What's the Parents Job?

Here lately, I've been seeing all kinds of things on tv, internet and in ezines talking about parents who are freaking out because the media isn't censored enough for their children.

So, I am thinking to myself...so what are the parents doing to influence their children's decisions about life in general, then? Are these parents telling us that they are letting, TV, radio, media, magazine and video games raise their children for them?

If they are, this is a sad, sad time for the world. Good parents know that real life in uncensored, and it is their job to prepare their children for anything they might encounter in the real world as adults. It is their job to mold their minds, teach them right from wrong, instill morals, traditions and a spiritual belief system.

That is not the media's job!

My husband and I actually take an active role in our daughter's life. We try to censor things from her that are inappropriate, but at the same time, if she sees a condom commercial on TV during prime time and asks questions about it, we are also fully prepared to have that talk with her. That's the parent's job. To explain to kids that even though they might see something on tv, it doesn't mean that it's right, good, or ok to mimic. It is because of this, that we know we can let our daughter watch Tom and Jerry and not have to worry about her dropping an iron on our heads. She knows that it's just a cartoon, and if she did that, someone would get really hurt.

The same will apply later when she is older. When she's a teenager, we will have open communication with her about drugs, alcohol and abstinence. She will know the short term and long term consequenses should she decide to violate the rules we will put in place for her.

So, to all of you parents out there who are freaking out because someone said the B word on Simpsons, or because your kid somehow got their kids on a game like Grand Theft Auto...

PAY CLOSER ATTENTION TO YOUR KIDS...TEACH THEM RIGHT FROM WRONG, HELP THEM NOW SO THAT LATER, WHEN THEY ARE ADULTS, THEY WON'T BE HELPLESS WHINY BABIES LIKE YOU!!!!