The Real World
My son is becoming more and more interested in the news.
He wants to know what's happening, and he's well aware that the news is usually happening quite fast.
My iPhone receives a push notification whenever there's a breaking news story, and my son has learned to listen for the special ring that announces it.
He also gets really antsy when Time Magazine comes in the mail, telling me to "hurry up and look at it so I can read it."
You see, I'm not sure he's prepared, at the age of 11, for everything the real world has to offer.
So, I do a little censoring.
Time Magazine isn't much of a worry. I think I've ripped out just 3 or 4 stories in the past year. Stories about rape, beheadings, serial killers. You know, the lighter side of the news.
I'd rather my kids arrive slowly to the realization that people can do horrible and selfish things to each other rather than have it all dumped into their immature brains with one sudden flash of grim awakening.
How much of the real world do you let your kids know about? And at what age do you simply open the flood gates?
He wants to know what's happening, and he's well aware that the news is usually happening quite fast.
My iPhone receives a push notification whenever there's a breaking news story, and my son has learned to listen for the special ring that announces it.
He also gets really antsy when Time Magazine comes in the mail, telling me to "hurry up and look at it so I can read it."
You see, I'm not sure he's prepared, at the age of 11, for everything the real world has to offer.
So, I do a little censoring.
Time Magazine isn't much of a worry. I think I've ripped out just 3 or 4 stories in the past year. Stories about rape, beheadings, serial killers. You know, the lighter side of the news.
I'd rather my kids arrive slowly to the realization that people can do horrible and selfish things to each other rather than have it all dumped into their immature brains with one sudden flash of grim awakening.
How much of the real world do you let your kids know about? And at what age do you simply open the flood gates?
Permalink posted by Idaho Dad at 1:43 AM
5 Comments:
I think some censoring is not only necessary but good. At younger ages, children aren't prepared mentally or emotionally to handle the full reality of the fallen world we live in.
Our oldest is 12 and we still censor what we allow him to take in but not as much as we used to. It's hard to know where the line is between sheltering and preparing especially when that line is probably different for each child.
That's an interesting question, one I haven't had to think about yet. But, Noah being a police officer means that the Real World is in our faces all the time, and I haven't thought about how to compartmentalize that for our son as he gets older.
I started reading the newspaper avidly around the age of 9. I couldn't get enough. Two lessons:
1. I DID learn what the real world is like at a fairly young age during a time when violence was at a peak in this country. Perhaps that's why I'm such a realist?
2. I wound up choosing journalism as my virtually non-paying career.
So, hide the news and hand your son a science book. Okay, that probably won't work.
I think a lot depends on his maturity level. My line of measurement: Will it give him nightmares? If yes, he's not ready.
Good question. We only just thought about that the other day, we forgot little man is older now and actually do hear and understand the news and we started to say "should he be here in this room when we are watching the news?" as you say, you don't want to shove horrible news down their little throats just as yet.
But again ... where and when is the fine line.
Most debates I've heard does say young kids should not see/hear the news, it's a very negative program isn't it.
My dad always told us he watches the news so he can know under what bush the terrorist is hiding, made fun out of it but also quite serious.
Let me know the correct answer?
I agree with your method. My theory is, if you can control the amount and type of "news" info they consume, why not? I think that is one of the benefits of home education. Let them be little!
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