A friend of mine has a daughter who loves Dora the Explorer. She even kind of looks like her. She has the same hair cut and the same build. And, boy, does she act like her! She takes charge of every child around her and leads them on an adventure. She is bossy but polite, just like Dora! And although I know that she gets some of her take charge personality from her mother, I have to wonder if some of it is cultivated in front of the TV as well.
I can attest to the hypnotic affect that TV can have on children. There are many times when I watch my children run past the TV, stop mid-step and just stare. If I call their name, they don’t hear it. I have to go and shake their shoulder to get their attention. So how much of the content that draws them in like a moth to a flame registers in their subconscious and how much just entertains them and is quickly forgotten?
I could list countless examples of kids behaving like their favorite TV character. But knowing them personally, I know that there are other sources in their life that teach and foster that behavior as well. So does the boob tube create the behavior or does it just encourage it? I think that it is the latter.
Their are plenty of shows that my boys have watched that they don’t imitate at all. But there are a few that they really get into and act out. I think that kids gravitate toward shows that offer familiarity. If a character reminds them of their parents or their fun aunt or uncle it makes a child feel like they are spending time with their favorite person. Likewise, they will probably gravitate towards people they meet in real life that remind them of you. That is why so often men tend to marry woman who are like their mother and women tend to be attracted to men with the same traits as their father.
So in reality, your child’s favorite cartoon or TV show may say a lot about you rather than them. The bottom line? Act the way you would want your child to act. Because not only will they mimic you, they will be drawn to characters, friends and mates who mimic you as well. And because kids are so impressionable, monitor what they watch. If a main character on the show is behaving in a way you would not want your child to behave. don’t let them watch it. On many occasions I have seen my son turn to look at me when something questionable happens in one of his shows. He is waiting to see if I leave the program on. Because if I do, it is just like telling him “I’m okay with that kind of behavior.”
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