By Doreen Nagle
Gannett News Service

When television was first invented, the goal was it would educate as well as entertain. Judging from the popularity of most present-day fare, that goal pretty much went by the wayside. Today, a typical child watches four or more hours of television per day, many without supervision. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than two hours of TV viewing each day. With some adjustments, your child's TV viewing can become a steppingstone to further learning.

Parents must use their discretion:

•  Pick and choose shows that meet your criteria for your child's TV viewing. Especially in the case of young children, eliminate shows with violence, sexual innuendo, inappropriate language, or ones that portray whole cultural groups or genders using idiotic stereotypes.

• Talk to your child at an age-appropriate level about why you find these shows abhorrent.

• Watch shows with your child so you can explain anything that needs clarification. If you can't them at scheduled time, tape the shows so you can watch them together later.

• Teach children to ask permission before they turn on the television. The television should be turned on only for specific shows, so ask what your child plans to watch. Once the show ends, the TV should be turned off.

• Avoid having the television left on as background noise.

• Want more control over what your child watches? One more reason not to put a TV in your child's bedroom.

• Once the show is over, talk about it.

• Take a trip to the library or museum to follow up on learning more about a topic. Show children how much more in depth a book about a televised topic can be vs. the depth with which a TV show covers the same topic.