Do you allow/encourage your children to watch the

[Retrodeb54]

'NEWS'

Or do you try to avoid letting them see the horrors of the world?

Just wondering what today's parents think of this issue. I've been thinking on this one awhile now. Ever since the school closing thread with so many against 'protecting' children from the cold. Saying that we're making sissies out of them if we do. As well as "Why not just wrap them in bubble wrap?" overload.

My friend never allowed her children to watch the news. I always allowed my children to. My choice was to watch it together, so if possible I could answer any questions they may have had. Being careful not to point any particular stories out or to stress that they listen to this or that. Just leaving it open to a natural flow. Sometimes only resulting in boredom, sometimes some chit chat and sometimes some very good discussions as they got older.

Keeping a open line of communication about anything with them was always paramount with me. Only way I found to do this was with facts, truth and not being judgmental. They knew and still know that they can talk to me about anything.

 

[DoWhat]

Or do you try to avoid letting them see the horrors of the world?

Just wondering what today's parents think of this issue. I've been thinking on this one awhile now. Ever since the school closing thread with so many against 'protecting' children from the cold. Saying that we're making sissies out of them if we do. As well as "Why not just wrap them in bubble wrap?" overload.

My friend never allowed her children to watch the news. I always allowed my children to. My choice was to watch it together, so if possible I could answer any questions they may have had. Being careful not to point any particular stories out or to stress that they listen to this or that. Just leaving it open to a natural flow. Sometimes only resulting in boredom, sometimes some chit chat and sometimes some very good discussions as they got older.

Keeping a open line of communication about anything with them was always paramount with me. Only way I found to do this was with facts, truth and not being judgmental. They knew and still know that they can talk to me about anything.

I hate little kids, that aren't mine.

 

[b23hqb]

I hate little kids, that aren't mine.

Issues, issues. You'd make a good troll living under some bridge on the walkway to an elementary school.

 

[Toxick]

My friend never allowed her children to watch the news. I always allowed my children to. My choice was to watch it together, so if possible I could answer any questions they may have had.

I'm with you. I think the primary job of the parent is not to ensure that their children enjoy an idyllic, blissful childhood completely bereft of fear, hardship or conflict. The primary job of the parent is to prepare the child for adulthood.

Shielding your precious little angels from all the horrors of the world will do nothing more than create naive and ignorant adults who will not know how to act or excel in the adult world. Especially when they finally do encounter the horrors from which they've been so shielded.

It's just as bad as letting your child run amok without discipline, or giving them "participation trophies".


I don't force my children to sit down and watch the news, but I do turn it on in the morning, and I encourage them to watch. I point out things that I think they may find interesting. And I most definitely do not change the channel or send them out of the room when something disturbing comes on. I'm there when they have questions, which I answer as forthrightly and age-appropriately as possible.



Oddly, this has not turned my ninjae into frantic, panic stricken, sad little mini-curmudgeons obsessed with all the killing, wars, economic turmoil, STD's, fires, floods and killer bees.

Not surprisingly, they're least interested in politics, and most interested in the weather and the fluff pieces.

 

[MarieB]

I don't watch the news when the kids are milling about, and I rarely watch it anyone myself. How much of it is sensational bull#### anyway?

 

[RPMDAD]

When my son was young we always watched the news and he was welcome to if he wanted to, and me and his mom would be there to answer his questions and engage him in conversations if he initiated them. He has always watched the news with us when he wanted to. Knock on wood he has turned out to be a pretty good kiddoe, currently a junior in college at salisbury, and on his own, he does watch, and keep up with the news, and questions some of it and does further investigation of it on his own.

 

[glhs837]

I don't watch the news when the kids are milling about, and I rarely watch it anyone myself. How much of it is sensational bull#### anyway?

Teaching them why news is that way is pretty important. Same as showing them how advertising works.

 

[MarieB]

Teaching them why news is that way is pretty important. Same as showing them how advertising works.

They are still young, and I've already taught the oldest about advertising. He can recite commercials.

When were visiting family recently, they constantly had the news on - this stabbing here, this shooting there, etc etc. I don't see the need for them to know about that yet.

They aren't shielded from everything. We watch programming about some natural disasters, the space shuttle tragedies, etc.

 

[glhs837]

They are still young, and I've already taught the oldest about advertising. He can recite commercials.

When were visiting family recently, they constantly had the news on - this stabbing here, this shooting there, etc etc. I don't see the need for them to know about that yet.

They aren't shielded from everything. We watch programming about some natural disasters, the space shuttle tragedies, etc.

Age is a factor, advertising education started as soon they could begin to understand. News stuff really started about age 10-12. Not that we have ever watched a lot of local news.

 

[Bann]

The news has always been on around my kids. Thing2 grew up with the 9-11 coverage, as it happened when he was of school age. I didn't shield them from all of it, once in awhile some of it. I watched a lot of news talk shows when they were younger and I was a stay at home mom.

They are both able to converse about current events and issues of the day. Thing2 in particular is very politically astute for someone his age and has a pretty good awareness of military issues, as those are most interesting to him.

 

[acommondisaster]

There was no emphasis on television when I was growing up. I think my dad watched the news at 10 and listened to the radio in the morning as he ate breakfast. I lived a pretty carefree life as a kid. I don't think I was shielded from anything, intentionally or unintentionally - but I had more important things on my mind. Like being a kid.
Sure, times have changed. I treated news the same way when my own kids were growing up. Nothing wrong with knowing what's going on in the world, but we didn't live our lives around "Breaking News" - and there seems to be some pretty bogus "breaking news".
My kids are adults now and both stay current with what's going on in the world, and I'm glad I didn't feel I needed to teach them that the world's a big mean place. I don't believe in shielding kids, but I surely never wanted to put the burden on them, either.

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I've always let my daughter (now almost 17) watch what she wanted. At 6 she was watching horror films. She's never been traumatized, had trouble sleeping or anything else.

 

[Railroad]

I hate little kids, that aren't mine.

The little monsters are to be scene and not herd.

 

[acommondisaster]

I've always let my daughter (now almost 17) watch what she wanted. At 6 she was watching horror films. She's never been traumatized, had trouble sleeping or anything else.

I've always believed that we (and our kids) instinctively know how much we can handle - and it's different for everyone. If a kid is scared to death of horror movies, let 'em be - if they love them, obviously within reason, let them watch 'em.

I think we probably scare/scar more kids by feeling we need to sit them down and have a talk with them about (for instance) bad sick people going into a school and gunning down kids in classrooms.

 

[Retrodeb54]

I've always believed that we (and our kids) instinctively know how much we can handle - and it's different for everyone. If a kid is scared to death of horror movies, let 'em be - if they love them, obviously within reason, let them watch 'em.

I think we probably scare/scar more kids by feeling we need to sit them down and have a talk with them about (for instance) bad sick people going into a school and gunning down kids in classrooms.

Thats why while I only encouraged them to watch, I never made them. Never pointed out or brought up any particular story and forced discussion. I just felt together was best option if they did watch, in case of any questions that might come up.