Parents and future parents

[TheseBlindEyes]

I'm just curious about this... not real sure if I should have put this thread in the Entertainment section. But I'm just wondering how all of you plan to (or if you already are parents) raise your children concerning television and the media, since it appears so much to be going downhill with terrible references to sex, drugs and sin. It seems like every tv show and movie and every song on the radio includes something that I wouldn't want my child viewing or hearing. Sometimes I think it would be better to seclude them from it entirely because its so terrible but thats really impossible considering that kids at school will introduce them to it either way. And how far is too far to cut a child off from media and so forth. They have to be aware of it also. I mean, how do you protect your kids from that? I think that will be a large concern for me when I become a mother someday. Just wanted some input... Thanks...

 

[Tenorvoice]

I can defiantly agree with you about how bad the "entertainment" industy has gotten over the past 20+ years. I personally can not get myself to watch much on the tube myself even the news has gotten so out of hand and is controled by such left wing liberals that they never report on the things that are done good in our society today all they want to do is make people (like our Pres.) look bad. The people in the "entertainment" fields use their power if the air waves to influence the weak willed to get them to accept certain situations, language, and other sinful things today. It has been proven over the years that if they can get people in a whole to laugh at something then they will tend to accept it in the near future.


I will be doing my Husbandly/fatherly duties when I do get Married and have my own family by ~~If there is a movie, t.v. show or anything that the members of my family want to watch then: 1. I will watch it first and see if it is ok for them to see,(most shows today are rerun so many times that it is sickening) or 2. I will watch it with them and then afterwards I will sit down with them as a family and discuss the things that we saw or heard that us as a family disagree with. 3. We will sit down and filter everything that we hear or see through the Word Of Our Father in His Holy Book The Bible.

So to answer your post I will be doing my duty as it is laid out in The Bible for me to do as a husband. Be the protector, provider, and the preserver of the family in a whole. For I am the head of the home and I am to love each and everyone of them just as Christ does the Church. Ephesians 5:22-6:4

Peace

 

[fishstix]

I don't know. If I had kids I might seriously consider not having a tv or just having tapes rather than an actual television signal so that I could screen everything ahead of time. I can't really say for sure though, because that is something that both parents should have a say on. I'd locate the tv somewhere that I could easily keep tabs on what was being watched. I'd definitely be screening all the movies/music/magazines/etc. coming into the house, at least while the kids were young. They may still get introduced to stuff in school, but at least they wouldn't be filling up their entire life with trash if they weren't exposed to it at home too. As far as computers go, the kids would probably have their own computer which would not have an internet connection. If they needed to do online research for school or something, I'd sit down and help them with it. It's just too easy to find totally inappropriate and sometimes dangerous stuff online without even meaning to.

 

[Cordelia]

This is going to sound weird, but...I wouldn't try to control what my kids watched, because once you forbid things, then they want to watch them all the more. The most I'd do would be to try and watch TV and movies with them and discuss what we were seeing - tell them what's right and wrong about it all. Obviously, though, I'd send them to bed at a decent time before the watershed and not let them watch films with ratings higher than PGs until they're old enough. I agree that most TV is garbage but I still think some of it's too vital in educating kids to dismiss it completely.

That was how I was raised, see, and I turned out all right, I think! Plus a friend of my mum's once told me that she never let her children (the oldest of whom are almost adults) watch The Simpsons, because she thought it would influence their behaviour (!!?) So, I was naturally horrified. Depriving them of such positive aspects of culture seems like the most harmful thing of all to me.

 

[Rokedwin]

I havnt watched TV in over 4 months, and once I move out in June I do not plan on gettting a cable TV sevice. There is very little on TV that is worth paying $40 a month for (I'll be in college so that $40 will go a long way). Not to mention its a huge waste of time to sit infront of the tube. So im hoping that will stick with me and if I ever have a family and kids, we wont feel the need for television. I do rent/buy movies to watch, just because I love movies...but atleast I get to choose what I want to watch and when I want to watch it.
I'm not trying to shleter my future kids from the world, but the fact that its a HUGE waste of time...hopefuly I can teach my kids to be more productive then I was as a kid, you know?

And on the topic of the Internet...HECK NO. I was pretty much raised on the internet since age 12! All I have to say is that its way to easy to stumble apon stuff, I want my kids to have a childhood without getting the trash that is on the internet. I would probably put the computer in the kitchen or something, where I can see what they are looking at every now and then.

 

[selune]

We honestly don't watch much tv even though we have it. The kids favorite shows are the sat. cartoons on WB--teen titans, pokemon, yugi-oh, and the like. Other than that they like Trading Spaces and While you were out--wanting us to redo our rooms!! We get dvds and movies that are family fare, but rarely watch network in general.

 

[fishstix]

That was how I was raised, see, and I turned out all right, I think! Plus a friend of my mum's once told me that she never let her children (the oldest of whom are almost adults) watch The Simpsons, because she thought it would influence their behaviour (!!?) So, I was naturally horrified. Depriving them of such positive aspects of culture seems like the most harmful thing of all to me.

I wasn't allowed to watch the Simpsons until I was about 14. When I did start watching them, my mother watched with me. I don't think I was deprived of anything in not being allowed to watch at a younger age. And honestly, now that I do watch it, I don't think it's really a positive aspect of culture - it's just entertainment. Furthermore the way that the show is headed now, there are some episodes that I don't think would be appropriate for even a 14 year old, in fact I sometimes have to question whether it is appropriate for me to watch.

 

[Cordelia]

I wasn't allowed to watch the Simpsons until I was about 14. When I did start watching them, my mother watched with me. I don't think I was deprived of anything in not being allowed to watch at a younger age. And honestly, now that I do watch it, I don't think it's really a positive aspect of culture - it's just entertainment. Furthermore the way that the show is headed now, there are some episodes that I don't think would be appropriate for even a 14 year old, in fact I sometimes have to question whether it is appropriate for me to watch.

Absolutely, I agree that recent episodes cross the line once too often and aren't very funny (catching up with the likes of South Park etc.)...but the older ones were awesome (and harmless fun). I've adored the show since I was 10 and won't be convinced, I don't think, that it's anything other than genius It was a ritual with me and my brother, getting home from school and watching it every night, and cracking up (the dirtier jokes largely flew over our heads). So it seemed absurd for me to think of any kid not having the chance to enjoy it.

 

[TheseBlindEyes]

I have noticed that too lately. I used to watch the simpsons all the time with my parents and never thought it was bad at all. But I don't know if you have seen the one episode.. I saw it like last week... the entire show was homer and marge trying to have sex so they spent the whole thing running from bart and lisa across the country. In the end they are naked (only from the arms up visible.. lol) in one of those blow up things (that you see at the carnival that kids jump in) which was floating down Niagara falls... I mean its one thing if they mention sex on occasion (although I don't like that at all either)... but when the whole show is based around it... something is wrong.

 

[FaithfulServant]

The parents of the guy Im courting didn't allow a TV in the house. I don't even watch Tv, only movies so I think I will do the same with my family. With less TV there is more family bonding time and less trash entering my future children's minds..

 

[Lexi]

I am kind of torn on the issue. I was allowed to watch TV as a child and it didn't really matter what unless it was something too horrible. To tell you the truth, most of the time I ended up playing with toys, going outside, or reading a book. I can see how limiting television is a good thing but I'm not exactly sure what I want to do. I know that it'll be almost pointless for me to buy a TV seeing that I rarely watch it myself. But I do want the access to movies... so I'll probably have a television that is rarely on.

 

[plum]

I am hoping that by the time I am raising children that the media industries will have grown considerably. By this I mean that all of us Christian media students/film students/musicians/producers/etc. will have stepped up to the plate and influenced the media in the way I see it beginning now. Instead of hiding from the media or sheltering my kids from it (IMPOSSIBLE and we all know it), I plan on making the media more kid, family, and Christian friendly. Why complain about what's on the media when you can CHANGE it?? That's my goal. I hope my kids will see an improvement in programming when they're born.

 

[Blank123]

I think I'd teach them how to discern for themselves what is appropriate to watch and what isn't, then I'd let them decide what to watch. Of course if they choose wrong, I'd throw the t.v. out of the house

 

[Cordelia]

Why complain about what's on the media when you can CHANGE it?? That's my goal. I hope my kids will see an improvement in programming when they're born.

_tigress]I think I'd teach them how to discern for themselves what is appropriate to watch and what isn't, then I'd let them decide what to watch. Of course if they choose wrong, I'd throw the t.v. out of the house

Very well said

 

[fishstix]

I think I'd teach them how to discern for themselves what is appropriate to watch and what isn't, then I'd let them decide what to watch. Of course if they choose wrong, I'd throw the t.v. out of the house

At about what age would you expect them to be able to decide on their own? I know all kids are different, but approximately?

 

[Lia]

A friend of mine at church told me once that by the discipline planted by her parents, she grew up with very little influence of TV programs. She could watch some programs but her dad who is a strong Christian would make her and her siblings gave him a good reason why they want to watch a program. Of course eventually, the dad makes the ultimate decision if they can watch or not. I think it's a very good practice to obey the parents and to give them to think and make a difference of what is good and bad to watch.

 

[jenptcfan]

I'm sure I will limit what they can watch, but I'm sure I'll still let them watch TV. There are plenty of kids programming channels on TV. Lots more than when I was growing up. I would especially let them watch the educational programming like PBS type stuff. There's good stuff out there. We just have to investigate stuff and make sure it's ok.

 

[JPPT1974]

I kind of don't want my kids to watch too much tv because I am living proof of that and want them to get involve with other stuff like the library and reading and also doing their Bible and Christian devotions.