I've always had the fantasy of raising children in an environment where they could develop naturally with as little of outside interfernece as possible. Now I admit, when a woman wants to be treated merely as a sexual object, I am glad to grant her request. Since Tv is pretty much the only part of their life that I will be able to moderate, I started asking myself a question. I started asking myself exactly how much of daily programs would I not want them to see. The simple fact is, the thought of my 15y.o. daughter dressing like some of these child stars today horrifies me. I just feel that in a perfect world, our children will focus on figuring out themselves before they start to worry about what the other sex wants. I mean, let's face it a lot of guys think they know what women but few actually do. Naturally, women are more complicated so 1/3 think they know what men want, 1/3 are more than happy to please, the other 1/3 reminds me of a praying mantis, you know the insect that the female eats the male after mating.

But back to the issue, it's obvious that young is an important part of being attractive but without a limit of some kind, there's going to be a problem. Personally, I have a problem with what we've got now which brings us all here today.

And you're opinions are...

Part of being a parent is teaching respect and dignity for yourself and for others.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

If I understand your concern,it is that there is too much negative influence for kids today.Well.you can act to limit some of it.When they are very young you,you can influence what they watch on t.v. making sure that it is educational and thought provoking and not just entertainment for the masses.But the best thing is to be always open and honest with them.

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Sex is one of nine reasons for reincarnation.The other eight are unimportant...Henry Miller

I don't know, it's just that I feel women are sort of being oppressed into a sexual object label. Lately I've been around newborns alot and I've seen how much the environment that they are in affects there attitudes and I don't want my kids (when I have them) to be influenced by something that I feel that it just simply isn't right.

amen! Then you have to make sure that you are the foremost influence in their lives!

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

Thanks lilith, I kinda had a feeling you'd see where I was coming from.

Silentsoul

I suggest that you remove the television from your house.

Most children in the United States grow up watching 3+ hours of television daily. Study after study has shown that children are influenced by what they watch on television. One study that is only about 10 years old correlated the rise in consumption of mass-market/junk foods to a six to nine month delay of the introduction of television in the area.

The overwhelming majority of commercial television programming is trash. Remove the rot from the environment before introducing an impressionable infant.

Rather than fight a losing battle trying to be the household TV Censor, excise the corruption entirely.

While it is most unlikely that you will adopt this technique, it is effective – and healthy.

Good luck. I wish you well but envy you not.

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Eudaimonia

Actually I look at it from an opposite angle. In school, I knew a lot of kids who's parents were freakishly strict about TV. The emotional trauma and near exile that they experienced because of not knowing anything that's going on, therefore not being able have resonable conversations with anyone. I know that finding yourself is something that will benefit you the most later in life. However, without a stable and equal environment to develop in, it's only going to get worse during the years. What I'm getting at is that growing up, weren't you nervous as hell meeting new people, expecially of the opposite sex. The history of my genetics lead me to believe that my kid is going to be pretty shy as it is. Without having adequit information to make conversation with, it's going to be extremely hard for my children open up to other people without some kind of TV.

In my opinion, age is meaningless without maturity. As my children matures and the world goes on, I will allow them to view certain shows at certain points in there maturity.

I do not think removing TV is the answer. For every thing negative about TV I can think of an equal positive. There is an unbelievable wealth of high quality children's programming available. It provides an unfathomable amount of language experiences and provides children with something that we are not usually inclined to, repetition.

And you are right on with it being a toold children use for socialization.

Removal is not necessary but responsible viewing is. PBS is still commercial free.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas

My children(2 girls,now in their 30s)were brought up in a very free
motorcycle lifestyle.They each have 2 children now & you couldn't
find 2 people,with a better outlook,on life.All that you can do,is
to show them the proper outlook on life.No matter what else,they
see,will change their values.Just because they encounter it,doesn't mean they won't have the right values.You'd be suprised,at how much influence you have over your childrens values! Irish
P.S.My $.02.(From experience)

__________________
Irish---Better to be dead & cool,then alive & uncool!
(Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man)

Well, how better to teach your children about exploitation than with perfect examples?

__________________
I want to know everything
I want to be everywhere
I want to fuck everyone in the world
I want to do something that matters

Gentlefolk,

I’m sure glad I mentioned “it is most unlikely that you will adopt this technique”!


Lilith,

The amount of vacuous, empty and useless television programming so overwhelms the amount of (even generously defined) good and valuable television, that it beggars comparison. NBC, CBS, ABC and WBN each dwarf PBS – let alone in total. PBS must routinely purchase programming from abroad to flesh out its schedule.

“The Beverly Hillbillies”, “Gilligan’s Island” and “McHale’s Navy” remain afternoon VHF staples. As for network afternoon fare: “The Guiding Light”, “General Hospital” and “As the World Turns” serve up fascinating role models for impressionable children. Perhaps one should take one’s social direction from “The Simpsons” or “Malcolm In The Middle”?

“And you are right on with it being a toold children use for socialization” True - if TV is what one wants to socialize about. Is that the direction that one, as a responsible parent, should be steering one’s children?


Irish,

I’m pleased that you were able to raise two children to be healthy, responsible adults (no small achievement). That changes nothing about the documented influence of television on children. Not everyone is as fortunate as you have been; check the local section of your newspaper.


Belial,

I am surprised that you are so cynical when proposing what people should provide to their children.


silentsoul,

One way to know what is going on is to read. Another way to know what is going on is to listen to the radio. NPR & PBS broadcast excellent news coverage, as does the BBC.

And yes, I am speaking from experience. Neither of my children are the traumatized, emotional wrecks one might expect “not being able have resonable conversations with anyone”. It will only be “extremely hard for my children open up to other people without some kind of TV” if you lead them to believe that to be different is to be wrong

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Eudaimonia

There have been many excellent replies w/many valid points, particularly regarding what is being watched and regarding the amount of influence we as parents can have on our children. As one who hasn't had access to TV in the house for over 10 yrs now, I am stunned at times at how much time people spend (adults and children) watching it. If the adults in the household are spending most of their spare time in front of the TV, no matter what the content of the programs being watched, how can they expect the kids to know or do any differently? I am not against watching it per se but am saddened that the majority seem to automatically reach for that remote rather than turn to other pursuits for entertainment or to unwind or to stretch their minds. I find it particularly shocking when a TV is on pretty much every waking hour in the household, no matter who is up and about or whether they have company, etc. Then it seems more like a drug to me...such a part of life or the background noise that they just can't imagine any kind of life w/o it. What is THAT telling our kids? To me TV is often a barrier to communication w/others when it is on so much, too...like one's focus on the TV is more important than one's focus on or communication w/others who are present. Just a couple of side observations.

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Communication is the key.

I'm speaking mostly from my own experiences as a child. I was often inclined to ignore directions unless they were explained to me in some way or unless there was the possibility of physical punishment (which wasn't harsh, but enough to inspire fear). If you can say to your children "Look here, this is bad because.....", you'll make far more impact than if you attempt to shelter them from something that is going to inevitably rear its head. That model of teaching children is already used anyway, as in "Billy is bad because he hit Bobby, we don't hit other people because..", so why not extend it to sexual exploitation when the children are of sufficient age to comprehend it?

__________________
I want to know everything
I want to be everywhere
I want to fuck everyone in the world
I want to do something that matters

I think I was clear that parents should choose appropriate shows, not trash, or allow free reign, and regardless of what we would prefer children share with one another, TV gives them a commonality. In a perfect world our kids would all sit around in literature circles and discuss the zillion books or life experiences they have in common but in a culturally diverse community it is good for kids to have something that they can all relate to. When you are working on social skills with children with disabilities one of the first things to use is television, giving them something, anything, to draw on when trying to be sociable. I am not judging right or wrong I am just speaking of what is our current reality.

I know children who have grown up without TV and are perfectly wonderful, responsible, intelligent, social people but the exact same can be said for people who watched TV. Personally it's not my thing, I have too much to do.

__________________

The practice of putting women on pedestals began to die out when it was discovered that they could give orders better from there.~ Betty Grable

If I wanted your opinion, I'd remove the duct tape and ask you for it.~ Me
<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~>
One man's dream is another man's nightmare~~~~> §¤ Lilith ¤§
~>My Scribbles<~
==>Gone Shopping<== ~Just a Quickie~ *~A Celebration Vacation~* ~Surprises~ Sleeping With the Window Open
What Did You Do Today? Self Defense Class ~Short Sweet Snippets~ § Summer Spin § Story Challenge Submission Pajamas