I really need to start thinking twice about what I let my kids watch.
Because of P’s job pop music is a huge part of our everyday life. My girls know Katy, Britney, Nicki & Gaga & for the most part it hasn’t been a problem. (except that one time when Sam started singing Peacock in Target, that was awkward. In my defense she truly believes the song is about a pretty bird) Often on Saturday mornings we turn the TV on to VH-1 & watch music videos while daddy makes chocolate chip pancakes. It’s our thing & honestly I like that they know more music than just the Ultimate Disney Princess Collection.
But then Miley decided to twirk it…
For a good week I’ve been patiently explaining to the girls, mostly Sophie, that the fingers aren’t real. Blood is not pink nor slimy.
I told them that the girls were just being silly but that look of perplexed fear was still in their eyes. So yesterday when I was at Michael’s & found pink slime in the dollar bin I knew exactly what to do…
A reenactment.
There must be something in the parenting water because my husband & I have been discussing a similar issue with our boys. We were both raised in very strict Christian homes. So strict in fact that I wasn’t allowed to watch Saved by the Bell because they kissed & my husband couldn’t watch anything with magic. Because we lived such an unnecessary sheltered life we have tried to be more relaxed with our boys. But lately my 5 year old has been talking a lot about stuff that isn’t entirely appropriate for a 5 year old to discuss. We’ve decided that garbage in garbage out & for a little while we have to inundate him with a sickening amount of Disney shows & be more careful about what we let him watch with us & listen to.
Funny, I was fine with the fake fingers scene but was totally traumatized by everything else in Miley’s video, like Miley squirming around and perpetually trying to shove her behind at the camera LOL =D
Our eldest is nine and we still have no clue how to balance it. When we listen to the news on the radio in the car, the kids get scared when the deaths in the Middle East are tallied and discussed. I think it is important that they know about global events, but there seems to be no age appropriate way to discuss it. The issues seem to get more difficult as the kids age. Most of the time, I feel like I’m getting a B- at parenting.
It has gotten to that point here as well, things that she never used to notice are now in the forefront. Even with Disney movies and kids shows. We were watching Mulan, for the fifty bajillionth time in her short life and my daughter was now very interested in why Mulan couldn’t be in the army if she was a girl and why all the soldiers were using male pronouns instead of female…. 4 years old and explaining womens rights and why Mulan is special is great, but the details were getting a little heavy for her, and she is getting much more sensitive to “scary” things. Thank goodness for Daniel Tiger, right?
I don’t think any parent knows what they’re doing – it’s not like you have a manual to refer back to. Sure they see or hear bad things, but sometimes its out of your control (like if you were in a mall and they overheard someone talking about the bomber, school shootings, cuss words). You do your best to avoid the topics, but unfortunately they’ll still arise. The bloody pink fingers will be forgotten in a week, the scary stories will be forgotten shortly after that – but I can promise the memories of Saturday morning music & pancakes, pink slimy goo will NEVER be forgotten.
My mom was a stay at home mom until my younger sister started Kindergarten. I couldn’t tell you one bad thing I saw on the news or overheard anywhere, nor can I remember any of the time-outs. But taking us to the park, having coloring contests, playing board games and volunteering at a nursing home are memories I’ll cherish for the rest of my life. I think the not knowing is your best ally 🙂
We limit media big time. Both my husband and I are in the mental health field and have seen the impact that media has on kids. My daughter, who will be entering Kindergarten in just 2 short weeks (*SOB*), watches only TV that we have DVR’d. The current show she is obsessed with is Sofia the First. No news. None. Heck, I avoid watching the news because it freaks me out half of the time, so I really don’t think she needs to be seeing it. As for music, she listens to the Disney station on Pandora, but otherwise, we listen to either blues (my husband’s choice) or Christian/Praise (my choice). She loves praise music, and hearing her walking around singing Shout To The Lord is beyond sweet. Singers like Jaime Grace appeal to young girls… and they aren’t oozing sex, like that Miley video. I sound like an old prude, right? I know.
I can only imagine what that part of the video looked liked to them! I mean, i was desturbed by it and I’m and adult! I think you handled it very well though! When you have something like this it feels like a double edged sword. You want to show them that it was just a trick and that its not scary. On the other hand you don’t want them to think if they go cut their friends fingers off pink goo will come out!! Sheesh! Parenting should be an Olympic sport because it is certainly not easy!
I read but never really comment but this post really resonates with me because we’re dealing with the same thing with my older daughter. We have to really pay attention to what we have on the radio/TV and I love to be up to date too but don’t turn on the news anymore because it is pretty scary for kids. I don’t know about P’s show but the morning show we listen to can be inappropriate for littles at some times. One thing I know they do though is have a sort of cutoff time for the more adult topics that is after most school drop off times. So 6am-8am is mostly tame and after that is fair game with topics. So most of what is discussed earlier on is ok with kids. They really don’t talk about the change in topics/music/guests the change just sort of naturally happens. Maybe the show can have that same format. I sympathize, I know this is hard for us and we don’t even have Dad’s show to listen to.
Yeah, it usually gets a little wilder after 9, I didn’t even think about that but maybe I’ll check the time before we turn it on, good call!
It’s so hard. BTW I’m glad I’m not the only one that has to turn off War of the Roses because I do enjoy the show!
I also feel like the same thing happens to me…just when I think I am finally getting something right, my child is getting up eighty billion times at night and incessantly pulling my hair (sigh).
I love this family we have at lpm.
ME TOO! I feel so lucky to have you guys (:
The Peacock story reminds me of a few years ago when my sister (who’s 11 years older than me) was listening to that Candy Shop song by 50 cent and she LOVED it! Was singing along, singing it to my nephew and everything and I walked in one day while she was singing it and my jaw DROPPED and I yelled something along the lines of “OHMYGODWHATAREYOUSINGING?!?ANDTOMYFREAKINGNEPHEW?!?” She didn’t see ANY harm in it at all, and then I got her to read the lyrics. She hasn’t listened to it since lol I listen to metal, (more the Metallica/thrash side of things) and DH loves the Cannibal Corpse/death metal side. Needless to say when we have kids Daddy listens to music through headphones for the first 10 years lol
OMYGOSH that is HYSTERICAL! I didn’t even think about how that song could sound like it’s just candy and lollipops to a kid, how funny!
I don’t know about kids, but I’m most disturbed by the fact that Miley is a$$-up in several scenes, like a cat in heat. It’s gross. And I’m no prude.
Yeah, I actually agree, the gyrating on the bed is a bit much.
Don’t give up! I totally love you! Also I know this might be a stupid idea, but have you thought about listening to the news in Spanish? You deserve to have your time to unwind and reconnect with the outside world! BBC mundo is pretty great and easy to follow if you only have a fifth of a brain with which to pay attention
I’ve had to stop listening to his show when my older son’s in the car, and it makes me so sad. But he hears everything and takes it all in so I’ve had to resort to kids’ CDs until he gets dropped at school. Thankfully, the baby doesn’t understand so I turn the show on as soon as it’s just the two of us.