Live & Learn, and perhaps Teach?

Lately I've been thinking a lot about the impact we as adults have on the children around us. Not just our own children, but any children we come in contact with, directly or indirectly. My mother used to say that children are like 24/7 cameras, they record absolutely everything you say and do, even when you think they aren't paying attention. So what kind of example are we adults setting for the children around us?

There are complaints that children spend too much time in front a screen, be it a TV, computer, iPad, smartphone, etc. Where do you think they picked that up? When was the last time you put your phone/pad/laptop/etc. down and actually had a conversation with a child, let alone another adult? Did you know that you probably spend more time in online* conversations, than face-to-face interaction? What are children supposed to take away from that?

My very intelligent brother once called the TV "a weapon of mass-deception" and I believe I have never heard it more aptly described. In many homes the TV is always on like some sort of background noise, and nothing is more alluring to small children than brightly colored moving shapes, so naturally they are drawn to the magic lightbox, spending their days staring in some sort of mass-hypnosis at the moving pictures. It's no wonder we find a declining trend in the ability of children to focus for extended periods of time. When their minds are constantly being wired for action by the lightbox, how are they supposed to learn to keep their focus on such slow-moving things as reading books?

Speaking of reading books, when was the last time you picked up a book to read? How are we supposed to get our kids to read if they don't see us doing it? I hear the arguments now: there's no time, the kids don't like to read, we don't have any books, I don't have kids, and so on and so forth. I tell you right now, no argument is good enough. Even if you are the slowest reader on the planet, there is always time for a paragraph or two on the train/bus/etc to or from work, a few minutes while waiting for the dinner to finish, or heck, why not take the night off from TV and read with the family? Pick a book everyone can enjoy and make it a family book club. Don't have kids? Read in public places where kids can see and be inspired. Donate books to school libraries. There are so many ways to set a good example for our children, and make them excited about reading.

The best way I have found to pitch in, besides getting my own child excited about reading, is the charity Kids Need To Read, founded by author PJ Haarsma and actor Nathan Fillion, and supported by Fillion's enormous fandom. In an effort to bring more books to schools and public libraries, they help get books for children and young adults published and distributed to schools around the U.S., as well as organize events to raise funds for the work they do. To learn more about Kids Need To Read (or KNTR), go to www.kidsneedtoread.org. The story of the creation of this charity is an inspiration.

To conclude, please be mindful of the example you set for children (and other adults for that matter) around you, even if it's just the children walking by your local coffee shop each morning. Read a book instead of staring at your phone or iPad, and maybe they will feel inspired to pick up a book instead of staring mindlessly at the magic lightbox. If you have managed to change one person's life during the course of your own, you have made a huge difference. Like rings on the water, pay it forward.

Stay Shiny.


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*online in this case covers all of the above mentioned devices.