FREE ESSAY ON WHO HAS CONTROL OVER YOUR CHILD

WHO HAS CONTROL OVER YOUR CHILD

Who Has Control Over Your Child? 
If you turn on the television at around seven-o clock at night, you will see plenty of
violent shows. This violence on television affects the behavior of children, causing
their play to become more aggressive. American parents do not exercise enough control
over their child's television viewing habits, often using the television as a sort of
electronic baby-sitter. 
Violence is everywhere in the world of entertainment. Most of the movies in the theaters
contain at least a little bit of violence. Even the popular Star Wars series contains
violent content, such as murder, torture, and dismemberment. Television cartoons also
contain violence, such as Wyle E. Coyote getting run over by a truck and getting up
unhurt, that affects the way children behave. 
When I was a child, my siblings and I watched about five to six of hours of television
per week, but from the beginning, our parents explained to us the difference between
reality and fantasy. We knew the real world was not the same as what we saw on television
and at the movies. In contrast, my cousins now watch about an average of ten hours of
television per week and their parents have not quite explained this concept to them very
well. They have not quite grasped the concept of reality versus fantasy. 
I have four young cousins. Their ages are twelve, ten, eight, and seven years old. During
the day, the two younger ones watch several hours of television. When the two older ones
come home from school, they immediately park themselves in front of the television for
the next two hours. Their younger brothers always join them. My cousins usually watch
cartons that have fighting scenes. Sometimes they try to mimic what they see. So, they
start fighting. At first, it is playful, after a while, the fighting gets a little more
serious. At this point, I usually hear one of my cousins crying because someone hit him
too hard. This happens almost every day. Their parents do not seem to notice what effect
these television shows have on their sons. 
My four young cousins think that violence is the answer to all problems. For example, if
they do not get what they want from another sibling, they sometimes hit or threaten to
hit that sibling. They think that if they resort to violence, they will always get their
way. 
I know of several solutions that will help parent's control what and how much their child
watches. First of all, they have to talk with their child about what the difference
between reality and fantasy is. Understanding a childs grasp of reality versus fantasy
will help parents decide what shows he or she is mature enough to watch. Secondly, there
are other activities that a child should participate in besides watching television. For
example, parents should encourage them to take up new hobbies to occupy their afternoons
after they finish their homework. Children should also be encouraged to do more reading
instead of watching television at night. Reading helps to expand a childs vocabulary and
will help them do better in school. Thirdly, parents should buy a television that has a
v-chip installed into it. By around the year 2000, most television will have this as a
part of its standard feature. The v-chip locks out certain channels or shows that
contains violence. Only parents can unlock this function by entering a special code. 
Some parents might argue that they would not have time to monitor their childs viewing
habits because they work all day. Another argument might be that they do not have enough
money to buy a television that has a v-chip installed in it. Another parent might argue
about their child going over to their friend's house to watch something that they are not
allowed to watch at home. How can they keep their child from doing this? If I were a
parent, I would be concerned about my childs future. If a child is aggressive as a child
they will mostly be very aggressive as an adult. This is one reason why so many crimes
are committed. Secondly, ever adult has authority over their child no matter how old. It
just depends on the degree of authority. 
I think that children should not have too much freedom or else they can end up doing
something that is harmful to their bodies and their minds. Watching too much violent
shows on television does not help their development as a person. Therefore, it is
imperative that their parents exercise their authority over their children's television
viewing habits.