Evening star., 1953-01-09
On the Air
On the Air
Mother Has a New Complaint
About TeIevision Fare
By Harry Macarthur

The problem faced in the tele-
vision home with children is no
simple one. It does not consist
simply Of the TV crime wave.
There is at least one mother in
Martinsburg, w. Va, who thinks
the program managers might
we'll give some more thought to
the problems faced by viewing
parents.
II must quibble with a fellow
reader, who wants the hour
from 6 to Z set aside for really
good programs" she writes.
GAS a mother Of young chill
dren, I can only scream MOI It
is bad enough on Sunday to
have to walk out on Omnibus
to cook supper or to forego Ed
ward r. Murrow so eating is de-
layed in favor of Mr.. Cooke. To
think of the Illustration that
would occur If the dinner hour
was used for even one more at
tractive program Is maddening.
Actually. when you have a
young family, you simply can
not enjoy TV while the children
are awake. You can't change the
baby's feeding schedule accord
ing to program schedules. And
then there are baths and
Strengthening up to 60 through,
one is lucky to catch up with
the tail end Of the Groucho
Marx show. That Is. If you work
like mad and entirely forget
Dinah Shore.
Even as the children grow
older you must have veritable
angels If there is to be quiet
enough for the concentration
that such programs as Studio
Ones The Nativity demand for
full appreciation. And I defy
even an angel-if it's a 10
year-old angelic sit enthralled
all through Meet the Press
Also, for those who have a TV
den, perhaps there can be isola-
tion, but not in small houses
like ours. even If one wanted to
be out of hearing Of the little
ones.
"Yes, when you have children,
cross off Victory at Sea- for ex-
ample. Please let them save any
other good programs until after
8. or better still. until 8 o'clock.
Diapering the baby does not cre-
ate the proper atmosphere for
Helen Hayes. Mending toys,
patching cuts. soothing temper
tantrums-all this is too much
competition for TV. One could
easily dash to the kitchen in the
middle Of Ed Sullivan. but stop
taking me away from Zoo
Parade
Fathers generally are in the
same position. They don't cook,
perhaps, but they can not have
uninterrupted viewing during
the 'Children's Hour when Jun
ior is more interested in wres-
Ting than in Jack Benny (wres-
tling with his father. that Isl.
"a minor point-your reader
also objects to WNBW's Foot
light Theater. I maintain that
Westerns are not too terrible If
the family rations them. I recog-
nize some, of those I saw when I
was a youngster and went every
Saturday with the gang to the
horse operas. None of our crew
came to dire ends, but of course
we did not indulge ourselves
daily and our parents provided
other interests and recreation.
Still those daily ones on TV
have one virtue. They end. There
Is not the suspense we used to
get from the radios Little Or
phan Annie for example. AS a
psychology major now practicing
all those adjustment theories as
a mother, my main conclusion is
that parents can worry too much
for their own or their children's
welfare.
"Our parents were distressed
that we did homework to the ac-
compartment of Jack Arm
strong Can not we assume that
TV is just one more factor Of
discipline that should be worked
out in each family? Should we
abolish automobiles because we
must teach the children to be
discriminating about them?"
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AVAILABILITIES-This. OBJ
viously. comes from a home
where the television is monitored
with some care. In homes where