There are lots of good reasons to keep kids from TV. I have been fairly successful for 18 years now, although I am not as drastic as some here. TV and its evils loomed large for me in their younger years; I felt, and still do, that it has undue influence in three arenas:

1. violence. It either scares or desensitizes. Not sure if it encourages; I know the jury is out on that one.

2. It promotes consumerism, mainly through commercials. I taught my kids early on to fast forward, skip, walk away, or think critically about what the advertiser was trying to do to make the ad work. (That last one is truly a great lesson for life. Put yourself in the ad maker's shoes, and you can hardly be manipulated.)

3. It reduces creativity. Kids who watch Power Rangers or even Dora begin to use their toys of those characters (It's inevitable that they have at least some toys that are based on TV characters) in the way that those characters act on TV. I got over my worry/contempt about my middle son's talking about or playing with "weapon" type play--using legos, sticks, action figures, whatever--when I read the book of a wise Wisconsin prof. of communications (forget her name), who reminded us that when kids use mild violence or make things up like "eye power" or whatever, it's OK. Just as long as they're not being "told" to play that way by the storyline of a show. I have worked with kids for many years and often run a PTA-sponsored fine arts contest. I'm appalled at the woeful lack of originality of most kids' work; it almost always reflects something on television. I noticed, too, that when I give ideas in the classroom--just suggested examples of how to apply the theme--I almost always get several entries that use my very examples. I have had to stop illustrating the theme for them in this way.

Anyway, this isn't a no-brainer, uncomplicated decision.

As my oldest began to get into the 9-12 year range, I noticed that on some level he didn't speak the same language as his friends and neighbors. Turning off the TV altogether (which for all practical purposes we did with him) can feel alienating unless your entire social circle is on board. I live in typical suburbia, where this is not normal. I noticed my son went quiet when kids began to refer to common TV shows, and there can be no doubt he felt left out. It is easy to criticize those who cave to peer pressure, but words cannot express the gulf that can really develop between kids who watch and kids who don't. You have to know this going in. A poignant example: Once we were outside and I happened to be near the group of kids. Someone began to talk about Willie Wonka--something about the characters or the plot--and I saw, quite literally, my son's face light up. It was a devastating moment to me, one that will never translate on paper I'm sure. I understood all too well in that look on his face that he had been left out in the cold for so long, that he just felt small and alien throughout so much of the other kids' conversations, that he was finally, FINALLY, on the same page and could contribute. It became clear almost immediately that my son thought they knew the story because of the book but that in fact it was a movie that they had watched. That part didn't matter so much, just that look of relief I saw in his face that moment that he saw a glimmer of connection. Believe it or not, that moment still breaks my heart and he will be eighteen next month. He still doesn't watch much TV, by choice now, although we have a beautiful new one courtesy of his job at Circuit City. We mainly use it for Star Trek, one of greatest family traditions of all time--we have watched every episode together over that last several years, and it's been interesting, educational, provocative, and bonding--but also for movies, which we love but limit mostly b/c of other activities.

An irony is that I just ordered HBO a couple of days ago so we could watch the John Adams miniseries, as two of my three are studying American History right now. Not to mention he is one of my all-time favorite historical figures.

I say to the author and all who want to keep TV out of their kids' lives: Stick to your guns for as long as possible; avoid using it as a babysitter, preferring scheduled programs and movies instead that you can look forward to and watch intentionally. Encourage deliberate viewing rather than while eating or falling asleep. But enjoy the good stuff too.

Sorry to sound so preachy and go on so long. This method of kinda-keeping it limited but recognizing its social impact has worked well for us so far--my kids are much smarter than I ever was and they are kind and thoughtful and love to read and learn. I often think keeping the TV at bay was a good idea.

Oh, and another interesting thing: I encouraged my kids to make movies instead of watching TV or movies so much. They had many great years doing that, and it really was interesting to see what they came up with, not having the template down as pat as some of their friends. Anyway, it was fun for them.