Tunnel Vision

Should you let your child watch programmes that aren't age-appropriate? It's a question that's as divisive as the Marmite 'love-it-or-hate-it' answer.

"Is it ok for my twelve year old to watch Fireman Sam?" will either draw a sharp breath of cold disapproval or a benign smile that whispers, "But of course...relax..."

You have to wonder what someone gets from watching a programme that is aimed at a much younger audience. If the child wasn't getting some sort of stimulus then they wouldn't watch it - not even to sing along to the chorus and wind their parents up.

Some years ago, my brother came to stay. One night we couldn't sleep and bumped into each other in the kitchen at five o'clock. We plonked ourselves down with a cuppa and stuck the tele on. Before we knew it we were glued to the third episode of 'Teletubbies' , giggling like kids at the pink custard splats and the manic Noo-Noo! When my daughter came downstairs she couldn't get over the two idiots glued to the magic lantern in the corner. It was so different to anything I'd ever seen before that I couldn't stop looking at it. I'd like to think I was watching it for different reasons to your average three year old.....mind you, I am partial to a bit of Thomas the Tank Engine too...but, back to my grandson and Fireman Sam.

I'm not at all concerned that he's watching it. He's learning intonation, vocabulary and social skills all through observation. He's giving his mind a break from his Deep Thought Process. Because when he's not watching Fireman Sam he's posing mind-boggling conundrums.

So here's this week's puzzle. Answers in the box below svp!

Supposing time travel is possible and you jumped a few days into the future. You arrive on the high street and realise that a little boy is about to walk behind a reversing car. You save him and jump back to the present time with the child and mind the child until the future day comes around. At that point you return to the high street with the child just as his other self is about to be knocked down. If the other self is knocked down, what happens to the first one you've just time-travelled with? Will he disappear or will the boy that's been knocked down disappear?

My lad thinks they will both disappear because it's an anomolous situation.

It just shows you how a bit of mindless Teleschlepping can free the mind!