Loading ...

In his popular book “To Kindle a Soul” Rabbi Kelemen discusses the three ways that we raise a child.

1. Planting
2. Building
3. Prayer

Planting is the instilling of values on a constant basis.  We plant seeds of potential, of values in a child and continuously water the seed as the child grows.

Building is the sudden fixing or enforcing of an idea or habit that cannot be left to the slow growth of “planting.”

Prayer is the final component, which acknowledges that a mother and father are two out of three partners in the raising of a human being.  This aspect is important because we will never be able to watch over our children 24 hours a day, seven days a week, but G-d can.

TV works against you if you are trying to plant seeds of positive values in your child.  The TV is a force that has clinically addictive features for the viewer, especially children.  Yet this is something that spews values of the pop culture, not of the parents.

Here is an interview of a mother who does not let TV run her home.
Here is a some research on the destructive nature of television, also by Rabbi Kelemen.