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The Parent Perspective - The Parent Perspective is a monthly feature where parents tell us how their families navigate today’s media-saturated environment. This month’s Parent Perspective comes from Amalia in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. She is the mother of three children, Alfredo (age 10), Alexandro (age 8), and Nataly (age 5). Amalia tells us about her family's approach to using media for entertainment and for keeping current about news and sports events in South America. My husband and I are originally from Guatemala. We prefer to speak Spanish in our household, and it is very important to us to keep in touch with current news and events in South America. For those reasons, we use television as a source of entertainment and to keep current on South American news, events, and sports in our native language. We subscribe to Dish TV, which offers a programming package called DishLatino that includes news, films, cartoons, and sports programs in both Spanish and English. Like many children, our kids love to watch TV and play video games, but we have media rules that follow their school schedules and homework duties. We allow them to watch children’s programming on weekends and after school. Watching television is a way for them to relax and enjoy programs that are age appropriate, especially after spending all day inside a classroom. We also make it a family affair, and whenever our children watch, we try to join them. This also allows us to stop immediately any inappropriate programming they come across. My older son, Alfredo, likes to watch Pokemon, and he collects cards and action figures associated with the show. He also enjoys playing video games, but we have a rigid rule for when that can happen: only when school is off, and never during the school week. Our younger children, Alexandro and Nataly, watch PBS Kids, Sesame Street, and Caillou, their favorite shows. During school days, their focus is on school and on finishing homework, and we strictly limit their viewing to a half hour in the afternoon. Television and cable programming are part of our family life, but viewing television always takes second place when the opportunity arises to play, go outside, and interact with other kids. We believe that kids need to play and to interact with other children, and we always encourage outdoor playing, weather permitting. Letting our kids run outside, ride their bicycles, and go to the playground is still our favorite thing to do. If you'd like to share your own experiences or suggestions in a Parent Perspective, email us at cmch@childrens.harvard.edu. We look forward to hearing from you!
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