When I was little, I clearly remember having a discussion where my parents told me anything on TV that isn't the news or a documentary is just people pretending like I pretended with my toys. I don't think I got the concept of "actors" until I was closer to ten or eleven years old. For example: if somebody from one show popped up on another, I said things like "Hey, why is Spock talking to Stefano?" if I saw Leonard Nimoy appear on Days of our Lives, which I sometimes watched when I went to my grandma's house. Pointy ears or not, that was Spock to me! I didn't understand that Leonard Nimoy only pretends to be Spock until I was around ten to eleven years old.
The trouble with TV now is there are reality shows like The Bad Girls Club, Jersey Shore and so forth that isn't acting in the sense of dramas like Beverly Hills 90210 or soap operas such as Days of our Lives. Now it's real people thrown together with cameras, booze and everything that's wrong with today's society. They aren't people pretending to be nasty to each other--they are real people being nasty to each other for real!
The Bad Girls Club especially promotes girls who are really catty and mean to each other. I had to turn that show off because it was so triggering of memories I had from high school. Here is a clip showing some of the "moments" from the show.
Children emulate what they see. When I was little, I used to play with a toy stove while my mom cooked in the kitchen. She is still a really nice person and when I was really young I tried to imitate that until I got into school and into a more social environment.
My dad is a hot tempered person, and I guess I inherited it because I can get mad over stupid things just like he does. He and I butt heads, but my dad ALWAYS comes through when there's a crisis. We scream over the minor issues and get serious when it's serious business, like a major health problem or something like that. I was lucky to grow up in a household with two parents. I think out of all the friends I had in my life growing up, only one other one had both parents--the rest only had their mom!
If kids today grow up seeing their parents being nasty and talking smack about people, they WILL copy it. It's amazing what kids will pick up and hear when you think they aren't listening. Are you talking to your friends about how "Monica is such a stupid b**** and I hope she chokes on her fake nails like the slut she is!" while your little son or daughter is playing on the floor next to you? And then you wonder where they learn that stuff when they start bullying others in school?
I think it's both the parents and the media. This day and age is so disconnected because everybody is focused on cell phones and instant gratification.
I do not own a cell phone, but everyone else does and I get so sad when I see a group of people buried in their phones instead of engaged in each other. Kids see their parents doing THAT too, and then you wonder why they can't put their phone down at the dinner table...I could go on and on!
I honestly believe the media children watch and parenting go hand in hand. Some kids come from horrible households and they're wonderful sweet people. Others might come from nice households and still end up bullying others. There are exceptions, but the majority of what I see and hear is what I wrote above. It saddens me. TVs, cell phones and computers don't replace a caring parent.
The trouble with TV now is there are reality shows like The Bad Girls Club, Jersey Shore and so forth that isn't acting in the sense of dramas like Beverly Hills 90210 or soap operas such as Days of our Lives. Now it's real people thrown together with cameras, booze and everything that's wrong with today's society. They aren't people pretending to be nasty to each other--they are real people being nasty to each other for real!
The Bad Girls Club especially promotes girls who are really catty and mean to each other. I had to turn that show off because it was so triggering of memories I had from high school. Here is a clip showing some of the "moments" from the show.
Children emulate what they see. When I was little, I used to play with a toy stove while my mom cooked in the kitchen. She is still a really nice person and when I was really young I tried to imitate that until I got into school and into a more social environment.
My dad is a hot tempered person, and I guess I inherited it because I can get mad over stupid things just like he does. He and I butt heads, but my dad ALWAYS comes through when there's a crisis. We scream over the minor issues and get serious when it's serious business, like a major health problem or something like that. I was lucky to grow up in a household with two parents. I think out of all the friends I had in my life growing up, only one other one had both parents--the rest only had their mom!
If kids today grow up seeing their parents being nasty and talking smack about people, they WILL copy it. It's amazing what kids will pick up and hear when you think they aren't listening. Are you talking to your friends about how "Monica is such a stupid b**** and I hope she chokes on her fake nails like the slut she is!" while your little son or daughter is playing on the floor next to you? And then you wonder where they learn that stuff when they start bullying others in school?
I think it's both the parents and the media. This day and age is so disconnected because everybody is focused on cell phones and instant gratification.
I do not own a cell phone, but everyone else does and I get so sad when I see a group of people buried in their phones instead of engaged in each other. Kids see their parents doing THAT too, and then you wonder why they can't put their phone down at the dinner table...I could go on and on!
I honestly believe the media children watch and parenting go hand in hand. Some kids come from horrible households and they're wonderful sweet people. Others might come from nice households and still end up bullying others. There are exceptions, but the majority of what I see and hear is what I wrote above. It saddens me. TVs, cell phones and computers don't replace a caring parent.
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