My friend was appalled that I had the news on in front of my 1, 5 and 9 year olds. She thinks kids are too young to understand what they see on the news and they shouldn't be exposed to such things.
I feel as though they should be exposed to the goings on in thier community and the world. I don't want them to be sheltered from what happens in this world, good or bad...and I help them interpret what they see through conversation and life experiences.
I'm not an idiot - I do not and will not allow them to watch adult themed movies/TV shows or play video games featuring violence, etc. But I WANT them to know that there is a war going on and I want to talk to them about and have them make up thier own minds about it. I want them to know that people have the capacity to harm/kill others and that you always need to be aware of that. I'm not going to lie about the world to my children.
I'd love to hear your thoughts on this subject and how you handle these things.
2007-04-27 04:08:11 · 9 answers · asked by Fashionista 2 in Entertainment & Music ➔ Polls & Surveys
It is not wrong...it is an opportunity to teach them that while bad things happen, there is still good out there...it's just that the media likes to report on all the bad stuff...kids are not stupid...they can handle it if you are reassuring them that their world where they live is okay....
My kids were watching the WTC fall with on the news...it had an effect on them, but they also could see that I was not panicking over it too...and they appreciated being able to watch history for a calm perspective...
2007-04-27 04:38:11 · answer #1 · answered by Mikey ~ The Defender of Myrth 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My kids are 13 11 and 8 today and I have never sheltered them from such things. I agree with you I would rahter sit down with them and explain to them what is going on. If you don't do it then the kids at school or the teachers will do it for you,which in turn can lead to wrong info being given and even more confusion for them. My kids were young when 9/11 happened and I still did the same thing and I am glad I did so. With the war I talk to them and answer their questions the best I can. We as parents are supposed to protect our kids and teach them. I feel as though my role with them is to do the best I can no matter what others think about my parenting!! My oldest daughter has had 2 bomb threats in 2 weeks at her school. And yesterday they found writing ona wall that said "if you think the shootings at virgina tech was bad just wait until friday at 2:00. She is home today of course. But if I tried to shelter her from all of this she would be far more scared and uninformed. It is our responsibility to talk to and teach our children!
2007-04-27 04:24:04 · answer #2 · answered by onecrazymama05 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think you're doing a good thing. And communicating and explaining. I was raised with the news on at 6 p.m. every night. If I didn't understand something on the news, I could always ask my folks about it. Like why were we fighting in Grenada? Why is the USSR so bad? I wasn't scarred by the violence, I just filed it away in the back of my brain as knowledge. It really helped when I got to high school and college. Keep up the good work!
2007-04-27 04:18:37 · answer #3 · answered by chefgrille 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
My son's class has adopted a troop and is taking up items for the soldiers. Video games was on the list and my son was saying something else that he wanted to send so the soldiers kids could play with them. I told him the soldiers don't have any kids with them and that they were all fighting a war. He was like WHAT? Why? I told him so we could be have freedom and live in peace (no need to get into detail with a 7 year old who won't really understand). So, I don't think you're wrong for letting them watch the news when they will find out somewhere else if you don't. They will always come to the parent to ask questions about it. Until they get in their teens....LOL.
2007-04-27 04:14:57 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I absolutely agree with you. Children need to be aware of what is going in the world. You cannot shelter them from what is going on in their community and the world. Don't worry about what your friend thinks, you are definitely doing the right thing.
2007-04-27 04:22:05 · answer #5 · answered by Sherbear 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think kids at that age are too young to see the violence, but when theyre a teen, they need to see whats going on in our world. Theyll be naive about things when theyre grown if theyve never seen anything.*
2007-04-27 04:13:05 · answer #6 · answered by Check this out! 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the world is not pretty
i find it disgusting at times
and just mean the rest
humanity seems to spinning the rim of the toilet
but you cannot hide your child/ren from it
like it or not they are here now and must endure like we did
i have a kid and am working on the way to explain these facts to him once he is old enough - in the nicest possible way
i do want him to keep a positive outlook where mine has failed
2007-04-27 04:14:02 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
DO NOT wrap your kids in cotton..they'll just enter the word ignorant and oblivious. Your 'friend' needs to get a grip. Does she think kids live in a different universe to us? Your doing the right thing, keep it up.
2007-04-27 04:13:23 · answer #8 · answered by NatNat 3 · 2⤊ 0⤋
My Mom raised me with the news on all the time, and I turned out fine. I don't think it's a big deal at all.
2007-04-27 04:11:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋