Kids and TV

Especially my american friends probably believe by now that i am an Anti- TV- Extremist and roll their eyes in annoyance that i start with that topic AGAIN........ really, really sorry:-) but this poem here is just to funny and true as well. We found it in Roald Dahl´s childrens book: Charlie and the chocolate factory.

The most important thing we learned,

As far as children are concerned,

Is never, NEVER let

Them near your television set-

Or better still, just don´t install,

The idiotic thing at all.

In almost every house we´ve been,

We´ve watched them gaping at the screen.

They loll and slop and lounge about,

And stare until their eyes pop out.

They sit and stare and stare and sit

Until they´re hypnotised by it,

Until they´re absolutely drunk,

With all that shocking ghastly junk.

Oh yes, we know, it keeps them still,

They don´t climb out the window sill,

They never fight or kick or punch,

They leave you free to cook the lunch

And wash the dishes in the sink-

But did you ever stop to think,

To wonder just exactly what

This does to your beloved tot?

It rots the senses in the head!

It kills imagination dead!

It clogs and clutters up the mind!

It makes a child so dull and blind

He can no longer understand

A fantasy, a fairyland!

His brain becomes as soft as cheese!

His powers of thinking rust and freeze!

He cannot think- he only sees!

All right! You´ll cry. All right, you´ll say,

But if we take the set away,

What shall we do to entertain

Our darling children? Please explain!

We´ll answer this by asking you,

What used the darling ones to do?

How used they keep themselves contented?

Before this monster was invented?

Have you forgotten, don´t you know?

We´ll say it very loud and slow:

They….used…..to…..read! They´d read and read

And Read and Read and then proceed

to read some more. Great Scott! Gadzooks!

One half their lifes was reading books.