Those poor kids

[teenagebambam]

This is from today's Washington Post.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/05/18/AR2005051802314.html

Much more in the article, but here's the gist:

Michelle Turner, mother of four public school students in Montgomery County, said it is her job, her responsibility, her life's purpose to shield her sons and daughters from corrupting influences. And the world, in her view, is teeming with them.
Which was why she decided long ago to be a stay-at-home mom; preserving "strong, traditional family values" and raising her children "to be good people" is a full-time undertaking, she said. It demands tireless vigilance.
************************
She said: "I feel so bad for my 13-year-old son, who waited so long to turn 13 so he could go see PG-13 movies like all his buddies at school. And now with PG-13 movies, you frequently hear the F-word in there. You're getting little flashes of nudity and innuendo." So a lot of PG-13 films are off-limits to him, too.

The couple's oldest son, Grant T. Turner III, a senior at Albert Einstein High School, is headed to Mormon-run Brigham Young University in the fall, to study music. Two older sisters already are at BYU. The Turners' 13-year-old son will start at Northwood High School in September, and their 15-year-old daughter will be an Einstein junior. The two siblings didn't want their names published. The youngest in the family, Madeline, is a fourth-grader.

None has a phone or TV in his or her bedroom. They watch suitable shows in the basement den on a set wired to an $80 device called the TV Guardian -- "a nifty little gizmo," Turner said. The small black box decodes hidden, closed-caption text, searching for any of 150 preprogrammed "offensive words and phrases," then mutes them, flashing substitute text on the screen. "Get the hell out of here," for instance, becomes, "Get out."
"You can set it to take out just the cuss words," she said, "or the cuss words and anything related to taking the Lord's name in vain."
*************************
Rules and more rules. "No two-piece swimsuits on the girls," Turner said. "No bare bellies. . . . Skirts have to be knee-length or longer. My daughters, I really don't let them wear makeup until high school, and then it's minimal."
As for reading, she said: "Well, we don't get any of the teen magazines. Books? My kids are pretty good about selecting ones that are acceptable. Where we run into a problem sometimes is with the schools. . . . I know there were one or two occasions when we've asked a teacher to give them a book other than the one that was assigned."
Grant Turner III, the only sibling willing to be interviewed, is an aspiring song producer who plays piano and guitar. He said his parents' rules are "good tools for bringing up a good family," even though he gets frustrated now and then. CDs with parental advisory labels are forbidden, for example, and his mother has lyrics-approval over all other music he brings home.
"Sometimes I feel it's not fair, other kids getting to do things that seem fun to do, and I don't get to enjoy those things," he said. "But I tell myself it's not going to change, so just get over it. And I do."
***********************************************


I just shake my head. How can anyone live with such all-encompassing fear of the world around them, and then live with themselves after imprinting that fear onto their children?

[elehhhhna]

1. Ya know, I'm a liberal Mom BUT

Hubs & I put the Disney Channel on "control code". It's mean spirited, nasty programming where the parents are portrayed as idiots, plus the creeping MTV aspect and blatant commercialism...

I don't think her kids will be harmed by not seeing the lame crap that passes for American film today. There are thousands of OLD movies--70 years worth--that ARE appropriate for children, not to mention foreign films (Okay, sorta creepy anecdote but our then-scary-guy obsessed 7 year old LOVED the German remake of Nosferatu and reading the subtitles is a good exercise.)

Most media content today is CRAP. I respect any parent who bothers to edit what their children see with regard to "entertainment", even though she sounds a bit nutty.

[flygal]

23. I'm with ya on the Disney Channel

Playhouse is fine, but that afternoon crap is Mtv-lite. And Mtv is NOT the video channel of the 80's. It's lite porn. And for those about to flame me - I don't want to censor it for everyone, but as a mother of young kids - I am not impressed with their viewing choices and hope they find more to do away from the tube.

[ashmanonar]

27. the thing about books is more disturbing than the media.

she doesn't let them READ BOOKS? honestly. it's not like the kids are bringing home the satanic bible, from what it looks like...these are SCHOOL books she doesn't like. wow.

[elehhhhna]

35. Yes--books are a different story (pun)...and I can't WAIT 'til

my girls are ready for "To Kill a Mockingbird" , "Catcher in the Rye", "The Poisonwood Bible", then Ondaatje's "The Cinnamon Peeler's' Wife" (poetry) and "Coming through Slaughter"...

You know, if I died right now, but was assured that the girls would read my list of best books (which goes on & on & on), I 'd be fairly confident they'd turn out okay...

[Pithlet]

48. Disney Channel is horrible.

We stick to PBS for any children's programs. We limit their TV anyway. I don't have a problem with limiting the media young children are exposed to. Edit: I misunderstood, so deleted rest of my post. She said she was staying home with them, not homeschooling them.

[mopaul]

2. zombies and their children

[LisaL]

3. Poor kids?

They seem to be doing o'key. Going to university, not to prison.
Among all the stories about horribly abused children, this clearly is not the worst upbringing these kids could have gotten. I would say, the prove is in the pudding-and from what is described in the article, these children turned out fine.
Maybe if some other parents paid more attention to their children, those children would fare better in life as well.

[Turbineguy]

4. I never put limits

on my kid's internet surfing but explained that letting out information about themselves can lead to trouble.

I explained about the dangers of chatrooms.

When my son was young and started cursing, I told him he could curse all he wanted as soon as he started paying taxes. He'd have reason to.

I told them about the problems and consequences of using drugs, but never told them not to use them.

I gave them the book "Why People Believe Weird Things" by Michael Shermer to read (among others).

They've grown up and become reasonably well adjusted adults. No Mozart or Einstein, but then how many of us are?

[seabeyond]

5. beside the skirt and bare belly

what is wrong with a parent being concerned with the trash in the movies for their 12 year old son. it is garbage.

you can dismiss this as being fundie, or you can see that a lot of parents are facing what they want and dont want to allow society to feed their children.

the fundies so take it to extreme that i cant even bitch about the shit they put on tv cause that is censoring and boy, give them an inch they take a mile. yet coors on saturday and sunday are allowed to put out soft porn commercials, for families to see, that are the most degrading and debasing of female i have seen.

it is not an all or nothing. but that is how we are all creating it. i have had to literaly talk to my young boys about abortion (killing a baby when they first hear it), which leads to sex, which leads to responsibility, irresponsibility in choices, stds, contraceptives and the arguement with..........because my boys are being given this information on all sides to condition them at a young age, to get them lifelong either democrat or republican

at what point do kids just get to be kids

fourth graders talking about dating and fucking their dates. that is a problem.

for this parent anyway.

an before all the yada yada. i am not concerned with my kids. we discuss it all. they read, they think, they chose not to watch this shit and i have taught them about conditioning, on all sides, for agenda. dont believe a single thing, go out and find the facts, on all sides, listen to everyone, gather all the information. i also teach them to trust their ability to see truth at least as much as another, really way more.

[teenagebambam]

12. I think you just made my point

Your kids have a choice. You discuss things. Your kids are exposed to trash, and then are led to discover why it IS trash, and how to make wise and discerning decisions.

The way I read the Post article, these kids have NO choice, and are going to someday be on their own in the world, and be faced with all the filth and trash the world has to offer, and find themselves with NO coping mechanism. They will then either run screaming and perpetuate the closing themselves off from the world, or find the trash seductive and embrace it whole heartedly.

Another thing that I didn't mention - if you read the whole article, you'll see it was written because this mother is spearheading a drive to keep all talk of homosexuality out of the public schools. There is currently an opt-out policy for parents who object, but that's not good enough, because that would "stigmatize" the child. And preventing them from being exposed to all popular culture doesn't, apparently.

[seabeyond]

13. be on their own in the world,

i hear this arguement often. the children are going to be so unaware and then go into the big bad world and they arent going to know how to cope.

the reality, lets be honest here, it is everywhere. there isnt a chance in hell, a child is going to make it past toddler stage, when they start walking, that it isnt going to smack them in the face everywhere they turn

all this parent is doing, is reducing. they have not, cannot shield a child from this

our society has been so successful, that everywhere a 7 year old turns, to practice their reading, they are being given sex.

look around with a 7 year old eye for reading. both boys, started reading out loud to me, then and earlier.

on a huge bulletin board, always in the poorest neighborhoods; teenage pregnancy. dont have sex. and there we go into conversation.

standing at check out stand. oooosh. tabloids.

cartoon network, sexuality and sexism all over the place.

dont even suggest these children are unaware. cannot be done

my experience, the worst offender. the christian fundie. i have had to deal with hmosexuality, .....take out of neg, and abortion = murder......at a very young age with boys, because the baptist gave it to my boys for me to deal with.

so it isnt even one sided.

coors, ......corporate. denteyne. not the programs that are a challenge, it is the commercials. republican

[SmokingJacket]

6. Nah -- they're lucky to have something to rebel against.

It's better to have an over-protective mother than an underprotective one.

Not my parenting style, but there are worse parents, for sure.

[Mistress Quickly]

7. The skirt thingie and

the bathing suit thingie I don't necessarily agree with. But look at some of the shirts girls are wearing nowadays. TOO much skin showing for younger and younger girls. Hoochie momma clothes.



And there is a lot of trash out there in movies and TV. I can't let my husband channel surf after 9 if our 9 year old is with us in the room. Too much crap.

[seabeyond]

15. i was thinking about this

grew up in california, 70's and 80's. we wore swimsuits all over, shorts and just the top. remember those things that just wrapped around the breast. those were fun, cause it was almost like walking around naked. lol lol

it just doesnt feel healthy in the kids today

[ashmanonar]

28. now is'nt that a double standard?

i don't mean it disrespectfully, but if you wore it, why couldn't this generation of kids?

[seabeyond]

31. absolutely it is, basically my point

i was thinking back to how we dressed, and remembered, and said, well really, we did. it teens, nakeness body, was 70's lordy when i grew up, everyone went naked, streakers. we werent slutified though. in two different nieces, i look how they are walking this. from 12 one niece, everything was sexual, oh she put it out like a dog in heat, and she used it to manipulate. and it was learned.

looking at this other really big chested 12 yr old niece and the way she is feeling about her body, she is walking it totally different

why in this thread i put tummy showing not a deal. i do understand where the mom is going though, with all the other voices being thrown at girls today. i want to do this, with least amount of restriction, conditions. i want my girls to totally embrace their body, love and respect their body. they are teaching me, how the girls are doing it today. i have been there done that, not my trip.

[ashmanonar]

45. ok, i must have misunderstood you.

:D

[movie_girl99]

8. I'm a liberal mom too

my kids are now 14 & 18 and we didn't had cable TV until 3 years ago so the kids grew up watching PBS. Sometimes they still turn those PBS shows and and reminisce. I also kept my son away from power rangers and ninja turtles and we never had toy guns in our house. I had a real issue with power rangers and TMNT because everywhere we went I'd see kids dressed up like them and they were always play fighting. I just didn't see the point. Both of my kids make fun of me now but they agree that they didn't miss anything or feel there is something missing from their lives. We still watch TV as a family and i listen to their music choices and vice versa. I'm not crazy about System of the Down but then my kids don't like my 80's music but its about respect and tolerance right? So when we go on road trips we meet in the middle with some Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin.

[seabeyond]

16. ours was pokeman

i didnt know anything about the show, ii refused it merely because of the manipulation of kids to make parents life a living hell.

told son when he was little, there will be no pokeman. but they understand it was because of corporate greed. i refused powerpuff, and others, because those girls have angry face all the time. feeds anger. and i say no to the ones like ed ed and eddy, that totally glorify stupid. bush does that well enough for all of us, not entertainment. we like educate, lol, lol. silly us

[elehhhhna]

36. HA! Powerrangers! I kept my daughter completely in the dark 'bout them...

she'd never even HEARD of 'em...


on her FIRST DAY of preschool she came home high-kicking & karate-chopping. I asked what she was doing.

"I'm the Power Strangers, Mom!"

cripes.

[lastliberalintexas]

42. Yep, in my area

people will be talking about ME being the crazy one because my son will be shielded from violence as much as I possibly can. Even football, which is of course the real God of Texas. :)

[movie_girl99]

43. my son is a band kid

but even if he had wanted to play football i just done think i could've let him. Sports are too competitive now especially in Texas. I'm one of those weird people who think it's not about winning but how the game is played and that EVERYONE should get to play. I'm in the minority here but I'm quite used to it now.

[lastliberalintexas]

44. My husband was a band nerd!

So sayeth I who was of course a drama queen. :)

But we also both played sports, and are still big fans to this day. We both stayed away from the violent activities, though, and hope that's what our son will do. Even though our son is only 14 months old, we've already talked about the kinds of activities we might like him to try- music lessons of some sort (hubby played the sax, but I doubt that's a good first instrument!), or some sort of individual sport where winning isn't the only goal, like golf or karate. And of course if he doesn't like an activity, he won't be forced to stay in it.

Most sports here are far too violent, and most of the parents are actually worse than the kids. It's really sad that the kids can't go out and just have a good time playing baseball- they have to try to make the LLWS. And no one does neighborhood games anymore- everything has been organized into a league! Very sad.

[movie_girl99]

46. my son plays alto sax

he has his audition for HS band today as a matter of fact. He played t-ball, baseball and soccer when he was younger. He was one of those kids that would be looking for a four leaf clover in the outfield while everyone else was scampering for the ball. He found his niche in 6th grade when he started Band. Luckily he has made some awesome friends with this group. He still likes to skateboard and roller blade with neighborhood kids though.

[theboss]

49. I think golf and tennis are the best sports for young kids

I played baseball and basketball growing up and loved it, but once I turned 17, I was done. Golf and tennis are activities you can do until you are 70. If you want to be competitive, you can. If you want it to be social, you can. And it gets you outside.

[seabeyond]

9. poor kids my ass

re read these kids life. i dont even see a poor kid here.

[smoogatz]

10. As a new father

I understand the impulse. Our popular culture is coarse, violent, misogynist and dumb, and it's natural to want to not want your kids to become creatures entirely of that ethos. At the same time, you don't want to put the clamps on too tight, lest they resent you. It's a balancing act--and frankly, I worry more about our son being exposed to excessive violence than "flashes of nudity" and the word "hell."

[seabeyond]

17. my kids are having a blast in my era

7 and 10. they are watching the dream of jeanie, fonzy all those. they think we have tons better show. they like my music i have gathered too. dads blues, and my revoltin music from 60's and 70's. fortunate son the favorite of my 7 year old.

no throwing baby out with the bath water. it is all good. we also giggle and have a blast watching the teenagers today.every young teen with all the piercing, tattoes and hair colors, lol lol. my clean cut, wearing jeans, tucked in boys, hook fingers in jeans and say, you are really creative. so cool so cool. the teenager glows. we fawn over her

it is all good. we create. we have the power.

i am getting jzzed almost done with school, then summer of fun

[smoogatz]

19. Good for you.

Sounds like you've got some great kids there.

[seabeyond]

21. great kids

arent they all? yes, the greatest

[movie_girl99]

26. yeah thank goodness those shows are still on

mine like to watch them too. My daughter is one of those that had pink hair in the summer between 9th and 10th grade. Shes graduating now and hopefully will be accepted to Art school in Savannah.She's an A student and has never been anything but wonderful to raise. I have raised them with total support of what they choose to do with their lives. Obviously I want them to be able to put food on the table and pay their bills, but more than anything I want them to be happy in what they do. Whether its painting, teaching, nursing etc...

[seabeyond]

32. we often talk about definition of success

my encyclopedia reading older son, everyone says doctor, lawyer. i keep saying, i see, a college campus, and books all around. talking all day to students. he would be in heaven. to study forever

[Solly Mack]

11. She wants students to be taught being Gay is a choice

and that Gay people can just stop being Gay if they really want to...

Well, she can kiss my ass.

[mikeytherat]

20. "Gay" is a choice, EXCEPT within her own family, of course!

Turner said the curriculum should "let the kids know that while some individuals choose to live this lifestyle, that is their choice. They have that freedom as a citizen in this country. However, if they feel uncomfortable with the same-sex attraction . . . they don't have to accept it as a given."

She added, "I will admit there could be a possibility" that in rare instances, people are born homosexual -- such as a cousin of hers.

When a member of her family is gay, it suddenly can't be a choice.

Maybe she is a good parent; I don't know. I do believe she's an overbearing, short-sighted, hypocritical windbag, though.

mikey_the_rat

[Solly Mack]

24. LOL! Typical...so very typical ( the "my family is the exception" rule)

gawds...

[Lydia Leftcoast]

14. While that mother is over-reacting, I understand the impulse

If I had children, I'd be concerned not so much about sex or violence but about the rampant stupidity and pointless crudity of so much pop culture these days.

If kids are glued to violent movies that are nothing but a string of special effects or playing shoot-em-up video games, there's far more damage than just filling their heads with violent images. They're not reading, they're not developing hobbies (a musical instrument, drawing, stamp collecting) or life skills (cooking, gardening, carpentry), they're not playing outside (impromptu, non-supervised games), they're not interacting with the family, they're not playing imaginatively.

(By playing imaginatively, I don't mean following someone else's script for a video game. I mean getting together with other kids, going out into the snow, and pretending to be Antarctic explorers or setting up some chairs and playing school. That sort of thing.)

Sitting like a lump and letting the mass media fill one's head with violent images is not a healthy way for children to grow up. But it's perfect preparation for becoming a propagandized adult or a soldier who think it's okay to torture prisoners.

By the way, not having a phone or TV in one's room is hardly deprivation.

[LeftyMom]

18. I kinda feel bad for the Mom

really this sounds like a fairly typical LDS household, in terms of sheltering the kids. It sort of sounds like she's trying to prove her uberMormonism, which isn't surprising, because there are probably people within her church who never let her forget that she's a convert and previously divorced.

She's trying to enforce her church's dogma (that sexuality is a choice) even though it doesn't correspond to her observations of her cousin. She sounds unsure, but she's steamrolling ahead anyhow, to prove herself to someone, maybe the husband.

[kineneb]

22. child of the 60s, raised by grandparents here

My "Victorian" grandparents were more free thinking than that poor mom. They set rules that were reasonable and logical, not dogmatic. Things were often dictated by budget. And of course, being the 60s, there were only 3 tv stations we could get. When we did get cable, it was so my grandfather could watch his beloved baseball and football games.

I was encouraged to play outside in the (rather large) yard, and never became a tv addict. Also, helping around in the house and garden were expected. I knew the real world was out there; after all, this was the Vietnam era. But my family talked a lot around the table, and we even argued politics and religion, when I was old enough.

I just notice the difference in attitude, between a loving, reasonable family, and one that is having rules imposed from outside (in this case, the church). Grandma, in her wonderous crankiness would have never gone for that. Blessings on them both.

[seabeyond]

34. my republican father and i noticed

back in the 50's 60's 70's women were breast feeding everywhere. we were always running up on a parent breastfeeding as kids, and was not a second thought. he confirmed for me. now, taboo. he is saying, what happened. we became so retarded. he grew up on a farm. i did for first handful of years.

[UdoKier]

25. I don't feel sorry for the kids - the parents at least give a damn.

Personally, I can't imagine being so obsessed about what my kids see, but any conscientious parent would want to keep their children from too much exposure to violent or adult-themed entertainment.

For instance - "no phone or TV in their rooms" this seems a matter of course to me. A child has no need for such distractions in his room. I grew up in the 70s and 80s, and I didn't have them or miss them.

I'm not a Christian, so I don't have the bugaboos about tasteful nudity, per se, but I wouldn't want my kids to see those horrible "girls gone wild" commercials, which teach young people that it's cool to get drunk off you ass, act like an idiot whore and flash your breasts for the cameras. Hello - that is NOT a spring break rite of passage, okay? Since I have boys, I think seeing such garbage would teach them that women are not deserving of respect (since the girls on the videos obviously have no respect for themselves).

But I would watch a PG-13 movie, or even an R movie with my kids, as long as I thought the content of the film had value, like a Schindler's List or a Saving Private Ryan. But kids shouldn't be watching intense, adult-themed movies on their own. They might have questions or feelings to address about the films.

As for games, my kids have no video games, and we have no intention of buying any. We do have a few educational games for the computer, and even their use is strictly limited, since such games have the same effect on attention span as TV.

Anyway, while I probably would not get along with the fundies in question, I laud them for caring about their kids enough to police their entertainment. It's much better than so many of the parents I know who just let their kids watch any crap, and leave them alone for hours with violent games or movies.

[zanne]

29. Kids have lives outside of their homes, too.

Why do parents think that they control everything their kids watch, read and listen to? Kids have lives outside of their parents' influence and alot of what they learn is not controlled by the parents.

[LisaL]

33. These kids still go to school. So this mother is not even the

extreme type. If she was, the kids would be home schooled. And it's impossible to control everything the kids do, she is just trying to do what she can. Or are you saying that because it's impossible to control everything the kids do, the parents shouldn't even try to limit things that are bad or dangerous?

[JadedinSC]

30. "Poor Kids"??

i wish more parents were so involved in their children's lives...of course she does go a little too far in my opinion, but hey it's better than her letting them roam the streets.

I'm a liberal mom, but even I am planning on majorly curtailing what television my son watches and how much. My parents monitored what I watched on TV and also didn't allow me to see R-rated movies when I was very young. Plus, my parents talked to me about what I was watching on TV and what I was doing outside of the home. Gee, what a concept... Of course, I don't plan to go to the extent this woman has. My son will hear naughty language, but probably not from the TV. My parents dropped the "f bomb" around me all the time, but made it clear that it was inappropriate language and I knew not to say it. Parents slip up and children will hear it. No one is perfect. But this also doesn't mean my son will be watching MTV Spring Break.

I also plan to limit his video game choices. My fiancé and I are gamers, but we will not allow our son to even see Grand Theft Auto until he's old enough to understand the difference between reality and fantasy. Oh, and I'm going to make sure he plays outside and uses his imagination.

As for the skirts and bare bellies, I totally agree with her. I get disgusted anytime I see a six year old child with a middriff, it makes my blood boil. I'm so thankful that I didn't have a little girl because I would be dreading her growing older and fighting with me over clothing. Girls today get so many mixed messages and I know as a parent I would have a hard time explaining these things to her on a level she could understand.

Of course, you can't shield children from everything. You have to keep talking to them and find out what is going on in their world. My parents knew where I was at all times. They knew who I was with and always had a way to get in touch with me. They even had me check in with them, and gods help me if I wasn't where I said I was going to be (which, I never ever dared to find out what would have happened if I weren't). It's not that hard to do.

Oh, and no instant messaging software or chat rooms until he is at least 15. Also a ban on private e-mail until then. I just can't understand why parents think a 12 year old is equipped to handle a predator or to see the warning signs. I get enough solicitation for sex as it is, and I'm a 24 year old woman!

As for sexuality...well, his father and I are both bisexual and we have gay friends so he'll just be able to see it as just another aspect of human life. I don't care who my son loves just as long as he is happy and is loved in return.

Just my fifty bucks plus shipping and handling.

[elehhhhna]

37. Welcome, J. Nice post.

[Horse with no Name]

38. I wouldn't quite call them "poor children"

It isn't how I would raise my kids, but these kids clearly aren't abused or neglected.
They are loved by their parents, who are we to judge that their love is misguided?
These kids have had their needs met. Chances are, they are going to go WILD when they have a taste of freedom beyond parental constraints, but most kids do a little of that anyway.
I think that there are many more children out there who would require our pity before these kids would.
That's just my opinion. I wouldn't advocate meddling into the affairs of this family.:)

[newportdadde]

39. The mom sounds excessive but I'd rather see this

then parents who run around buying their kids the whole world to make up for the fact they never spend any time with them at all. Too involved and not involved at all it goes both ways.

Skirt to the knees in my opinion is better then the 15 year old girls who come into the Y with the tummy showing and a pair of very small tight shorts that say "Hot Stuff" on them. Then proceed to strut around and troll to see if men are looking at them.

Also as an aside I have a 16 month old and you know its really weird. I use to be good to go with violent stuff like 'The shield' etc and I've found after becoming a dad I've really dropped out of that type of entertainment as everytime I view a show I think "would this be okay for my son to view".

[karlrschneider]

40. Uh, her cousin was "born gay" but all the others chose

"She added, "I will admit there could be a possibility" that in rare instances, people are born homosexual -- such as a cousin of hers.

"He's gay, and he's a great guy," she said. "He's a hairdresser. He's very artistic, very good at what he does, men's and women's hair. Fabulous decorator. "
---------------------------------------------------------------

And her first marriage fell apart. Yeah, this bimbo is a real fucking expert...



edit for sticking key...
:eyes:

[lastliberalintexas]

41. While I agree that essentially being taught to FEAR the world

is worrisome, I am a liberal who worries about things my son is exposed to as well. Granted, he is still very young, but I do not let him watch any television, much less that commercialized consumerist orgy that passes for entertainment these days. And even when he is older, I won't allow a tv in his room, as our kids watch far too much of the idiot box as it is. Though I will let him read any book he wants, even if at age 9 he decides he wants to become a DH Lawrence fan (or worse). (and I say that mostly because his stuff is soft core crap, not because of the sexual content!)

Yes, I understand that the worrisome part is that she is doing these things for different reasons- reasons with which many of us disagree. But she may just very well be raising children who actually know how to *think* rather than sit hypnotized by the idiot box. Her actions could come back to haunt her if her *thinking* children turn out to be liberals (or even independents) as most thinking individuals do.

And again, even though I disagree with her motives, I can appreciate that she does not want her children exposed to certain things- and that's ALL she's asked of the school. She hasn't asked that certain books be banned- just that HER children not be assigned them. That's a heck of a step forward from where most of those fundy nutcases are, since they seek to prevent everyone's children from reading them.


edited for clarity!

[theboss]

47. Seems like acceptable parenting to me, just stricter than most

The only rules that stand out to be are the ones regarding movies and books. I think you can be a little more flexible with teenagers with "art."

But ... no phones...fine with me.
No tvs in room...fine with me.
No skin....more than fine with me.

The kids are going to public school and a good college. What's the problem?