A television with a 98-inch screen is mounted flush to the ceiling in the bedroom of Patti Deni’s son. Deni got assistance from a tech company that came in and put extra supports in the ceiling in order to mount the 98-inch StarGlas60 screen. They also mounted an NEC video projector and projection mirrors above the bedroom in the rafters using special supports to help hold up the 300 pound monstrosity. Deni made sure her son was decked out with several options that included special wiring and cables for game controllers and video editing equipment.
According to Deni, her son spends a lot of his time playing video games and editing videos. Various blogs on the internet are all a-twitter with different opinions of the techno teen treat but the overwhelming opinion is that the purchase was surely over the top and a ridiculous investment. One can dare say with an air of true common sense that if Deni’s son wasn’t offered the big TV and all the equipment that goes with it, then he wouldn’t be spending so much time using it.
Looking at the pictures, most people over the age of 21 would automatically balk at the idea of having the flat screen mounted to the ceiling for fear of being forced to lie down to play video games and watch TV. Hopefully the reinforced ceiling mounts also came with a discount at the local chiropractor’s office.
Though the TV is mounted straight over the twin bed in the room, Deni has been quoted as saying that “He (her son) and his friends can prop themselves up just about anywhere and get a good view.” (Electronichouse.com, 2009 Home of the Year Awards)
Having been to many open houses in newer communities, I have blurted out the occasional “ooh and aah” over some ‘over the top’ household techno gadgets myself – so I do not condemn those who are in awe of the big screen over the bed. I am, however, in the apparent majority who is wondering if Deni actually believes that a big screen TV over her son’s bed is the best way to cultivate intellectual pursuits, exercise, healthy living and maturity for her son.
In a world that fairly begs us to babysit our kids with PSP, Xbox, iPod and the like, it is no wonder that such an extravagant screen finally made its way above the bed of a child. With DVD players mounted in vehicles, satellite TV and radio available via mp3’s and Wifi available in nearly every restaurant, there is no doubt a band of adults have successfully been marketing the theory that technology itself will somehow make kids smarter, better and more able to support themselves in the future.
What we don’t hear as much about anymore is the library, board games, taking walks, hiking, playing frisbee, going fishing, reading a book, writing a letter…pursuits that challenge the mind and create family cohesiveness. These are the activities that will actually garner smarter, better kids for the future.
Will the Deni family all pile into their son’s twin bed to watch a family friendly movie together? Or tune into a church service Sunday morning as they huddle in their PJ’s on the bed? Highly doubtful.
What we give our children, what we share with them, how we treat them and how we spend time with them will come back to haunt us or comfort us when we’re older. We must remember what it says in Proverbs 22:6. “Train up a child in the way he shall go and when he is old he will not turn from it.” (This encompasses the good and the bad we train our children !)
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