This is all so obvious, but still worth a thought, considering how electronic raising of kids is only getting more prevalent. From Movie Mom, via Andrew Sullivan, on the expose of the Baby Einstein fraud:
The academic studies show that what infants learn from watching a family member once takes them four times as long to absorb in a DVD. And the very act of watching a DVD with the pulsing refresh rate of the screen can be at the same time soporific and stimulating, making it more difficult for them to get restful sleep. The only thing they learn from these DVDs is how to watch television.
Every now and again while teaching I would run across students who were curious, alive, interested in the world, active, outdoorsy, interested in certain hobbies, etc. … they seemed like children, full of sap and bright and thoughtful. The number one thing they shared? No television at home. It’s not a sufficient or even a necessary precondition – I watched a lot of t.v. as a kid – but I bet it helps.
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