Monday, June 23, 2008
Final Post: Media and Kids
Growing up I always told myself that I would get married have 2-5 kids and live in a big house and live happily ever after. While reality hit and I know accomplishing that in today’s society is easier said than done. I’ve seen how kids have changed over time and how kids are so affected by what the media illustrated for their gender. I’m 24 years old and I honestly have my doubts about having kids. It seems that generations are getting worse and worse. Kids are more into gangs, violence, materialistic things, being pregnant at a young age etc. Don’t get me wrong not all kids are like this, but it scares me that my kid will go to school or associate with someone who has those bad insists in mind. Its gotten to the point where parents now have to worry about kids being safe at schools and even at people homes who you think you can trust. You have video games that are violent, like Grand Theft Auto, (anyone has seen this game knows what I’m referring to) its rated M for Mature, but yet I see kids 10-17 years old playing this game. The video game is basically about a man who is contracted to kill people, the more he kills the better his woretrobe, car, home, and ladies, become. They even show graphic images when he kills someone and picks up prostitutes. These kids playing this game think it’s the “coolest” game ever .I have my 13 year old cousin who plays that game and he picks up on some of the language being used and even thinks it cool how he kills and upgrades his image. I know all media is not bad and sends out a wrong message, but it seems that kids react more to the negative messages then to the positive ones. For instance we have commercials about not smoking, drunk driving, gun violence and drug abuse, but yet none of these commercial impact children the way commercial about new video games or new toy does. I honestly feel at times that I’m afraid to fail as a parent and not be able to control my kid when they are faced with these issues and peer pressure, therefore I honestly think I do not want kids. The question I keep asking myself is am I really willing to let these stereotypes and media portrayals ruin my dream of ever becoming a mother?....
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7 comments:
Response to Jenai Blog 6/23:
I agree most women tend to be more emotional than men. I remember growing up my dad use to tell me that I shouldn’t cry, that it only showed weakness. On the other hand my mother use to tell me it’s was okay to let it out, but when I let my emotions out I felt like I was always being a “cry baby”. I’m a very emotional person so not getting emotional was hard, but I learned to control my emotions, especially around my dad. If I was ready to cry, I would excuse myself, gather myself and show him that I can be strong and that I didn’t need to cry every time I was upset about something small.
I agree Johanna! Things are changing so fast. I also always have said I wanted children as well at least 2-3. However, at the rate society is changing my mind is changing at the thought of having one child. Though I know I have time because I'm only 21years old, I'm not too sure if I want to have any, especially anytime soon. I definitely know exactly what your talking about when you mentioned video games, Grand Theft Auto, which is certainly a bad influence for kids who are exposed to such game, teenagers and even adults. With things going at the rate they are I'm not quite sure if its safe to have kids nowadays! Great Post Jo! :)
Good post. You're right children are growing up so much faster nowadays and I know television definitely doesn't help the situation. But that shouldn't stop you from having children. You just have to make sure you are able to instill all your beliefs and values in them while they are growing up. Express to them what is right and wrong and hope that they take what you have taught them and make the right choices for themselves. That is all any good parent can do. I sometimes wish my son will remain a child forever because the world can definitely be a scary place and I want to keep him safe at all times.
I agree with you and your concern about raising kids in this society. Its not easy and its definitely getting more challenging. I look back at the issues I had to deal with and compare it with my childrens issues (24 and 18 respectively). I can see how they've had a tougher life. But, having said that you need to look at the kind of person you are and the messages you'll give. If you are able to give them a good example on gender, and morals it will work. Kids do have challenges, and we need to recognize those. But we also need to look at ourselves and know that if we chose to have them we can help guide them through lifes complex maze.
Johanna,
WOW! I can really relate to your blog. Having children is scary but doing the best and providing the best care for your child/ren is another thing. It is very scary to be a parent to make sure you are not exposing your child to harmful things or having them watch certain TV shows. To me, parenting is not a skill it is a learning tool, there is no book on how to be a good parent. Just know that you will make mistakes and you will not make the best decisions at times, but the thing you do know is to love your child, be there for them, protect them as much as you can and just be a mother and a friend (to a certain extent). Remember, what we see or hear on TV is only a percentage of children, it is not all of them. Have a positive outlook on children and it will make things a whole lot better!
Johanna! I feel the exact same way! Everyday I come home and turn on the news to see more people shot and killed to gun violence, robbery, or just for the fun of it. I really am questioning ever having kids too! I can't imagine myself being able to handle situations like that. I grew up in a huge family and that has always been my dream, but with the way things are now, I don't think that dream will ever come true. The feeling that I got when I saw your post felt crazy to me. I knew actually how you feel. I guess only time will tell! I'm hoping that things get better around the world but it just seems like it gets worse and worse everyday!
You should try taking a new perspective here and believing in yourself a bit more. You are a good person, a smart person and the mere fact that you can recognize these issues is great first step in preventing them. Plus, you will have a degree, education behind you and a good job to master the prevention of some of these other issues. Thirdly, the world needs more good kids and good people if we are going to make changes. Think in this direction that you want to make the world a better place but bringing up good people. And, lastly, I can't describe to you the connection between a mother and a baby. It isn't the same with nieces, nephews, etc. It is a miracle that you just shouldn't miss!
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