Last night I had the best gift ever. My older son was reading a detective novel while my younger son was reading fairy tales. They were each in different rooms, _ their books with no TV, music or anything else distracting   their attention. I read a lot during my childhood, curling   up in sofa or lying in bed. Like anyone else, I had lots of other interests, but once I discovered reading, I really enjoyed it. I read everything -- books, magazines, newspapers, even the back of food packages if there was nothing else to read at the moment. I must thank my parents for their love of reading. Longing for more information and knowledge, my parents were always reading a lot. Today's children are provided with a variety of choices. It is so easy for them to become uninterested in reading and to view it as boring, uncool and unnecessary. There are TVs with astonishing choices of programs; there are MP3 players with thousands of songs at their fingertips; there are the Internet and mobile phones. I've told my sons that reading comes with information, understanding and connection, each of which will help them at every stage in their lives now and forever. So when my sons were reading their books last night, I watched them, noticing them put a bookmark into their books. That's the most amazing gift that I have ever received. What does the author think of TVs, MP3 players, the Internet and mobile phones?
They are boring, uncool and unnecessary. They are too expensive for a family to afford. They might distract children's attention. They might enrich children's lives and make them happy.