Flawed Expectations

I’m sure by now I’ve stressed enough the fact on how much I love Disney. I won’t take the time to divulge in it fully because I’d rather not bore you. We’d be here all night.

But I think there is a certain mindset that little girls learned from Disney films long ago, and now they aren’t so little any more: mainly, they are in college and searching for that special prince or true love’s kiss, as my mom and I jest.

Media Vandalism

There are quite a few different genres of music out there and tons more lifestyle promotions in all that accessible content. I’m sure a few possibilities have come to your mind already—we’ve all heard a song or two that we didn’t find appropriate according to our own standards. Drinking, premarital and extramarital sex, and drug use are usually the “really bad ones” that come to people’s minds. But it’s a biiiiiig world out there and as noted, there’s a ton of music too. Surely these aren’t the only forms of questionable content?

You’re right, they are not.

Quality Time

One thing I’ve noticed in recent years is how much our media affects family life. At the end of the day everyone in the family pulls out their iPods or computers and focuses on the news, movies, TV shows, music, E-books, Google, YouTube, Pinterest, and the list goes on.

But no one looks around the room to see their family members doing the same thing—endlessly tied to media and not paying any attention to each other.

What would it take to put aside the devices and the media for a single night just to play a board game with your brothers or sisters, or have a meaningful conversation with your parents? When was the last time you ate a meal together as a family instead of in the living room in front of Doctor Who or that 800-page novel you’re reading?

Quality time spent together helps a family grow. Doing meaningful activities as a family, whether playing a board game or going to the zoo on a Saturday afternoon, knits a family closer together.

So next time you’re at home with your family, go to the closet and locate Clue or Life, or go online and figure out how much it would cost for your family to go to the zoo or an aquarium for the day. The more time you spend together, the more memories you’ll make that you can look back on and smile.

Save the movies and other media for the rainy days. Go do something with your family.

Friend or Foe?

I went to a friend’s sixteenth birthday party in high school; we had a great time playing games and eating pizza, his parents were great hosts and everyone from the school and church was invited. It was a great fun-filled evening.

Following the food and games one senior pulled out a couple of movies and held them up. “Here are the options,” she said. She held up the one (I honestly can’t recall what it was); there was a mediocre response. Tossing that case away, she held up the other option but covered the picture up with her hand and called out, “Or, The Grudge.” The response from the group of teens was almost unanimous.

Almost unanimous.

Destructive Influences

If there is one thing I hate, it is being scared so bad I almost wet myself. I hate it when my friends jump out at me from behind corners or as I’m washing my face in the sink, I look in the mirror to find my friend looming over my shoulder in order to scare the bejeebees out of me. I hate being scared.

Controlling Content

How many of you have seen The Goonies? In case you haven’t, let me give you a summary. It’s a great film about a bunch of teenagers who set off on a great adventure to find a pirate’s treasure so they can save their town from being bought and destroyed by a rich man. Throughout the film the kids have to avoid the pirate captain One-Eyed Willie’s booby traps, and must run from a trio of thugs bent on taking the treasure for themselves.

Overall it’s a pretty good film for 1985, and it was one of the first films for actor Sean Astin, who is best known for his role as Samwise Gamgee in the Lord of the Rings franchise. The film is fun and the plot keeps you on the edge of your seat.

But I must say that I have a serious issue with this film: the language.

How old are these kid actors? Astin was 14 years old, as were fellow actors Feldman and Quan; actor Jeff Cohen was only 11. And I must say that nothing annoys me more in a movie than when children under the age of fifteen are cursing some of the vilest pieces of our language because some adult script writer told them it was appropriate.

And not only were these kids asked to speak foul language in the film, there are a few scenes when the kids bring up an innuendo of some kind. I don’t find this type of content appropriate no matter the age of the actor, but an eleven year old? Come on.

I’m sure you’ve noticed by now how much this truly bothers me. And I hope it bothers you too. Let’s go through a few more examples of language content, shall we?

Considering Content

How old were you when you began wanting to make decisions on your own, outside of your parents’ rule? Fifteen? Thirteen? Ten?

I can’t remember exactly how old I was. I suppose I was thirteen or fourteen when my friends started watching different movies or listening to new music genres. The difference between me and my friends was that I was a follower—I did things out of peer pressure, to fit in. Most of my friends took on a leadership position; they went out there and made choices because they initially wanted to.

When young people get into that preteen stage, it is perfectly normal for them to want to move outside of the boundaries a bit, to roam free from under their parent’s protective shelter. They want to be “free” and have “more space”.

This is just part of the growing experience to figure out what kind of people we want to be in life. Most teenagers will admit that one thing they consider on a regular basis is their future: figuring out their identity or life’s calling.

But along with that natural push for freedom comes all the responsibility with deciding what to believe religiously, ethically, economically, etc. And in today’s society, what could better influence our young people other than devoted family and friends?

You guessed it: media.

Absorbing Content

If there is one thing that I have observed about children, it is this: children are sponges.

That might sound a bit strange and maybe you chuckled to yourself, but hear me out. Children absorb everything they see and hear. I’ll let that first thought soak in (haha) as I continue.