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I think some of the worsening behavior I see in middle and high school students as far as "drama" goes is connected to the fact that these kids are the first generation who has spent their entire lives with "reality TV" as part of their socialization into being human. Add social media into the mix and it is toxic.
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
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Yep, CS, totally agree. It makes the bizarre look almost normal. It is sad because I can't even let my kids watch the news or CNN. I don't want them to even know what's going on socially in this country, and because of this, my kids know almost nothing about current events, and politics. It is difficult to filter it.
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Isolation isn't a good answer either. Have you considered non-USian news?
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toss the tv or glue the dial to PBS, PBS Hawaii does a great job........
radio and newspapers a good source of food for the imagination as well.... I started reading / discussing the Times over breakfast with my kids 30 years ago - they still read the paper .... NPR pretty harmless as well
TV seems loosely based on exploitation PT Barnum style these days kids need to know the differences of truth and fiction in the media - and be able to decide relevancy - its called critical thinking based on selecting good sources - Is cable really worth a hundy a month?
One pundit i read describes our nation as "the court jester to the world" as all we seem to produce anymore is over the top sensationalism, not much else - oh buying / selling Hana Montana cr*p .... brought us to.....
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment...-1.1512550
good role model for kids? - thank Viacom ......- grin
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In my previous life as a mental health professional, I would never counsel parents to isolate children from the larger reality of the world around them. Rather, as age-appropriately as possible, expose them (think vaccinations) to the wider world and constantly, not occasionally, keep giving them context and distinctions, plus whatever history you may know, relative to whatever topic comes up. If you don't know something, look it up! Be a good model! The prime example here is lack of sex education via the family and schools. When reality strikes the kids, as it inevitably will, whether they are 10 years old or 18, without a background of understanding and being able to make effective distinctions between the different behaviors in the world around them, they are easily prey to whatever behavior/concept/ideology that happens to cross their path. They don't know any different! In the example of sex, if the only education they have is running across sex magazines or web sites in their late teens, they would never know there is a world of respect and dignity that should run through our sexual relationships. In the 21st century exposure to the big world around us is more ubiquitous than ever before. Bringing children up to understand these complexities that they will always have to face is one of the biggest jobs of parenting, now more than ever.
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The US media being to intellectual development, what Monsanto is to biological diversity - interesting times we live in.....
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PeteAdams, they have huge units here on sex and drugs in 7th and 8th. I found it to be a lot more comprehensive than Texas was. The school shootings and crap is even in the newspaper here. They do have some access to that, but it is fairly limited. Yes, PBS is on a lot, along with the science channels. There is no way to isolate your kids these days, even if you try- unless you live in a compound somewhere and homeschool.
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Bullwinkle.. very well put.
comin' your way soon!
comin' your way soon!
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My sister found this on facebook a couple days ago. it is kinda sad how much truth is in what he says.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=519391488155695
WARNING! some language.
comin' your way soon!
comin' your way soon!
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That facebook post is from a fictional TV show about a fictional newsroom. In other words: complete FICTION!
Carol
Carol
Every time you feel yourself getting pulled into other people's nonsense, repeat these words: Not my circus, not my monkeys.
Polish Proverb
