Highly inappropriate material on a kids channel

[hpman247]

Ha ha ha ha ha. You have no idea how predictable that sounds! Every 18 year old thinks that they are "unlike most people [their] age" and of course, *they* "understand life and what comes with it more than other people [their] age". No offense Harry Potter, but your own words do you injustice. :shocked

Just one thing. If you knew the teenagers that I know here in VA you would agree with me on that point, I gurantee it. About 85% of my school are jerks, not to me per se, cuz I get along with basically anyone, but to many other students and faculty.

 

[Charise]

And when I say shelter, what I mean is censorship.

Not wanting young children to see many things on television today doesn't mean I want those programs/situations removed altogether from TV. There are things I watch that just aren't meant for youngsters. I don't believe in censorship for adults--that's what the on/off switch is for.

Part of a parent's job is to censor what their children watch. As the child can handle more information, the parent should watch with them to explain or answer questions as required.

I know teens today think they are smarter and more mature than their elders, but I don't agree that they are. I think they are aware of more earlier than we were, but, unfortunately, many/most don't seem to be handling this knowledge very well.

 

[hpman247]

hpman247, While not agreeing or disagreeing with your opinions regarding parenting, my point is simply this, until you are a parent there is no way to truly understand the reality of it. Unfortunately there is no way to communicate how having a child changes you. From the first time you hold that small life in your arms the world is never the same again. No amount of intellectualizing can prepare you for it, or the lifelong job that follows. No child comes with a manual and each one is different. I've seen the offspring of wonderful caring parents go horribly astray and children with the most disadvantaged background become outstanding citizens. You do your best then hope and pray.

I know your young and I won't hold that against you. I wish I still knew everything I did when I was 18.


NightRyder

Wow. Now this is what I truly like. Without a doubt from this quote I can tell you are a cool person. And it is also soemthing that I can say I do agree with, because I totally get I won't know what it's like until thetime comes. My experiences so far tell me one way, but I may have to adjust to whatever comes my way, as I (hopefully) will. What you said IMO is the absolute truth, without the constant bickering of what is or is not good for a child. Hope and Pray, what a statement. I never really thought about it that way.

 

[hpman247]

Part of a parent's job is to censor what their children watch. As the child can handle more information, the parent should watch with them to explain or answer questions as required.

I agree with you in some sort of a way, not really the age barrier thing but the rest The answering of questions and explaining to the child what is right and wrong is what I have said all along. "Shooting is bad, alcohol is, etc."


You know, what I am really trying to say about the TV viewing habits of youngsters is that I don't see the big deal with a 10 year old watching Alias or 24 or CSI, etc. I don't see why a child shouldn't here the word S*** or A** when you here it Every Day at any school whether it is grade school or secondary school. Children are exposed to this stuff all the time and as Night Ryder said, you just have to "Hope and Pray" that they turn out to be very distinguishable young people that will grow to be responsible adults.

 

[NightRyder]

Wow. Now this is what I truly like. Without a doubt from this quote I can tell you are a cool person. And it is also soemthing that I can say I do agree with, because I totally get I won't know what it's like until thetime comes. My experiences so far tell me one way, but I may have to adjust to whatever comes my way, as I (hopefully) will. What you said IMO is the absolute truth, without the constant bickering of what is or is not good for a child. Hope and Pray, what a statement. I never really thought about it that way.

hpman247: Cool? H'm, I don't know if my kids would agree but my 5 yr. old grandson would. Good parenting is all about balance, too much exposure, too little exposure, it's not an easy thing to judge. It will vary according to the sensitivity of the child and the comfort level of the parent. Keep in mind that there is no right or wrong answer here. Each parent must decide what is right for their children.

You sound like a thoughtful and intelligent young adult. The fact that you care so much about this subject say's good things about you. Take care and good luck in your future.


NightRyder

 

[jsanders]

You know, what I am really trying to say about the TV viewing habits of youngsters is that I don't see the big deal with a 10 year old watching Alias or 24 or CSI, etc. I don't see why a child shouldn't here the word S*** or A** when you here it Every Day at any school whether it is grade school or secondary school. Children are exposed to this stuff all the time and as Night Ryder said, you just have to "Hope and Pray" that they turn out to be very distinguishable young people that will grow to be responsible adults.

You are saying that school, then, can be a negative influence on kids. You are saying that they hear foul language on a daily basis, right?

Why add to it?

Hoping and praying for a child is part of raising a child. Teaching is also part of it. Providing a positive environment in which the child can flourish and become a thoughtful and intelligent young adult like yourself is also important.

What do you think? Is it more likely that the person brought up in a positive family life more likely or less likely to turn out well than a person brought up in the house of a criminal, or the house of a drug dealer? The positive family environment can counteract the negative environment you observed at school.

 

[hpman247]

I am a strong proponent of education because I know what it has done for me. My friends think I study too much or care too much about things not dealing with school such as Satellites, Web Pages, etc all of which I lerned without a teacher. I learned by the help of people liek you all and by choosing myself what to do. "It is our choices that show what we truly are," a quote which I will always live my life by from the wonderful JK Rowling.

School is without a doubt an infulence on children. It has such an infulence that we as a country say that it is not right to have a picture of Jesus on the wall for Christmas in a school or to have a united school prayer. I am in no way saying that school is a bad influence, but the bad comes with the good. School is a great place, but unfortunately many young people like my friends don't feel the same way that I do. Many students do not care and just want to get it over. My US History teacher had a poster on her wall that said "KNOWLEDGE IS POWER" and I agree with that, and school is the place that we get that knowledge for those who dont choose to do extra things in their free time.

What do you think? Is it more likely that the person brought up in a positive family life more likely or less likely to turn out well than a person brought up in the house of a criminal, or the house of a drug dealer?

I certainly agree that with proper parenting that children can surmount the negative influences in school, but I was stating the fact that hearing it at school is the same if not worse than hearing it at home on TV. And even though I don't feel it is a big deal at this part of my life, at least at home a parent should be able to explain to their child that {inset word here} is foul language not to be used, and at school the child may not have that positive influence. Fight also occurs at school, and children see this. Fighting occurs on Alias and 24, but at least at home the parent can explain to the child that fighting is wrong and that you should try to talk out problems or either just walk away.

 

[jsanders]

Knowledge is not power. Wisdom is the effective application of knowledge, which can be very powerful.

So, if I understand you correctly, you are saying that we need to teach our kids that violence and bad language are wrong, but that it is okay to watch these things on tv as entertainment. Is that what you are saying? Isn't that going to teach hypocricy to the child?

 

[hpman247]

Well I am most certainly not trying to tell anyone how to raise his or her child. I must say that I don't consider this hypocrisy. Entertainment is what it is...enterainnment. It is nothing else. Children will effectively learn that TV is what it is through their parents, but they will untimately make the decision on their own. If it weren't for TV shows like 24 or Alias, I can't imagine how horrible my weeknights would be. THey provide entertainment and nothing else.

I feel that hypocrisy is telling a child that you need to stay faithful to your spouse and then he or she see's his mom or dad kissing another woman or man. Literally, you are correct that this is hypocrisy, but is it so difficult to distinguish between literal and figurative termonology? I think not!

Wisdom is the effective application of knowledge

Now I like that a lot. Sweet quote...another one for me to remember.

 

[jsanders]

Okay, we have a difference of opinion about that.

Let me ask you another question then. Back on page 2 of this thread, Sapient wrote,

The concept of "real" is not something that young children can really get. My wife is an elementary school teacher. During a recent drill, the lights had to be turned off. This scared a couple of the kindergartners because they thought Chucky (yes, Chucky, the killer doll) was going to get them.

Do you think that the parents that let their kindergartners watch a horror film featuring "Chucky" explained it well enough? No doubt the teacher tried to explain to them that Chucky wasn't going to get them as well (to calm them down). Do you think that it helped that much? What do you think would be better for them? Show the horror/slasher film to the kindergarten class and explain to them that it isn't real and that violence is bad, or maybe hold off on showing Chucky to the kindergarteners?

 

[hpman247]

No I do not. They probably are parents that do not care enough about their children to tell them that chucky is fake. But Hell, Chucky scared the crap out of me too. I can still watch it and when I go to bed at night I'll think about it even though I know that it is completely ficiton. I don't think there is a way to not be scared of that at any age. well not really scared, but have it in the back of your mind i guess you might say. There is always that effect that it leaves in your mind. Many of my teachers both young and old cannot watch horror without directly or indirectly thinking about it. So, I suppose in this case you should not watch it if you can't take it... simple as that!

 

[Bobby]

Nw everyone worth their salt knows that Chucky is the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers..... That is plenty scary!

 

[hpman247]

Haha Bobby lol. Well to anyone who has something they want me to answer, I will do so tomorrow at school during my 3rd block class. I will be watching Alias from here on out tonight.

 

[jsanders]

No I do not. They probably are parents that do not care enough about their children to tell them that chucky is fake. But Hell, Chucky scared the crap out of me too. I can still watch it and when I go to bed at night I'll think about it even though I know that it is completely ficiton. I don't think there is a way to not be scared of that at any age. well not really scared, but have it in the back of your mind i guess you might say. There is always that effect that it leaves in your mind. Many of my teachers both young and old cannot watch horror without directly or indirectly thinking about it. So, I suppose in this case you should not watch it if you can't take it... simple as that!

If Chucky scares you, and you know the character is just a doll, imagine how cared a five year old would be if they thought he was real.

Did anyone have to tell you that Chucky is fake? Why do you have to tell a child that Chucky is fake? Children do not grasp abstraction the way an adult does. You simply cannot explain that until a child is old enough to grasp it. I imagine that the parents probably did tell their child that Chucky is fake. The problem is that they didn't care enough to realize that the child wasn't ready for the horror film. Consider this, before a child begins to talk, can you explain poetry to it? What if you spend days and weeks trying to explain, will it help the infant to understand poetry? Highly abstract thoughts don't occur until ten to thirteen years on average. That is why they don't teach algebra until junior high school. The concept of variables aren't teachable until kids are older. When you go to the toy store, the toy usually has on the box, "for Ages x to y" on it. Why aren't all toys enjoyable for all ages? Can a two year old play monopoly? What if you explained the game of monopoly for weeks on end, will the two year old be able to play it if you explain it enough?

With that in mind, let's go back to what you said a couple of posts ago:

I feel that hypocrisy is telling a child that you need to stay faithful to your spouse and then he or she see's his mom or dad kissing another woman or man. Literally, you are correct that this is hypocrisy, but is it so difficult to distinguish between literal and figurative termonology? I think not!

It isn't difficult for *you* to distinguish between what you are calling literal and figurative terminology, but that is not so easy for a child to grasp. To the child it is two conflicting messages, it is confusing. You said yourself that in a literal way it hypocrisy.

Here is an experiment to try. Find a couple of sets of families, each with two kids where the sets of kids are different age groups. If there is a boy and a girl, ask the boy if his sister has a brother. If the boy is two years old, he will say that his sister does not have a brother. Ask that same question to a three year old, a four year old, a five year old, and a six year old. At some point you will notice that the answer changes. At one point, the boy will answer the question and say something like, "yes, that is me. I am my sister's brother".

There are lots of questions like that which you can use as a test to see how far along in development a child is.

It is very important to understand that the child does not perceive the same things that we do. It is important to understand where they are, and teach them what they can understand.

 

[hpman247]

Well I said that I wasn't going to discuss this anymore tonight, but Alias hyped me up..lol...

Yes I was told chucky was fake, but it still floats in many peoples minds to this day b/c it is horror. Like I said if you can't take it don't watch it...simple.

I love your poetry anology, because I despise poetry and I still don't get it. I really do hate it. I love reading prose, but poetry can stick it. As for your algebra, I taught my cousin how to factor at around 4th grade. Took her about a few days to get it, but this year, 7th grade, in her pre-algebra class, she had no problems.

As for the figurative and literal thing...give me a little while, because need to think about the context of what I was saying at the time. I do understand what it is that you are saying, but I can't put into words right now how I want to say what I want.

 

[jsanders]

As for your algebra, I taught my cousin how to factor at around 4th grade. Took her about a few days to get it, but this year, 7th grade, in her pre-algebra class, she had no problems.

What exactly did you teach your cousin to factor?

 

[hpman247]

Ohh just binomial and trinomail factoring. you know (x+3)(x-3) do foil. Etc. Easy stuff in my mind.

Also this morning my friend and I were discussing this subject in my english class, and my teachr overheard us so it became a classroom discussion. Needless to say it seemed to be a 50/25/25 split. 50% were for some form of televsion restrictin, but not harsh. THen 25% was for no rest, and the other 25% for harsh restristion. We have these discussions all the time and boy did I have fun representing myself. We even got into the video game area with GTA, and my teacher thinks it should be banned. and I must say that she is without a doubt one of the best teachers that I have ever ahd.

 

[slacker9876]

Isn't that going to teach hypocricy to the child?

Anyone who wants to teach this to their kids knows they just need to locate the nearest church OF ANY DENOMINATION. Wow ... this might strike more of a nerve than the gay thing.

I guess were all perfect parents ... I mean if we weren't how could the world be such a great, noble, kind place.

No of us (including me) has the answers. You do the best with what you can and as J mentioned earlier teach and practice what you would consider a good set of values. All that done, it still means jack, for all you know your kid (or mine) is the next major serial killer in line for an A&E special.

 

[jsanders]

Ohh just binomial and trinomail factoring. you know (x+3)(x-3) do foil. Etc. Easy stuff in my mind.

Also this morning my friend and I were discussing this subject in my english class, and my teachr overheard us so it became a classroom discussion. Needless to say it seemed to be a 50/25/25 split. 50% were for some form of televsion restrictin, but not harsh. THen 25% was for no rest, and the other 25% for harsh restristion. We have these discussions all the time and boy did I have fun representing myself. We even got into the video game area with GTA, and my teacher thinks it should be banned. and I must say that she is without a doubt one of the best teachers that I have ever ahd.

Teaching your cousin how to factor quadratics in the fourth grade is impressive. Did you talk about imaginary numbers too? What about derivitives, integration, vector analysis, non-linear differential equations, and fourier transforms? If you look at the scenario you mentioned, it still fits the paradigm I mentioned. We usually start kindergarten at five, six years old at first grade, and ten years old in the fourth grade. It is on the lower end of the range, but your cousin is still there.

When people come up with these things, they have to think about averages. You obviously are ahead of the curve, and at the same time, you appear to have difficulty understanding that not everyone learns at the pace which you do. You said factoring is easy in your mind, do you think it is equally easy for everyone else? Wisdom, the application of knowledge is a powerful thing. It is very important to understand that you are unique and that we are all different.

Maybe we need to go back a bit further.

What do you think? If you have a newborn, what do you feed it?
a) Breast Milk.
b) A large steak
c) A shot of whisky
d) all of the above.

What do you choose, and more importantly, *why* did you choose it?

What do you think? Can you teach the special theory of relativity to someone that hasn't developed communication skills yet?

What do you think? A harp seal can give birth to a 30 pound pup in a matter of a couple of minutes. Immediately after birth, it turns around, and goes nose to nose with its newborn to imprint smells and a visual. The mother will nurse the baby harp seal for two weeks, and then it is on its own. A human, on the other hand, takes (on average) twenty years to raise. Why is that?

Why do you think the parents of those children mentioned earlier didn't tell their kids that "Chucky" was fake? Do you think that when they turned off the lights the first night after showing the movie that they just let their child scream the whole night with fears that "Chucky" was going to get them? Do you think it is possible that those children, unlike yourself, didn't understand their parents when they were told that "Chucky" was fake? What do you think?

Do you think the world would be a better place if everyone learned everything at the same place as you do? Do you think that everyone thinks the same way that you do? You appear to be a linear thinker, do you think that everyone else is the same?

 

[jsanders]

I guess were all perfect parents ... I mean if we weren't how could the world be such a great, noble, kind place.

You are from Loveland, right? Are you telling me that you people aren't all loving and everything? Maybe the non-loving ones should move for Fort Collins or something.