A Dad's Lament
Here in early 21st century America, the age of unadulterated childhood innocence, apparently, lasts about three and a half years. I observed this weekend that our son (who is three and a half) has started noticing -- and repeating -- random phrases he hears on the TV or radio. Up until now, this has all been just ambient noise to him. If the program isn't something he knows and is actively interested in (mostly Thomas the Tank Engine, SpongeBob, or a range of Nick Jr. characters), or the music isn't a song he knows, he pays no attention. At least, until now. And what I find so sad is the ubiquity of parental oversight and control that we are going to need to exercise over the next few years to preserve that pure childhood innocence just a little longer. There's practically nothing left on television that an adult would want to watch that doesn't include something I'd rather not have my pre-schooler going around repeating or asking about. The radio's not quite so bad, but I'm guessing I'll still find myself switching stations every six or seven songs. When I think back to my own childhood, when the radio was always on, and my sister and I watched whatever our parents watched on TV, I can't help feeling just a little sorry for my kids. Their lives in many ways will be better and richer than mine, but their memory, if they have one, of that blissful period of pure innocent childhood will be much shorter than mine. And I think that's a shame.
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May '10
Re: A Dad's Lament
I share Steve's lament and am at least grateful that other parents are bothered by it. As a middle school teacher, I am continually disappointed with what many parents allow their kids to be exposed to. While it's impossible to put off the world, I look at a lot of the content as garbage in-garbage out. I wouldn't let rotting bags of sun-baked dumpster trash to be strewn across my living room. But much of what's available in pop culture is the same, metaphorically speaking. Aside from language, I'm so tired of the thirtysomething buffoonish manchild character so ubiquitous in today's culture. I used to enjoy something like Everybody Loves Raymond. But the more I think about it, what quality (other than tax bracket) would I want to emulate in his character? Passive, dithering, and following the path of least resistence? Before a Rob Long Hollywood type rolls his eyes, my main thought is kind of like the last podcast's lament about finding cool stuff by conservatives. Can't clean wit or simple fun be cool? And the art of implication is a fast-dying breed in a "that's what she said" dumbed-down world. What do you think?
May '10
Re: A Dad's Lament
Having two boys (6 and 8 years old), I can completely relate. I feel like I should be able to sit down and watch a baseball game without discussing whether I suffer from "ED" or not. Maybe I am "mis-remembering" but I don't remember nearly as much skin in the advertisements when I was a kid either. Thank goodness for DVRs, but I agree the level of vigilance required to preserve our childrens' innocence is tiresome.
By the way....have you watched Sponge Bob? My kids still do not at six and eight because I can't stand it.
May '10
Re: A Dad's Lament
I've just accepted that my wife and I have to assert our will more than I thought I'd have to. But there's so much to enjoy on DVD or through iTunes that our kids have enjoyed the likes of Phineas and Ferb to classics like School House Rock, Liberty's Kids, and Andy Griffith, which incidentally, they love. And I've rarely been more pleased when all three kids display our penchant for quotes the likes of Young Frankenstein, Monty Python, and other classics as they get older. The more we're involved on the early end, the better it'll be as we let 'em go.