TV

I know as well as anyone that there are some parenting subjects the average person should not touch with a ten foot pole. I fear that I am having a lapse in judgement here, but I feel the need to voice an opinion. I turn on the TV and all I get is disappointment.

Nick is for teenagers. It's dating and kissing and running amok without parent supervision. The last time I turned on iCarly, which is rated TV G, it was an episode where one of her friends moved out of his house to 'teach his mom a lesson' because she was too overbearing. How old are these kids supposed to be?? 16? And we wonder why kids are disrespectful to their parents starting when they're so young. If we allow them to watch a show where that behavior is acceptable, they are going to believe it is.

ABC Family is for adults. Period. We had to stop watching reruns of Gilmore Girls on that channel because of all the commercials for the Haunting of Emily Rose or one of those other demon possession movies that was coming out. The younger member of my FAMILY does not need nightmares. Thanks anyway. They show Van Helsing and Practical Magic which I like, but DO NOT consider  'family' movies. I won't even get into what I think about the show Pretty Little Liars.

I will go ahead and say that if you allow your 4 or 5 year old to watch shows where there are children or teenagers kissing each other and dating then you have only yourself to blame when they get in trouble in kindergarten for kissing someone at school or have a boy/girlfriend that they kiss. I am certain that starting these behaviors so young is causing some of the teen sex/pregnancy issues our culture is experiencing. I'm sure that was two sentences too much on that subject. Moving right along...

Now, last Christmas we were watching one of the seasonal movies on TV. I think it was called Santa Paws and before my eyes several children got down on their knees, put their hands together, and prayed... to SANTA!! For real?? As a christian I was completely mortified that my child was being shown that was OK. She WAS old enough to talk about it with me afterword and understand that it isn't OK to pray to anyone but God, thank goodness.

 We watch a lot of PBS, Animal Planet and some TLC, but that's about it as far as cable TV. We watch everything else on Netflix. I do not want my child getting mixed signals about what is appropriate behavior and what is not. I can't be one of those parents that talks bad about a show but allows my child to watch it anyway because "all the other kids are watching it" or "He/She really wants to".  I am the parent and she is the child. I am responsible for what I allow her to watch and how I allow her to act. I will not give my parental rights over to society.