[Cheryl_W]

Dear Parent Coach,My three young children are constantly asking to see TV programs I don't approve of but their friends watch, or to rent videos I'm not sure about.  The monitoring requirements of today's parent seem constant.  Can you offer guidelines?Signed, "Parent Censor"

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[Cheryl_W]

This is such an important thing to impress on our children... Not only what they should watch, but when and how much they should be watching.

My husband has a "problem" with TV. Almost like an addiction. And it will be an every day struggle not to pass that along to our children, but it has to be done.

The "zombie trance" state that kids get into while watching TV - there are much more stimulating and educational things that they could be doing, like playing with a parent, playing with their toys, or playing with other children.

We all do it, sit there and zone out in front of the TV... But figuring out WHAT to let our children watch definitely isn't the only challenge.

[FYDMaryEllen]

Great article! I am 'accused' of being overprotective and the most conservative of all conservatives....but I am relentless. I love Disney as an alternative to most stuff out there. I use common sense, as not all Disney is targeting the same age groups--but generally speaking--I can find Disney stuff that all of us can watch

[RyansMomAZ]

I agree that DVDs are a great option. No ads and you only get the shows you want. Our local library has a lot, so we check them from there instead of having to buy them all.

A great resource is common sense media (a website). It has great summaries for movies and tv shows of what age is the movie appropriate for and why (language, violence, adult situations, etc.). Personally, I am waiting for all the Disney movies until my son is at least 6 (they are pretty scary!)

[jillviray]

Nice article! Thank you for sharing those useful pointers. It surely helps.