I don't know how many people there are out there that don't have cable or satellite or some other form of "tons of channels and still nothing to watch", but Adam and I one of the few who have just a little antennae on top of our television to help us pick up better reception on our 5 channels. Yes, you heard me 5! ABC, NBC, CBS, PBS, and FOX (the last of which only comes in clearly sometimes, so it doesn't really count in my book.) It is crazy to me that even with just 4 channels we can find lots of things that shouldn't be watched by anyone...they are just that bad. Things like Bachelor (how crazy is this show...competing for a single man?), or Big Brother (one time when I caught this show and stopped for a minute, there were 2 girls with whipped cream all over there mostly naked bodies, another time, there was a couple in bed rolling all around doing what I would like to think they weren't doing on national television!)
I remember a time not too long ago when the family could sit down and watch a sitcom together. The Cosby Show, Full House, even Home Improvement were better than anything I can find now. I can't think of a single show that comes on prime time TV that is fit for my family to watch. Not one! Even shows I enjoy aren't fit for my whole family. Which I guess just means that maybe I shouldn't be watching them at all. Just the other night while watching a show someone said "crazy bas****", Alora, who wasn't even watching, but just playing on the floor repeated it! I was shocked and disappointed in myself as a parent that Adam and I had let it happen. The channel was changed, and she hasn't said it again, but I still feel like it should never have happened. PBS is our channel of choice most of the time. They haven't messed with Mr. Rogers too much and Sesame Street, while it hardly resembles the same show that I watched as a child, isn't too bad either.
What is really sad is that I don't even feel like the morning news programs are fit for my family to watch either. Not because of the violence of the news stories so much, but for all the "other stuff". I am not quite sure what to call this "other stuff", but it certainly isn't "news". There are segments with half dressed men, women and children that they call a fashion segment. There are portions where they sit down with some "expert" and they talk about sex or cheating or plastic surgery, or abortion or whatever the latest and greatest trend is and tell all about the subject in a way that I wouldn't want my children learning about it. The segments where they talk to celebrities is usually full of things I don't want my children seeing. Even if the celebrity is fully clothed and even if they don't curse, they are usually promoting something that isn't moral, or their latest film that I probably shouldn't see.
I know that even if there was a show that we could watch, the commercials would do us in. If all you watched were commercials you would come to some strange conclusions about us. First, if you see a commercial for any sort of feminine hygenie product or Midol you will assume that having a period is the best thing ever! It is fun and you look great and feel great. Just watch one of the latest Always commercials where they even say how "fun" it is. Having genital herpes is great too! Just look at all the fun you can have with your significant other. I am personally just floored that commercials about the drugs to treat this disease are even aired. What is wrong with your doctor talking discretely to you about the treatment...or here's a novel idea, just not have pre-martial or extra-marital sex and you wouldn't ever have to worry about it. Oh and make sure you have some sort of other medical problem, low white blood count, depression, or some sort of sexual dysfunction. According to the commercials for the products and drugs to treat these and other problems they are fun to have too. Just look at how happy all those tummies are on the constipation commercials!
I guess if I was smart I would just get rid of my TV, or at least only watch the DVD's and tapes that we own that aren't full of immoral things. I think mostly I just need to be VERY aware of what is going on in my own house. My children are sponges and will pick things up quickly from television. Aidan has already started saying that Alora needs that pretty pony or that baby doll that he sees commercials for. Don't know why he thinks everything is for Alora? I know that making myself pay attention to what is on the television and making conversation about it with my children if I need to is a good step. Keeping the TV off most of the time is another thing I could do better about.
It is scary that I am letting all these things into my home....I wouldn't talk with such bad language to my children, or dress so immodestly, or talk of sex so flippantly, but I am not always good about making sure that people who do don't walk right in my front door via the television.
God, please make me more aware of what is going on in my own house. May I find the strength to turn off things that are unfit for my family and realize that there are better things to be doing than watching the television. Help me to show my children that they can show love for you by making sure they aren't polluting their homes and their minds with the garbage that is so easy to access. Thank you God for loving me even when I fail at this!
I remember a time not too long ago when the family could sit down and watch a sitcom together. The Cosby Show, Full House, even Home Improvement were better than anything I can find now. I can't think of a single show that comes on prime time TV that is fit for my family to watch. Not one! Even shows I enjoy aren't fit for my whole family. Which I guess just means that maybe I shouldn't be watching them at all. Just the other night while watching a show someone said "crazy bas****", Alora, who wasn't even watching, but just playing on the floor repeated it! I was shocked and disappointed in myself as a parent that Adam and I had let it happen. The channel was changed, and she hasn't said it again, but I still feel like it should never have happened. PBS is our channel of choice most of the time. They haven't messed with Mr. Rogers too much and Sesame Street, while it hardly resembles the same show that I watched as a child, isn't too bad either.
What is really sad is that I don't even feel like the morning news programs are fit for my family to watch either. Not because of the violence of the news stories so much, but for all the "other stuff". I am not quite sure what to call this "other stuff", but it certainly isn't "news". There are segments with half dressed men, women and children that they call a fashion segment. There are portions where they sit down with some "expert" and they talk about sex or cheating or plastic surgery, or abortion or whatever the latest and greatest trend is and tell all about the subject in a way that I wouldn't want my children learning about it. The segments where they talk to celebrities is usually full of things I don't want my children seeing. Even if the celebrity is fully clothed and even if they don't curse, they are usually promoting something that isn't moral, or their latest film that I probably shouldn't see.
I know that even if there was a show that we could watch, the commercials would do us in. If all you watched were commercials you would come to some strange conclusions about us. First, if you see a commercial for any sort of feminine hygenie product or Midol you will assume that having a period is the best thing ever! It is fun and you look great and feel great. Just watch one of the latest Always commercials where they even say how "fun" it is. Having genital herpes is great too! Just look at all the fun you can have with your significant other. I am personally just floored that commercials about the drugs to treat this disease are even aired. What is wrong with your doctor talking discretely to you about the treatment...or here's a novel idea, just not have pre-martial or extra-marital sex and you wouldn't ever have to worry about it. Oh and make sure you have some sort of other medical problem, low white blood count, depression, or some sort of sexual dysfunction. According to the commercials for the products and drugs to treat these and other problems they are fun to have too. Just look at how happy all those tummies are on the constipation commercials!
I guess if I was smart I would just get rid of my TV, or at least only watch the DVD's and tapes that we own that aren't full of immoral things. I think mostly I just need to be VERY aware of what is going on in my own house. My children are sponges and will pick things up quickly from television. Aidan has already started saying that Alora needs that pretty pony or that baby doll that he sees commercials for. Don't know why he thinks everything is for Alora? I know that making myself pay attention to what is on the television and making conversation about it with my children if I need to is a good step. Keeping the TV off most of the time is another thing I could do better about.
It is scary that I am letting all these things into my home....I wouldn't talk with such bad language to my children, or dress so immodestly, or talk of sex so flippantly, but I am not always good about making sure that people who do don't walk right in my front door via the television.
God, please make me more aware of what is going on in my own house. May I find the strength to turn off things that are unfit for my family and realize that there are better things to be doing than watching the television. Help me to show my children that they can show love for you by making sure they aren't polluting their homes and their minds with the garbage that is so easy to access. Thank you God for loving me even when I fail at this!
1 Comments:
This is the reason that we do pay for satellite television. We block any offensive channels and mostly leave the tv on History Channel, Discovery Channel, Boomerang(it's all old cartoons, like Magilla Gorilla and Looney Toons), Noggin(this shows all the educational shows from Nick Jr and PBS until 6pm), PBS Kids(24 hours of those good ol' PBS kids shows), and the like. And all those old family shows like The Cosby Show, Full House, and Home Improvement come on several times a day on various channels.
It's true that there is sometimes "nothing to watch" but in reality, this only means that theyre isn't anything interesting to us adults. There is always something appropriate on, something that I can allow my children to watch that won't teach them any "new phrases or habits".
PS: Unfortunately I won't be able to make it to playgroup this week either, gas prices are way too high to make another trip to town this week.
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