slowly growing joy

Somehow I have never heard this poem  before this week.  Perhaps because I have always found Roald Dahl I bit creepy.  This is a keeper though. 

 

"The most important thing we've learned,
So far as children are concerned,
Is never, never, NEVER let
Them near your television set-
In almost every house we've been,We've watched them gaping at the screen.
They loll and slop and lounge about,
And stare until their eyes pop out.
(Last week in someone's place we saw
A dozen eyeballs on the floor.)
They sit and stare and stare and sit
Until they're hypnotized by it,
Until they're absolutely drunk
With all of that shocking ghastly junk.
Oh yes, we know it keeps them still,
They don't climb out the window sill,
They never fight or kick or punch,
They leave you free to cook the lunch
And wash the dishes in the sink-
but did you ever stop to think,
To wonder just exactly what
This does to your beloved tot?
IT ROTS THE SENSES IN THE HEAD!
IT KILLS IMAGINATION DEAD!
IT CLOGS AND CLUTTERS UP THE MIND!
IT MAKES A CHILD SO DULL AND BLIND
HE CAN NO LONGER UNDERSTAND
A FANTASY, A FAIRYLAND!
HIS BRAIN BECOMES AS SOFT AS CHEESE!
HE CANNOT THINK-HE ONLY SEES!
"All right!" you'll cry.  "All right!" you'll say,
"But if we take the set away,
What shall we do to entertain
Our darling children?  Please explain!"
We'll answer this by asking you,
"What used the darling ones to do?
How used they keep themselves contented
Before this monster was invented?"
Have you forgotten?  Don't you know?
We'll say it very loud and slow:
THEY...USED...TO...
   READ and READ,
AND READ and READ, and then proceed
to READ some more.  
So please, oh please, we beg, we pray,
Go throw your TV set away,
And in its place you can install
A lovely bookshelf on the wall. 
Then fill the shelves with lots of books,
Igoring all the dirty looks,
The screams and yells, the bites and kicks,
And children hitting you with sticks-
Fear not, because we promise you
That, in about a week or two
Of having nothing else to do,
They'll  now begin to feel the need
Of having something good to read.
And once they start-oh boy, oh boy!
You watch the slowly growing joy
That fills their hearts.  They'll grow so keen
They'll wonder what they'd ever seen
In that ridiculous machine,
That nauseating, foul, unclean,
Repulsive television screen!
And later, each and every kid
Will love you more for what you did.

 

Comments

[Tracey]

Kim- We actually really enjoyed Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a family read aloud. The boys still haven't seen any of the movie versions, though. The poems the umpa loompas sing are actually quite insightful like this one you quote.

Speaking of surrounding them with books, I have been thinking about further culling the children's books. Any suggestions?

[Anne Kunkel]

Oh, I know!!! This is a poem to raise your children by! I read it as a young mother and it greatly influenced me to put the brakes on screen time. Twenty years later, I'm still loving this idea of giving my children the gift of real life and have absolutely NO REGRETS! I love your pictures of Germany, too, btw.

[kimberlee]

I just read this aloud to my gang and even the biggies were hooting out loud. (We don't watch television so fortunately all of their eyeballs are in their heads where they belong. Whew.) I don't think we've ever heard it before either - love it! And your header photo is super fabulous!

[Kim]

We have had no tv and limited tv at different times. Honestly no tv is easier since otherwise they ask constantly. Fortunately there isn't much to choose from here at all so its not a big draw. Wii is another story....

Thank you Kimberlee. That is my Kieran on the trail near the village.