Once again, in a comments section, is someone spewing out the old…”Well, kids are so much more mature now. At the age of 9, my son knows about so much more than I could have imagined at the same age.” First of all……..kids are not more mature. They’re still as immature at 9 now as 9 year olds have ever been. Kids are simply exposed to more than kids were years ago. Just because children are exposed to more things does not mean that they can understand it or are ready emotionally for something. It’s ridiculous to believe otherwise. Everyone cries out…”We must protect our children!”……but how many are actually doing anything about it? I’m not calling for censorship of any kind. I’m not saying there can’t be things out there not intended for children. The whole world doesn’t have to be some strangely warped Disney movie…..but adult things shouldn’t be out in the open for children to see.
The television networks…advertisers…..magazine publisher’s and the like could be more responsible in what they put out there during the day and earlier evening hours. It would be nice. I could live without seeing a giant billboard of half naked men and women posed seductively in an effort to sell jeans. Like I said…it would be nice if they did. I guess I’m not really counting on it though. Sigh.
The ones who are first in the line of defense against inappropriate for this age battle are, of course, the parents. This is to some of the parents out there…..YOUR CHILDREN ARE NOT LITTLE ADULTS! Don’t treat them like little adults. They are children. Get it? Don’t let them be exposed to things that are too mature for them. You don’t have to watch certain shows with your children in the room. Don’t allow them to be exposed to mature content. You have control over that, unless you’re a lazy parent or an ineffectual parent. Don’t take them to movies that are too old for them just because YOU want to see it and don’t have anyone to watch your kids. That’s just selfish. If you’re going to have kids, then you better be ready to put out the effort…..sacrifice a little…at least. You need to be involved with your children. Don’t ignore them while you blab on your cellphone about absolutely nothing of importance. You need to pay attention to what they’re seeing and hearing. Oh yeah….and don’t expose your kids to inappropriate for their age music. Just because you like it doesn’t mean your children should listen to it.
I also suggest that you don’t discuss grown up business within earshot of your kids. They don’t need to know how much in debt you are……..that Daddy’s afraid he’s going to get laid off……..or the gory details of some stupid family feud. Your children shouldn’t be laying in bed at night worrying about the bills. There are certain things your children don’t need to know about…or at least any real details. Keep adult business between the adults.
Please…also pay attention to what they’re doing on the internet. Some parents tend to not pay as much attention to this as the kids get older. Mistake. That’s when you have to be your most vigilant. As children get older…so does they’re capability to get in trouble. Teenagers don’t think like rational people sometimes. Emotions and logic are all over the place. They need way more supervision at that age. Teenagers are still minors….and children….just bigger more complex children. And watch out for those video games. There’s no reason a parent can’t restrict what games their children can play. You have to make sure things are age appropriate. You should also know about a game before you let them own it. You are in control if you’re willing to put in the effort. Giving in is easy. Giving too much is easy as well……..but both will do more harm than good in the long run. Don’t spoil your children……let them get away with stuff…….or make excuses for their wrong behavior. I know that doesn’t have to do with the actual topic here…but it has to be said. Believe me…they won’t die if you say no. Oh…and their crying…..whining….nagging….pouting…..whatever…won’t kill you either. It’ll just annoy the hell out of you.
Anyway….the point is……children don’t have to know so much…so young….because the parents can protect them the best they can. There’s nothing wrong with children being children. Everything should come at it’s own natural pace….not because it’s shoved down your kid’s throat by the media, etc. Stand up and be in charge. Your children don’t need you to be a friend…….they need a parent. They won’t hate you forever. Just a little while. It’ll be okay. I promise.
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