Do you see what I see?

Ok.

I don't know if it's because I'm getting older... or because I'm slowly becoming my parents, but I've recently been noticing all the truly awful things in the mediasphere (TV, music, internet, movies, books, etc...) that are aimed directly at our kids' hearts, souls, and minds.

If Jesus said that the greatest commandment of all time is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:34-39)... I'm pretty sure not much of what is floating invisibly through the airwaves and directly into our homes, or is sitting on our kids' iPods is going to help us as parents instill this truth in our children very effectively.

I'm not just saying this as a children's pastor... I'm saying this as a father who is concerned about what my
children are influenced by, see, and internalize. It seems that more and more of what was considered 'adult' when I was little has become accepted as normal today. I can hardly watch America's Funniest Home
Videos with my kids without cringing at some of the things that are allowed on network TV.

So, if this is the case, if this is the world we find ourselves in, and if we as parents are going to take the initiative and take back control of what our kids are influenced by, see, and internalize, how do we do it?

This post marks the first in a series that I am calling OPTIONS. I love the word 'options'. The word itself means that there are choices... more than one. For so long I've been under the assumption that 'we get what we get and we don't throw a fit'... but that is wrong. We have other choices than what we are given... sometimes they are obvious, sometimes they are not.

Because, here's how I see it moms and dads: We are the parents. We are the stewards of the children that God has given us. It's our responsibility to raise them up right. It's time for us to take control of what our kids are exposed to, take a stand for what is good and right, and stop being apathetic in a war being waged against our childrens' very souls.

To kick off this series I want to give you a couple tools that I use when determining if a movie, television show, etc, is appropriate for my children.

Christian Spotlight on Entertainment
I love this site because of it's brutal honesty :) Each movie is given a 'moral rating' that ranges from Excellent to Extremely Offensive. I find this very helpful as it allows me to throw a large portion of movies out of the running. Also given is a detailed writeup of plot complete with anything that you may find offensive. What I find particularly helpful and insightful are the comments left by other users of the site. Often parents will weigh in with their thoughts, for or against, the review and offer a different view.

Plugged-In
While this site reviews all things media, I use it mainly to get a Christian perspective on music and video games. The reviews are honest, broken into sections such as Positive Content, Spiritual Content, Objectionable Content, etc. What is not given is a definitive "this is good for kids" or "steer clear" statement.

Which leads me to my closing.

These sites are great to help us gain a better understanding on what we are to expect from a given media. But, as you'll hear me say often, YOU are the parent. There have been times when I have disagreed with the oficial review, sided with the commenters and not watched the movie... and there are times when just the opposite has happened.

I want to give you, the parents, the tools you need to be the BEST parents that you can be. Use these sites, but don't use them blindly. Use your knowledge of the uniqueness of your children and superimpose that over everything you read. For example, our daughter LOVES the movie High School Musical. The movie is all about being yourself, not caring what others think of you, standing up for what you believe in, persevering, teamwork, etc. Excellent stuff I want my child to internalize. Most kids would take these points from the movie home with them and be better for it. Our daughter did not. She began obsessing on boyfriend/girlfriend relationships and her weight. Once we realized this movie was having a negative influence on her and that she was internalizing the wrong message we stopped her from watching it. Obviously our daughter is not one that High School Musical is right for. Is it right for your child? That decision is for you and you alone to make as one who knows the uniqueness of your child and their idiosyncrasies.

Adopt this rule of thumb:

If you have the least bit of hesitation, don't do it.