]

When she was 9... I don't think I could spell independent when I was 9.

[KalamityKel]

Oooh an idea has come to me... a spell check on here :)) ;-)

[Keef]

I suggested it ages ago, but it was felt that a person's spelling mistakes bed to their personality or something. I sometimes paste in to am email to spell check if I'm trying to round at all clever ;-)

[KalamityKel]

so that was the puture flans gone outta the window then *sighs*

[Peckhamgatecrasher]

Keef Wrote:

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> Peckhamgatecrasher Wrote:

> --------------------------------------------------

> -----

> > Perhaps a dictionary would be better than a tv

> in the bedroom: independant.

>

> Things like this make me laugh. So bloody what if

> she spelled independent "independant" why does one

> feel the need to point this out to everyone, it's

> like saying "look everyone, this person can't

> spell, they must be a bit stupid".

> Not very nice, and comes across a fecking smug in

> my opinion.

>

> Sorry PGC, wasn't just meaning you, as others on

> here do it, but this particular one just made me

> want to say something.

Keef, I would have happily let it go except for the fact that she bragged she was top of her class. God help those at the bottom. Asset, I possess three dictionaries and not one of them cites 'independant' as an alternative spelling.

[lozzyloz]

Albert Einstein, Leonardo da Vinci and Muhammad Ali had poor spelling ability. But hten agan so did George Bush.

[Asset]

PGC - it is dependent / dependant where there is a choice, I assumed it was the same for independent. Must not blurt next time.

[Kerri]

Thanks for sticking up for me Loz, Keef and Asset.

I don't think it was relevant to bring up a spelling mistake, agreed with Keef that it just seems 'smug'; it wasn't relevant, as I wasn't bragging about being top of the class, I was stating that I was back in those days, which was relevant, because I was allowed a TV etc and it didn't affect my school work.

[KalamityKel]

Blimey Kerri where have you been? Been a long time since this post...

[shoshntosh]

what about tv's in grown ups bedrooms? i hit 13 BEFORE 1986 and my husband won't allow us to have a second telly, let alone one in the bedroom. he has said NEVER NEVER NEVER. totally taboo. i think he's being priggish and snobbish... since we spend a lot of time reading in our bedroom and he has never once said "no books."

(though he did once throw my Wives of Henry VIII out the window).

by the way, if it would get my kid to sleep through the night without waking me i'd put a home cinema in her bedroom.