I had the best summer vacation ever! When we drove to Grandma’s we watched videos on the TV in the car. I watched TV all day long. Some of them actually went camping and took family day trips, but it still disturbs me to hear what they seem to remember most.

I remember my own summer vacations. The gang met at the field for a game of pick up softball. We hit, and threw and caught. We slid into home. We kicked up dust and skinned our knees. We threw a sheet over the clothesline to make a tent. We wrote neighborhood newspapers, ate popsicles, played school and blew bubbles. In the evening you could hear screen doors banging as children escaped those last few bites of broccoli. Then we chased lightning bugs, played flashlight tag, kick the can and hide and go seek. Sometimes we pitched pennies or baseball cards against the curb. We sat on the stoop with Dad watching the stars come out and made wishes. After a bath, and a book we were off to bed.

The good ole days, you remember them. Consider how our children will remember their good ole days. The night they spilled soda in their beds while watching Nick at Night reruns? The day Dad installed the satellite dish with 350 channels and 10 HBOs?

I worry about kids when I read statistics related to TV viewing. The National Institute on Media and Family report that 40 percent of all Americans always watch TV while eating dinner. According to Nielsen Media Research, the average American child watches more than three hours and adults more than four hours daily. If you are 20 years old, you’ve spent three years of your life watching television. The American Family Research Council found that American families report spending 38 minutes per week having meaningful conversation with their kids. Those same children however, are spending 20 hours a week in front of the tube.

I worry about kids and their health. The Annual Review of Public Health reports that our country is facing an epidemic of childhood obesity. Viewing television contributes to obesity by slowing the metabolism, which means children burn calories more slowly. It encourages a sedentary lifestyle, so kids get less exercise. TV advertisements promote unhealthy food choices.

One in 10 American children is obese and one in five is overweight. As an adult who has fought a lifelong battle with obesity I can tell you that it is no fun being the fat kid. Being overweight as a child leaves you open to a whole host of health issues, not to mention the social rejection many overweight children must suffer. Dr. Lori Deschene of Norumbega Pediatrics recently shared with me that 60 percent of overweight 5 to 10 year olds already have one or more additional cardiovascular disease risk factors, (elevated blood pressure, hyperlipidemia or hyperinsulinemia). Obesity is the No. 2 preventable cause of death in our country. Excess weight is also tied to diabetes. Recently, there has been a dramatic increase in Type 2 diabetes among children. Type 2 was previously referred to as adult onset diabetes, because it was rarely seen in children. This increases their risk for blindness, limb amputation, kidney failure, heart disease and stroke.

I worry about kids and their education. Harpers and Neilsen report that every year American kids spend almost 1,100 hours watching television while only 900 in school. The U.S. Department of Education found it takes only 10 hours of TV watching a week to negatively effect academic achievement, and the average kid watches twice that amount. The National Assessment of Educational Progress found that students who watched the most TV had the lowest achievement scores while those who watched the least earned the highest scores.

The ability of children to read, write and communicate is essential in developing the six Guiding Principles of the Maine Learning Results: A clear and effective communicator, a self-directed and lifelong learner, a creative and practical problem solver, a responsible and involved citizen, a collaborative and quality worker, and an integrative and informed thinker.

Numerous studies have established a direct connection between falling reading scores and television viewing. Children spend four times more time watching TV than they do reading for pleasure. Where will they learn the vocabulary necessary to communicate? The average children’s book has a greater set of vocabulary words than the average prime time television show.

Kids need to read.

Pick up a paper any day of the week and you’ll read about falling achievement scores and failing schools. Who do we blame? Schools? Families? Society? Every school district in Maine is working hard to make the state and federally mandated changes. Parents and teachers want what is best for children.

We need to work together to provide the best learning environments possible. I found my own kids’ television habits were extremely difficult to change and monitor. I appreciated the help and support I got from the TV-Turnoff Network. Their Web site www.tv-tunoff.org is overflowing with tips to make the transition away from TV less painful for the whole family. It’s not easy, and it won’t happen overnight, but the health and education of these young citizens is worth our time and effort.

Children learn by example so the first step we can take is to look at our own viewing habits. Hide the remote. Turn off the television at meal time. Support the school’s efforts during TV-Turnoff Week. Cancel your cable subscription and use the savings to take a family trip. You may face a mutiny if you announce, No TV tonight! Instead, distract them. Take a walk. Teach them how to play flashlight tag, or pitch pennies. Read a book together. Visit the library.

As a nation, we need to give our children the gifts of health, education and childhood memories. How have your children spent their summer vacation? I’m looking forward to their essays.

Janet Nordfors is a 2002 Fellow of the Maine Writing Project and a fourth-grade teacher in Brewer.