Do you like watching historical TV shows? Some parents worry that sometimes they are not true. Some teachers think watching them can make some students interested and that they will do more to find out the truth. What do students think of them?

They can help us learn details (细节) of history. For example, from the history book, we may learn about the Three Kingdoms (三国) But by watching Romance at the Three kingdoms, I get to know what happened among them.

Many students are not interested in history. But they won’t mind watching historical TV shows because of famous actors and exciting stories. So I think it is a good way to increase students’ interest in learning history.

We don’t have much time to watch historical shows. If we want to know something about history, we can read books. It saves time and we can practice reading at the same time.

In most historical TV shows, there are many love stories. I think it is not good for children. Also, in TV shows, heroes (英雄) are often perfect. That is not real history. So I think that we should read history books to learn the true history.

Recently researchers from the University of Michigan have looked at 317 pairs of mothers and children. Families reported on children’s eating habits and mothers’ behaviors and attitudes toward feeding when children were 4, 5, 6, 8 and 9.

They found that the children could be put into three groups: low pickiness (29%), medium pickiness (57%) and high pickiness (14%). The pickiest eaters would not often eat vegetables, or were very nervous about new foods. And the pickiest eating was associated (相关的) with parents restricting (限制) food choices and forcing children to eat. Less picky eating was associated with fewer restrictions on foods and less pressure to eat. Children who had problems controlling their emotions were also more likely to be picky eaters.

In an editorial (社论) published with the study, Nancy Zucker of the Duke University School of Medicine wrote that the pickiest children probably have “thousands of negative (消极的) memories about food”. They wrote that it’s critical to focus on pleasant experiences.

Pesch said that kids shouldn’t be made to eat everything on their plate if they don’t want to. She also said parents shouldn’t tell their kids they can have dessert only if they eat their vegetables. Some experts say it’s best to expose (使接触) children to food many times—even if they don’t eat it—so they get used to it. Parents should introduce kids to many different kinds of foods, show that they themselves enjoy different kinds of foods, and make meals a fun time that the whole family can enjoy. Older kids can also help choose and prepare the food they will eat.