The Performance Pro

Thursday, July 08, 2010


It’s the old “Monkey See, Monkey Do” – Garbage in, Garbage out” philosophies

We tell our child not to hit. Then we allow them to sit in front of a screen and train their brains to hit, abuse and kill. What kind of parents would do that? Not many if they understood the harm it was doing to their kids.

When an area of the brain called premotor cortex sees an action performed, it prepares to perform that same action. It’s what makes baby return mommy’s smile.

When one watches television or computer games, the same thing happens. If our children see violence and hostility, the mirror neurons in their brains practice those actions and a pathway is created. Our brains absorb what we watch and practice mirroring that activity.

How’s that for a scary thought? And, remember, this woud include all those sexual scenes and inuendos that we think the kids don't 'catch' too. For more on this and cyberstress: Read Joanne Cantor’s book “Conquering CyberOverload.”

"Part of our brain works hard to imitate what it sees."
What has your child watched today?

The healthy alternatives: Back to basics. ANY t-v/computer games should be regulated for appropriateness, limited, and be a privilege that needs to be earned. Set your rules. Require a certain amount of time each day for your child to develop their creativity and imagination by playing by themselves both indoors and outdoors. Give them specific chores that need to be done. Think of special projects for them; give them a bag of pipe cleaners to create things with, a butterfuly net, have them read a book, play an instrument, build things, learn to juggle, draw or write a letter to grandma that you will mail for them.