In Praise of Pictures

Happy New Year! I’ve only made one New Year’s resolution, which is to look for the good in every situation and know that all is well, one way or another. Someone just sent me a video that embodies this philosophy as well. It features a former photographer for National Geographic.

Although I’m not an avid photographer myself, I appreciate good photographers, particularly the one who is sitting right here beside me looking at a book about (what else?) photography. Like the National Geographic photographer, my son also loves being out in nature with his camera. On his website he’s created a photo gallery. I invite you to take a look at it.

I hope 2010 is a great year for all of us. I am thankful for the love in my life and for all the beauty that is a part of this world. May the coming year bring you to places you enjoy and give you great photos to help you remember them!

Best wishes,

Ellen

TV-Free Dinner

I just read a compelling article in The Oregonian, a newspaper that still arrives in my driveway each day. The article is about television (a big surprise), and it doesn’t pull any punches. Here’s the first paragraph:

“A potentially dangerous substance found in nearly every Oregon home—and many day care centers—threatens thousands of Oregon kids with a life plagued by heart disease, cancer or diabetes.”

The article goes on to mention the research about the effects of television on children, which include an increased chance of becoming overweight, performing poorly in school, having sleep problems, bullying other kids and developing attention deficit disorder.

Apparently, even alcohol use and smoking are correlated with watching too much television. According to the article, kids who watch at least four hours of TV a day are 524 percent as likely to smoke as kids who watch less than two hours.

As Thanksgiving draws near, I hope the message in this Oregonian article will motivate more parents to turn off the television during the holidays, especially if they have small children. Without hours and hours of televised sports in the background, families might even have more fun on Thanksgiving. They might decide to watch less television next year, too. That would indeed be a blessing (even for die-hard sports fanatics, who could throw the ball around outside for a change).

Best wishes,

Ellen

Bye-Bye Baby Einstein

For years the American Academy of Pediatrics has been saying that television isn't good for babies and toddlers, and now, amazingly enough, Disney seems to have gotten the message. Starting this month, they're offering refunds for their Baby Einstein videos. Of course Disney was pressured to do this, but if it helps parents learn the truth about so-called educational television for babies, I applaud the action no matter how it came about.

My hope is that this move by Disney will inspire parents not only to return the videos they bought, but also encourage new parents to keep the set off from the beginning.

It won't be easy, mostly because small children can drive even the most even-keeled parent up the wall. New moms and dads who choose to forgo the electronic babysitter are likely to need a lot of support, including help from neighbors, friends and family members. They might also need caregivers and daycare providers who are willing to interact with children, rather than simply putting them in front of a big screen.

Fortunately, the extra work required in the beginning will pay off within a short time. Kids who haven't learned to rely on television use their imaginations more and are better at entertaining themselves. They're smarter, too. And as I once said in an article I wrote for the Oregonian, that's something that Baby Einstein just can't offer.

Best wishes,

Ellen