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Rose Bochtel wrote this essoy for o College Composition I closs in her first semester of college. Bosed on this essoy, what does Bochtel think is voluoble? As you reod, jot down your initiol ideos obout how you might porticipote in this discussion, including how you might expond on whot Bochtel soys or might offer on olternote woy of seeing the problem.

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E & / tren my grandparents were little, they $ fuf, spent their free time riding bicyclesY € outside, playing dolls or dress-up, or

curling up with a good book. Nowadays, my younger siblings consume every free moment they have in front of a television. "Times have changed. It is just another form of entertain- ment," some say. Should this obsession be han- dled so lightly? Is there nothing wrong with sitting in front of a television set all day? Of course this poses a problem, especially where children are concerned! They are at a vital growing period in their lives and how they are raised will play a strong role in who they will become. Watching television will not work any muscle groups, so a child will not get the proper amount of exercise he or she needs. This will lead to future health problems, whether it be in the near future or years down the road. Also, because TV does not demand effort or in- teraction of the person watching it, children who watch television frequently often become lazy and expect that evefihing should come to them instantaneously and without work. This lowers a child's patience because he or she wants instant gratification and will not engage in activities or events that require time or com- plicated components. These same children will also experience a decline in creativity because the television is creative for them. This is not healthy because childhood is the most vital time for stimulating a young person's mind and forcing him or her to develop it.

r How can parents stop their children's bod- ies and minds from eroding? My solution is quite simple. Parents should not keep a televi-

sion in the home. It may sound a bit drastic at first, but when analyzed, it makes sense. With- out the convenience of a television, children are forced to think of other forms of keeping them- selves entertained. This would lead them to ex- ercise more since most activities involve using more muscle groups than are involved in stag- nantly watching television. Also, since children would be forced to seek out other forms of en- tertainment, they would be, in turn, forced to use their brains more and think creatively in or- der to come up with something to do. They would have to use their minds to search for in- formation about their world instead of having it handed to them by TV. Also, since a child is no longer confined to inside ofthe house, he or she can venture outside and explore nature while getting fresh air and vitamin D from the sun's rays. Another problem with TV is that many television show producers feel that sex and vio- lence sell, so consequently, many of today's programs contain these elements. Since people at a young age are very impressionable, they pick up on these messages and are influenced by them. Without a television set in the home, children will be less exposed to sex and vio- lence. Another benefit of my proposal is the fact that parents do not have to worry about monitoring the content of the television shows their children watch if there is no TV set in the home to begin with. Their kids will not be able to watch unapproved shows when the parents are not home to supervise.

Still, many people may feel apprehensive to- wards this proposal because they have lived with televisions for so long that they cannot imagine

'" 'Rieadrngs: Bochtel

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