Think of it as a reality show. Let's turn the spotlight on a typical American family.

The television (make that televisions: most families have at least three) is turned on for an average of seven hours and 40 minutes a day. If you factor in eight hours for work and another eight for sleep, that works out to only 20 waking minutes at home without a TV blaring.

The adults watch four hours of TV a day, about 28 hours a week. The school-age kids watch 22-28 hours a week, as many as 1,500 hours a year. The kids spend about half as much time -- just 900 hours a year -- in school and a meagerly 38.5 minutes a day interacting with their parents. Even the one-year-old watches an hour a day.

There's a 66 percent chance that while they eat dinner they're watching TV, but most of the time the kids are watch alone: 56 percent of the school-ages kids and 36 percent of those six and under have TVs in their bedrooms. Ninety-five percent of TV time is spent without parental supervision.

Only one in four teenagers engage in moderate physical activity at least 30 minutes a day five or more days a week, as recommended by health professionals. No waking activity consumes fewer calories than sitting in front of a TV set. When they're watching TV, our average family has their hands in the cookie jar, snacking away.

Both the Surgeon General and the Centers for Disease Control have noted a direct link between TV watching and childhood obesity. The more television children watch, the more likely they are to snack between meals, consume foods advertised on TV, and attempt to influence their parents' food purchases.

One study recorded 202 ads for sugared cereals, candy or chips during four hours of Saturday morning cartoons: more than eight commercials for unhealthy foods during every 10 minutes of airtime. In an average year the kids will see 40,000 commercials. By age two they will have developed brand loyalty.

And if you harbor a hope that this is all high quality educational TV, dream on. Experts estimate that 21 percent of so-called educational TV has no educational content at all. There is a direct correlation between television watching and grades: the more you watch the lower your grades. The magic number is ten hours a week: more than that and academic achievement suffers.

Admit it, you've seen the look. Whether a child is watching Sesame Street or Desperate Housewives, it's the same, according to Mary Winn in her book, The Plug-In Drug: "The child's facial expression is transformed. The jaw is relaxed and hangs open slightly; the tongue rests on the front teeth. The eyes have a glazed, vacuous look. . . . "

When we peek into this typical American home it is filled with isolated, sedentary and passive people. But not next week. April 25-May 1st is TV Turnoff Week and more than 7.6 million people are expected to pull the plug.

The late Pope John Paul II was enthusiastic about the TV Turnoff concept. "In many families the television seems to substitute, rather than facilitate dialogue among people," he said. "A type of 'fast' in this area could also be healthy." He recommended abstaining from TV for 40 days. TV Turnoff week is only seven.

Take a birding hike instead of watching a nature show. Have the kids help set the table instead of propping them in front of the electronic babysitter while you prepare dinner. Play a board game or a sport instead of watching others play. Learn a new craft. Have a lively conversation over a home-cooked meal. Read a book. Sing a song. Dance.

The true reality show is happening in our own homes. To win, all we have to do is unplug the TV.

Susan Ives can be reached at suives@texas.net.