Taking Control of What Your Children Watch

I am a parent. I am the loving mother of two rambunctious boys who can tear my house to shreds in a split second and snicker as I ponder how many more Nerf darts I will find under furniture. I am also a parent who tries to teach her children responsibility and demonstrate responsibility by being responsible. Yet I find this an increasingly difficult task, especially when I read articles like this one.

In the article, titled "Parents fret as even toddlers' love High School"; parents discuss their children's' love for all things High School Music. Now, these are not your 9 or 10 year olds, no; these children are toddlers around 3 to 4 years in age. The parents "fret" over the exposure to high school themes like kissing, and a focus on fashion and how enthralled their children are with the movie. One mother discusses how she bought an "innocent toy" and later reveals that she never bothered to "look at the packaging". Now, her 3 year old daughter is fascinated by High School Musical. Another parent states, (in a passive-aggressive way) her disdain for Disney and how it is a great marketing ploy by Disney.

I did not realize that Disney prevented parents from turning off the television. When did it become trendy for parents to stop taking responsibility and being, well, a parent? As a parent, I am responsible for what my children say, what they watch, and everything they do until they are adults. I am the one who decides which video games they play, what movies they see, and so forth. I do not play the blame game when they are exposed to something I don't want them to see; instead I own up to my mistakes and chalk it up to a lesson in life. Yet many parents do not take that kind of responsibility and further still, many are quick to blame everyone but themselves.

Many parents today blame the video game companies, the television companies, the movie studios because little Johnny is exposed to something bad. However, they fail to take responsibility for their own lack of actions. It is not hard to turn off the television, or block access to a channel. It is not difficult to know what your child is watching on television when the television is in a common room. There are many more tips and tricks to keeping track of what your child is doing and I offer some here:

1) If you have young children-(between the ages of 2 and 7)-put the television in the living room. Monitor the shows they watch, read the reviews, and pay attention to the rating in the bottom corner of the screen. If you do not like the show, turn it off.

2) Every video and computer game has a rating, learn about the ratings system and be aware of what the rating is and what it means. Children are great at trying to pull one over on the parents, and if the parent is not educated in the ratings system then it becomes easier for a child to do so. Check out the ESRB web site for more details on the ratings system and what each rating means. Keep the video game system(s) in a common room, where the whole family can see what is being played. Get involved in playing the games with your child even if you are not a fan of video games. Talk to them about the game, engage them in conversation and you may find yourself enjoying a game of "Monkey Ball" on the Wii.

3) If you have older children who watch shows like High School Musical, and other 'tween to teen shows and do not want your toddler exposed to those shows; then take control. If you have more than one television set, then allow the older child to watch the show on another television while you play with your toddler. I do this all the time due to the 7 year age difference between my sons. My oldest is 9 years old, while the youngest is 2 years old. My oldest son will watch a couple of his favorite shows upstairs in my room, while I play with my youngest son. However, I set limits. My oldest can pick a time and only two half hour shows, thus he spends one hour upstairs watching television.

4) Another option is to record television shows that the older child can watch at a later time, or allow your older child to watch their shows on the computer. Many television studios now offer their shows online for free or a reduced price. Disney utilizes I-Tunes to do so; others have a media player on their web site. Check it out and see if this is a viable option for your family.

None of these tips are fool proof and they may not work for your family, but they are starting point for things a parent can try when they do not want a young child exposed to something. The most important lesson for every parent is the one that teaches responsibility. Our children are not preprogrammed to know the difference between what is right and what is wrong, it is our job as parents to teach them. We need to take control of the remote and start being responsible for our children.

ESRB.org. Entertainment Software Rating Board. 2008. 17 June 2008 .

Leanne Italie, Associated Press Writer. Parents fret as even toddlers love 'High School'. 16 June 2008. 17 June 2008 .