Pre-cautions

Pre-cautions

Crack! While taking a walk in a wonderful wooded park with our grandchildren, we were startled when we heard what sounded like gunshots. Frantically grabbing the kids and scanning the woods, we saw a great tree breathe its last and crash to the ground. As our heartbeats returned to normal and the kids “Awwwed” and “Wowed,” we thanked our lucky stars that we had not been standing under that tree.

Sometimes, it is hard to locate danger.  We had taken all the precautions necessary for a walk in the woods. We were wearing good hiking shoes, carried water bottles, and wore sunscreen, but we had never thought about having a giant tree fall on our heads on a windless day in the sunshine.

Parents take a lot of precautions for their children. Before the baby is even born, they child-proof the house, buy the very best of car seats, and read everything they can about non-toxic child rearing. The house is safe, the car is safe, the clothes and food are organic. But parents can’t plan for everything. Hidden dangers lurk.

Before very long, babies meet a noisy member of the family, the box that sits in the corner bringing the world into the house, the TV set. This member of the family exposes the baby to the values of the world. What is this member teaching your child?

Responsible parents take precautions with TV shows. They don’t allow their children to watch violent shows or shows for “mature audiences.” What about the programs they do watch. What precautions have you taken there?

Think about it. What are the shows your children watch teaching them about life? About what it means to be a man or a woman? Are they learning that men are unfaithful or inconsiderate husbands? Are the dads more interested in drinking or sports than the needs of their families? Are the women focused on fashion and sexuality or on responsibility and social consciousness?

What do teens learn from the shows which target them? Is the show really about the joy of singing with a group or about making sexual conquests? Is the purpose of high school to prepare to be a seductress or to be a graduate with a future? Do the kids on these shows ever study or help out at home? Are they focused on themselves or on becoming contributing members of society? What do they learn about greed, goodness, evil, tolerance and pride?

Some folks say, “Oh, the kids know that the shows are fantasy. They understand that this is not real life.” Just like they understand why they must clean up their rooms, practice the piano, flush the toilet every time, wash their hands before they eat, and wear clean underwear every day. What may be evident to adults may be hidden from immature and impressionable minds.

So before taking that walk in the woods, or letting your child watch TV, wander on the Internet, or join Facebook, take precautions. Check it out first. Find out what safety measures you can take. Don’t let your children wander alone. Watch TV with them. Discuss the situations presented. Remind them that profanity and rule-breaking are not solutions. Spend time knowing what they know. Not every risk can be averted, but there are many for which we can prepare.

Luckily, the tree did not fall on us. We didn’t get sunburned, stub our toes, or get dehydrated. Be as prepared as you can and keep an eye on the horizon – and on what your kids are watching.