Raise up Kids without Gadget

I started to take note on child development when a doctor friend of mine told me about a test they did on children.  That was long time ago before I have my first child.

The test was to find out whether TV has any effect on children.  The group of doctors prepare 2 identical empty room which has only a window.  They let a child who grew up with TV into 1 room, and another child who grew up without TV to another room.  They let the kids alone, and monitor them for 2 hours through CCTV.

After a while they started to see the differences.  The child who watch TV do not know what to do.  He got so bored and lying there doing nothing.  The child who have not watch TV started to move towards the window, enjoying the view outside, at the same time trying to figure out whether he can get out of here, by trying to open the window, and see anything he can get to escape.

The doctor friend told me their conclusion of the test has proven that TV took away creativity and imagination of a child.  Young children watch TV causing them not to think, because the TV is constantly feeding them information, and flashing so many graphics that stimulate the brain without it needing to process on thinking.

Since then, I have started to read more books on child development.  I have decided to try my best not to let my kid get too much stimulation from a "square screen".  I wanted them to get their views, their feelings and experience from the real world.  Touching the real stuff, talking to real people, seeing things happening in the real world.

To me, for example, Bringing my kids to the beach, letting my kids feel the sand, teaching them about sand, play sand castle with them... is far more educational than showing them sand on a gadget.  Even we can't go to the beach, bringing them to a book store, buying a book about sand, talking to the shopkeeper, learn to pay for the book... is something worth experiencing.

Today, not even TV, many other things like video games, online chats, etc... has attracted us to rather look at the "screen" then facing the real people.  I saw so many youngster nowadays playing their games during everyday activity.  They seldom talk to people around them, their eyes are forever on the screen, no interaction with things around them.

Of course we cannot avoid technology, everyone need to keep up with it.  But we as parents, are to make sure we raise our kids in early year with good foundation, so that all the gadget later becomes things that help them on finding information, get entertainment temporary to release stress; and not get addicted, or being controlled by it.

Below is an advertisement in Thailand.  The effect of gadget is so huge in Asia that it has become a good enough topic for advertisement on family.  The message is to tell everyone, it is time to take note on people around you, people who always stand beside you, supporting you, people who love you always.