Book Review: Parenting Well in a Media Age

I didn’t know what to expect before reading this book because I’ve never read a book about parenting.  I’ve taken a lot of parenting classes at the University though so I’ve felt pretty educated about parenting subjects.  The book Parenting Well in a Media Age, by Gloria DeGaetano, discusses the parenting challenges that face parents today as a result of our industry-generated culture.  She mostly discusses children spending too much time watching TV, but also takes into account music, and video games.  She does not address social networking much. 

What I really liked about this book was that DeGaetano gives references from research as well as relatable examples.  My favorite parts of the book was when she gives specific examples of what to say and how to talk to your child that will help him/her grow in that essential need.  These examples are also separated into ages; so she gives examples on how to talk to your toddler, middle-aged child, and teenager.  She also gives specific example of activities to do with your child of specific ages as well. 

One part of the book that really spoke to me was when DeGaetano discussed creative thinking in children and image making. She said that children, “Are limited to thinking in the images that the media has provided for them,” (DeGaetano, 2004, 9).  She explained that in drawing, or writing stories, children could not think up their own characters or plots: they could only think about a super hero that they have seen on TV.  That was surprising for me how much television can really limit a child’s creativity and motivated me to use other methods to spark my toddler’s creativity. 

After reading the book I decided to try to have the television on less at my house. According to DeGaetano, this can help increase, “A loving parent-child bond, a rich inner life, the capacity for image-making, the ability for creative expression, and participating as a contributor,” (DeGaetano, 2004, 56).  While having the television off at my house I noticed a lot of things.  I am extremely guilty of letting my toddler watch shows while I put my infant down for a nap or feed her.  It is easy and quiet.  It was fun to see what my son was able to come up with to do on his own while I fed her. I saw his imagination sparking and saw how his own ideas were flowing through his head.  One surprising thing that I noticed was that I was more patient with him and he was more patient with me while the TV was off in our house.  Tyler was more willing to wait for me to play with him while I finished doing a household chore, than if he was waiting while watching a TV show.  The best part was that I could see a difference in our parent-child bond when we were able to spark conversations and talk more about feelings than we would if we had a show on.  DeGaetano discusses the importance of a face-to-face interaction when trying to increase a parent-child bond.

I would recommend reading this book for any parent because it has great ideas for alternatives to television for all ages of children.  These ideas are well in line with the research I have read for my other three blog posts.  She writes in a very relatable way and doesn’t write in a way that condemns parents for allowing their children to watch television.  TV is going to be an inevitable part of people’s lives and she explains why taking it in moderation can benefit families.  She empowers parents in taking the initiative to limit their children’s television usage. 

DeGaetano, Gloria. Parenting Well in a Media Age: Keeping Our Kids Human. Fawnskin, CA: Personhood, 2004. Print.