Letters from the Switched on "TV MANIA" issue

Dear Switch-on people,

I am 16 years old and have only a couple of TV shows that I love, but my parents do not necessarily agree with some of them. One show in particular is rated TV-MA and they say it is not an appropriate show for me to watch. I obviously disagree and think I am mature enough to watch this show. We have fought a bunch of times about this and I am sick of it.

-Tegan

Dear Tegan,

In case you did not know a TV-MA, rating usually means that the program is recommended for people 17 years or older so you can see sort of where your parents are coming from. You seem to be just below the recommended age, which can be frustrating for you as well. The recommended guidelines and your parents rules certainly do not put the odds in your favor in this specific situation. Perhaps talking to your parents about what they feel is inappropriate might show them how mature you are. Also watching the program together might let them see it for themselves instead of just going by the ratings. I will ultimately come down to whether your parents agree with the shows content and just how mature you are in handling the problem.

-Switched-On

Hey switchy,

I am having some trouble dealing with schoolwork and my TV schedule. I go to school all day and when I come home, I watch TV to relax. Problem is that lately I have been getting more homework and it is conflicting with my TV time. I usually watch TV while I do my homework, but it is hard to concentrate and it takes twice as long. I am not getting enough sleep because I spend most of my nights finish my homework until 2 am. I think I am making life harder for myself and need a way to balance life out again.

-Froilan

Dear Froilan,

It is good that you can admit that you have a problem and are open to fixing it. It sounds like you are sabotaging yourself by trying to watch all the time you want and leaving your homework on the backburner. You probably have been doing this for a while so making your homework a priority again might be difficult. In order to help yourself you might try cutting back the TV time significantly or until you finish your work first. On the bright side when you do have some downtime you can always catch a re-run or go online to catch the shows you missed. It is all about good time management.

-Switched-On

Dear switched-on,

I am sick of my friends making me feel left out just because I do not watch TV. I have never really been that interested in TV, but most of my friends are which is hard for me at times. When they talk about some TV show, I feel really left out of the conversation. I know that they do not do it on purpose, but I still feel that way. It is not my fault I rarely watch TV.

-Feeling Alone

Dear Alone,

Some people do not skateboard, bowl, or in your case watch TV. Watching television is like any of those other things either you do it or you do not. Your friends like to watch some shows and later talk about them, but I does not sound like they hold it against you. You just happen to not have that in common with your friends, but that does not mean that you cannot be friends. Try asking them about the show to be part of the conversation, or just waiting until the conversation goes to something you do know about.

-Switched-On