Of Cats and Kids

On agreeing with Mr. Foreman

Posted by: Carol Lombardi

Sunday, July 9, 2006 12:00 AM

John Foreman and I are not often on the same page. For that matter, we are rarely in the same book. Or on the same planet.

But I recently stumbled upon a piece of common ground: we are both watching in bewilderment as people sink deeper and deeper into their couches in lieu of interacting with the real world. I mean the actual, real world - not the MTV show.

We were both pretty freaked out by the recent study that found that 29% of kids between 2 and 3 have a TV in their bedroom, as do 19% of children ages 1 year or younger and 43% of those ages 4-6 years. The report found that one of the primary reason for this was so family members could watch "their" shows without being bothered by those pesky little creatures cluttering up their homes.

I am NOT suggesting that the City Council ban TV watching, ok? I understand that it's a choice, and that other people sitting drooling and slack-jawed in their increasingly sagging couches staring at the TV will have no impact on me personally. My jeans will still fit.

But I am curious: What would it take to get people to step away from their TVs and get out and about?

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