ManicDDaily

Thermos

I’m going back today to the endless snack/media culture: children hooked in and chomping little individually wrapped servings all day long.  (See prior post ‘The Matrix of Cheetos”.)   This worry has been compounded by a new Australian study describing the increased mortality  (for adults) associated with increased hours of TV viewing.  (Although the report of the study seems to blame sitting for the increased mortality, the actual activity that seemed to lead to the deaths was sitting in front of the TV.)

This Australian study makes it clear that parents should consider limiting their own media time.  But we all know the problems with that.

So going back to trying to limit kids: “just say no,” is easy to say; “no” is a lot harder.

With young children (under ten or twelve), reading aloud may be a useful substitute; by this, I mean adults reading aloud to children, not children, especially children with difficulties, practicing reading. (I’m certainly not against children working on their reading with their parents, but I’m talking about fun activities here, not torturous ones.)

If parents are not great read-alouders, even listening to books on tape together seems preferable to the nonstop perusal of little teeny (or oversized) screens.

Snacks:  I’m an inveterate snacker, meal skipper, meal avoider.  But, like many, I am very happy to tell people to do as I say and not as I do.

The obvious advice—make meals.  Even if snacks are going to be snuck in throughout the day, try to provide your kids with a real, if ceremonial, breakfast, dinner.  Sit down together while dinner is eaten.    (Even if the TV is also a companion, at least sit in front of it together.)

To the extent possible, eat these meals on plates and not from packaging.   Try not to allow eating, directly from boxes, cartons, bags!  (Okay, okay, I do it too, but it definitely undercuts the understanding that food has been in fact consumed, and how much.)

Last tip:  when taking snacks into the world, add in a thermos.  There is nothing like a hot drink, shared with child (or adult) that gives a sense of quiet community.  Granted, some hot drinks from thermoses; i.e. milky tea, can have a bit of a tinned flavor.  Even so, warm feelings arise from the fact that  you and your child have carried along your own little liquid home-made hearth; that you have prepared  your own little portable tea party.  The steam tinges the moment with the specialness of a memory-to-be.  (For me, who really does love hot tea, it feels like having my own little traveling Delphi, though I’m not sure it helps much with the oracular.)

Delphi On A Checked Cloth