Parents have ignorance (ignorant means lack of knowledge of)

[HwaRang777]

I'm not here to talk about my parents, or bash any parent. But I came to realize that many parents are either too protective or not protective enough about what there children do. Manily, I'm thinking about video games and anime. Like, my parents think that "The Simpsons" is a kid show! And I'm sure some of you know that there are parents that will buy games like Grand Theft Auto for their six-year-old. And yet, the government and parental organizations are making game developers look like the bad guys. It really should be the parents who buy the games and the retailers that sell those games to kids.

And many parents think that anime is either extremely violent or pornographic. And with me writing a paper about how video games should be looked at as any other medium of media (TV, movies, music). And I'm not saying that they should let their guard down, but the thing is is that if a kid likes something and spends too much time with it, parents automatically assume that something is bad about it.

And while it may be true, that there are a good amount of parents that are open-minded towards purchasing video games and anime for their children, there should be more! Obviously, don't let your kids watch hentai or play GTA, but don't hide them from anything that you assume would harm them.

[Scribs]

Yes there are a good many parents who are not responsible about what thier children watch. There are also quite a few who might be a bit too resitrictive. However, I do not think that the restrictive ones are the ones that we have to worry about. If a child is not allowed to watch Anime or some other program because their parents are concerned that it might not be something good to watch. that means that those parents are takeing an active role in their childrens lives. This type of sheltering, though perhaps too restrictive does at least keep the children away from bad influences, and should be used at least when the child is young. If carried too far however it has the possibility of causing the child to rebel which is definatly a bad thing.

I will comment on the other end of things later when I have more time.

[mitsuki lover]

I agree that being strict isn't the real problem,however I think that her point was that some parents don't bother to do any actual research to find out
about these things.
If a parent is going to be a good parent they will have to spend some time
seriously looking into what their children are interested in.
Research is the only way to avoid ignorance.

[starfire]

Sorry, gonna have to disagree with you on that one, HwaRang. Though, two days ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly.

Of course most parents are going to try to keep their children away from things they think are harmful to them. That's one of the reasons we have parents, isn't it? It's fairly easy to understand how they could get fed up with all the violent games and shows. It's nearly impossible to screen everything a child watches, (Though, God bless 'em they tried).And, let's face it, most of what they see of them in the media is bad. It simply becomes easier to "throw the baby out with the bathwater", so to speak.

Anyway, lately, instead of being upset at my parents for their strictness, I've been trying to understand it. Sure, it's not fun being the only one who can't watch a show, but they at least mean well. *sighs* Funny thing when you finally realise mom and dad are human too.

[ShiroiHikari]

Parents should take the time to review things for themselves instead of taking other peoples' word for it or jumping to conclusions. And the parents should do the buying and should have the final say. It's a hard balance to acheive, I'm sure. It seems like there are hardly any people who get it right XD; They're either too lax or too restrictive...

[Stephen]

Parenting is a larger responsibility then most people are really ready for. Its what seperates us from animals. Any mammel can have offspring. Where I work I see it all the time....cell phone using zombies who let there kids run wild. Most the problems in the world today are somehow related to crappy parenting. I pray if I ever am a father...that God does not let me become so unobservent that I end up like so many others...

[~Natsumi Lam~]

i would argee that a lot of parents creat latchkey kids nowadays. These parents dont pay attention and dont watch what kids watch and play. Thus, children are making their own mentality without the instruction of adults.... which is very determental to the child as he grows up, and can be seen in all areas of the US daily life. Adults who have mental issues originating from childhood, those who can not create a a deep emotional connection with their spouse because they were never connected more than the TV or internet. We are a generation of children/ adults who mold their morals, views, relationships, and who we can be throught tv and games. I think society needs to change that or we are going to be totally disfunctional in only a few years to come. Parents need to take the responsibibly of a moderator. They need to see what, where, when, WHO, why and how their child is doing what their doing and viewing what they are viewing. I have done some psychological research on school shoots. And what i found out is that most children would have not done the shootings if 1. they were watched and research by their parents in detail 2. an amount of concern for what they were concerned in was expressed. [yes there is a lot more] 3. pull them out of their mentality 4. Watch their friends 5 Most of all PRAY FOR YOUR KIDS CONSTANTLY . So, as a parent i plan to show concern and moderate what they are watching and so on.


Now that i have said that,

My parent got into every part of my life, they watched what i watched .. moderated my brothers games and so on. So the system does work if God is always a part [ie praying for your child]. Because physical guidence doesnt fully meet the need.

~NL~

[~Natsumi Lam~]

Sorry, gonna have to disagree with you on that one, HwaRang. Though, two days ago I would have agreed wholeheartedly.

Of course most parents are going to try to keep their children away from things they think are harmful to them. That's one of the reasons we have parents, isn't it? It's fairly easy to understand how they could get fed up with all the violent games and shows. It's nearly impossible to screen everything a child watches, (Though, God bless 'em they tried).And, let's face it, most of what they see of them in the media is bad. It simply becomes easier to "throw the baby out with the bathwater", so to speak.

Nowadays, parents are just parents because they have given birth, not because they have earned it.

I can name at least 20 of the people i know who have/ had parents who didnt care what the child watched or what their child played. So it is definately not most. Most are neglected nowadays. That is why we are considered the latchkey generation.

~NL~

[oro!]

My parents are pretty good with this kind of thing. They trust me now, but will also check up every once in a while at what I am watching. The thing is, I've earned it. Before, they were very restrictive.

[Eriana]

I agree with Oro. I mean when I was little my parents wouldn't really let me watch anything besides Sesame Steet and Barney. *gag*
But now that I'm older and have proved to have good decernment on my own, my parents trust me and most of the time let me choose what I want to see.
It's all about what God says and the amount of trust you earn.
Sometimes I get mad at my mom and dad for not letting me see a certain anime, but then I realize that, that decision probably saved my skin from a heap of ungodliness. For this, I think that there are still some times when parents have to blow the whistle on their offspring.

[HwaRang777]

Like, I'm not trying to bash either one. But what I'm trying to point out is that there are some parents, regardless of whether they are overprotective or couldn't care less, don't even look into it. Like I'm sure that most parents wouldn't mind if you played Katamari Damacy or watched pokemon, but I'm also sure that they wouldn't want you to play GTA or watch any hentai. I think that no matter what end of the spectrum they are at, they should at least look at what their kids are watching/playing, know what they like (as in genres, formats, etc.) and place a limit at what they watch/play. So generally, what I'm trying to say is- Parents should actually do some "research" before they make any presumptions whether good or bad, so they can keep your child safe but also let them do (almost) anything they want.

P.S. I know that it is impossible to screen everything children watch/play, I have my fair share of that while babysitting.

[Eriana]

I find it amazing that some grown-ups let their kids watch some of the bloodiest Anime known to man but are totally against them watching more light-hearted shows. It's like the exact opposite of watching out for your kid.
It never ceases to amaze me...

[~Natsumi Lam~]

i have done martial arts but i was not allowed to watch parts of ninja turtles when splenter talked... but now i look back and agree with my parents. But i think it is possible to guard your child from 98% of what they do, see, hear and watch.. other than when they are at school. My brother and i are proof of that, and i am so deeply thankful for that. And my parents watched in detailed who i hung out with. " You are who you hang out with".

~NL~

[Sammy Boy]

I agree with the principle that parents should do some research and look into what their kids are spending time on.

However I do feel the practical aspect of that is kind of difficult to achieve.

My folks spent most of my teenage years working real hard just to make enough to keep us fed and pay for bills and things like that. On top of that they did the housework (I helped out too but they still did a lot of it).

After that they are usually too tired and just want to rest. I am thankful God has guided me with His word in my formative years. I don't know if I would blame my parents if I turned out differently but thinking about it now that would seem unjustified.

[HwaRang777]

And I agree with you, like, I'm not saying that everyone MUST do this, but if they have the time and energy, it would definitely help. b/c there's no real reason why you should not research it.

[Yumie]

I think there has to be a balance. For instance, I was in the bookstore the other day looking at manga and there were these two little boys there who could not have been and older than twelve in the same section. As I am nearby, one of the little boy starts listing off to the other the different titles he had read. He pointed to an entire row and said he'd read all of them-- and some of those titles on that row were DEFINITELY not designed for twelve year olds. It sounded like he had read them because they were there, basically, and it was obvious these two kids had no parental supervision at all. I watched him as he sat there reading a volume of a series that even I wouldn't read. That kid needed more adult supervision. I have to wonder if his parents even KNEW he was doing that. I imagine more or less that they just have no clue what he's up to. Then, there was a time when Osaka was in a book store and this woman took a volume of manga up to the counter to buy it, and 'Saka overheard her saying that she was buying it for her thirteen year old son, that he "really seemed to like those comic books" or something like that. And then she saw what title it was-- and we'll just say it was not a title designed for thirteen year olds. But that mom was buying it for him anyways, because she knew what he liked but knew nothing about it. She didn't bother to check. THEN, there are the kids who aren't allowed to do ANYTHING. Now, I don't really have a problem with kids who aren't allowed to do much if they are young, because I understand that parents may need to keep a tight leash on their kids as they mature and form habits and stuff. But then there are kids who are virtually adults and their parents are still trying to rule every aspect of their lives. THIS I have a problem with. If a parent makes every decision for their nearly-grown child, how is the child going to learn how to make good decisions? He won't have ever had to! I know examples of kids who grew up in homes where they never got to make decisions on their own and as soon as they were out of the house they went crazy and got into all kinds of horrible stuff just because they could. I think that situation can be almost as destructive as the situation where the parents know nothing about what their kids are doing, or know what the kids are doing but don't check into it. It's all about finding a balance. Like some of the others who have posted before me, I have parents who know that they've raised me the right way and trust me to make wise decisions. I don't hide things from them, they know what I'm into and I want them to go on trusting me, so I continue to do my best to make the right choices. It's a difficult balance to achieve, but I think it's basically what all parents should strive for-- raise your kids to love God like crazy and you won't need to check into every little thing that they're doing, they'll WANT to make good decisions on their own.

[Sammy Boy]

HwaRang777 - thanks for clearing that up. I do agree with what you said. My apologies if I sounded like I was misrepresenting what you said.

Yumie - spot on. Good points that I totally agree with.

[Warrior4Christ]

...raise your kids to love God like crazy and you won't need to check into every little thing that they're doing, they'll WANT to make good decisions on their own.

Wow, so true.