Class Debate

I found the class debate on children and media violence to be an interesting one. Both sides brought up very valid arguments including the "pro side" who explained that children imitate what they see on television and also have a heightened sense of agression after viewing violent programming, and the "con side" pointed out that there are other factors that contribute to childhood agression.

Now that the debate is over I can talk about my true opinion. I do feel that extreme and excessive amounts of violence are not good for children. Of course, I would never dream of letting my young kids watch a horror flick. But I think, for someone who is very aware of what my kids are watching, I'm pretty liberal. I like to describe myself as a middle-of-the-road parent.

My kids will see an occasional agressive act, but they are not watching those Saturday morning cartoons where they're bombarded with violent images. I don't think completely shielding kids from violence is going to help them in any way. Better to witness it (in small and occasional instances) and talk about it.

And by "talk about it" I don't mean lecture. A quick, "Well, that wasn't very nice." from Mom shows that she disapproves! If the behavior or the words are imitated (which I can't really even remember a time when this has happened), then that particular show will not be viewed again.