“Teach your children well and they’ll remember for a
lifetime. ~ Proverbs 22:6
About the time I was born, Dad met
a stranger new to these parts. So
fascinated by his charm, Dad invited him to live with us. ‘Telly’ was quickly accepted and lived with
us from then on.
Telly entertained us for hours with adventures, mysteries
and comedies. Reading became so much
less important. If we wanted to know
about politics, history or science, Telly seemed to know everything about the
past and current events. He even offered
regular predictions about the future! Oddly
enough though, he didn’t seem to know much about the Bible.
As far as I knew, Dad never asked him for rent money. But Telly took my family to our first major
league baseball game; the launch of America’s first manned spacecraft, even the
Beatle’s arrival at JFK airport. He
seemed to know all the right people.
Telly became our family’s center of attention. Dad liked that. After a long day’s work, he no longer had to
play catch with me in the backyard, listen to my complaints, or even help with
homework. Telly handled it.
Dad ruled our home with certain moral convictions, but Telly
never seemed to honor them. Profanity,
for example, was not allowed in our home – not from us or anyone else. Telly, however, got away with four-letter
words that burned my ears and made Mom blush.
Dad didn’t permit the use of alcohol but Telly encouraged us
to try it on a regular basis. He made
cigarettes look cool, cigars manly, and pipes distinguished.
When he spoke about sex, his comments were suggestive and
embarrassing. My earliest ideas about
relationships were largely influenced by him.
Telly frequently opposed my parent’s values, yet he was never asked to
leave. In fact, if you could walk into
my parents’ den today, you’ll still find him over in the corner. He’s just much bigger, more colorful and
every bit as significant now.
Telly, aka TV, and often called the ‘boob tube’ is ever-blamed
for society’s demise. Anti-television
advocacy groups have protested for decades that the “idiot box” is ruining our
lives.
But we consumers have the world’s most powerful control over
television. It’s called the ‘OFF’
button. If you think Telly is ruining
your life, than perhaps it’s time to realize that you have more power than you
think. It isn’t the fault of wicked TV
stations and evil networks trying to brainwash you or your children.
Replace the habit of TV watching with something else. Walk in the park, play a family game, or hop
on the treadmill. Try scheduling regular
meetings so that your entire family spends quality time together. The choice is, and always has been, YOURS.
Almighty Father, shine Your light upon my
family. Give us strength to overcome all
of the difficulties that we face and protect us from evil. May the love that binds us only grow stronger
as we fulfill the destiny you’ve laid out for us. Amen
