Anyway, I just read this very interesting post from Secret Keeper Girl about girls who watch TV (ages 7) and having sex at later (ages 17). You can read it here. Read this:
As I was writing Six Ways To Keep The Little In Your Girl: Guiding Your Daughter From Her Tweens To Her Teens (September 1, 2010), one of the more unusual findings of my studies was that there is an actual biological component to this trend. After viewing romantic film content, both men and women being studied experienced changes in progesterone and testosterone levels. (Have you ever watched an over-the-top romantic movie with perhaps mild sexual nuances to it, and then found yourself craving your husband?) These findings indicate that media content actually alters the endocrine environment, at least temporarily. As I write this the pediatric field is exploring this question: can early exposure to sexual images such as those seen in music videos and commonly viewed primetime television be altering the rate of maturity in a girl’s body, thus creating the trend of reaching menarche earlier?
That is very convicting to me! I did allow the Hannah Montana thing. I thought it was perhaps borderline of what I would allow but normally it was OK and funny. And everyone at church let their kids watch it. Now that Miley has changed her image, most have pulled the plug on Hannah Montana and replaced it with iCarly. Guilty!!!
I even told a friend that I had a problem with a particular episode of iCarly where Carly was drooling all over a bare chested guy. I have said that the kids are not allowed to watch that particular episode. But after reading this, I wonder if I should pull the plug on it too?
I have really struggled lately with seeing on Facebook everyone from (our former) church who is watching the new Twilight movie...teens, adults, girls night out - whatever - everyone seems to be in love with it! As a mom with a pre-tween, I don't allow my oldest to read Twilight books or see the movie.
This finding is very troubling. I need to see more about it, I guess I will be ordering her book!!
Thoughts???
3 comments:
I am keeping my girls as innocent and naive as I can for as long as I can!! They're still pretty much restricted to Treehouse TV and Knowledge Network animated kids shows. (I think those might both be Canadian networks, so I'm not sure what an American equivalent would be) In any case, my oldest (8-1/2) is bugged at school for watching "baby" shows because all her friends watch stuff like Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana, iCarly, and even the Twilight movies.
I figure it's inevitable they'll be exposed to stuff I don't want them to be, but that's exactly why, as long as I'm in control of what they consume, I'll keep them away from it as long as I can.
I want them to immediately recognize "bad stuff" as BAD STUFF! for specific reasons and if they're constantly exposed to little bits of "bad stuff" they'll never notice it getting worse and worse.
In our little family, we decided that as Christians we would only watch wholesome TV shows and movies. As adults we also held the standard to ourselves and decided that if it's questionable for a child to watch (PG or higher rating) that we shouldn't be watching it either. There was a time we were thought too strict by certain people because we did not allow our daughter to watch the latest teen shows or music. Another homeschooling friend of our daughter really got into the teen magazines and Brittney Spears (before she got really bad-but was still acting a bit seductive and singing songs that someone her age shouldn't have been singing). Then the girl decided to become a vegetarian and was heading more into the world and finally I told my daughter she couldn't go over to their house anymore and that I'd rather they didn't see each other anymore. I was surprised when my daughter told me she was relieved because even she noticed the changes in her friend and did not like her friend always trying to push her into watching the things she knew she wasn't allowed to watch or listen to. We watched the old TV shows such as Little House on the Prairie, The Waltons, Father Knows Best, Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, etc. It isn't easy being considered "uncool" especially by those who are supposed to be Christians, but this is part of our persecution for being Christians. The Bible tells us what things to think about in Phil 4:8. If what we are watching is showing girls or women who are wearing less than modest clothes and then also showing the attention they get from men, our little girls are learning what it takes to get a man's attention (the wrong way). I think it's better to do what we know is right even if the whole rest of the congregation thinks otherwise.
These twilight series and other "dark" shows are just desensitizing our children for even more evil to come.
It's all like the proverbial "frog in the pot" whereby you drop a frog in a pot of boiling water, he will do his best to get out, but put him in a pot of lukewarm water and slowly turn up the heat, he'll never know what hit him. The subtlety of slowly getting Christians to accept worldly ways is none other than our enemy, satan.
So sorry to have made this so long! However, we've been through this and have strong feelings about keeping children as pure as possible, for what goes into the mind by eyes and ears is capable of either building up or tearing down. No, we weren't popular, but God blessed us for our efforts because our daughter grew up and was able to handle herself around worldly people and stand her ground. They came to respect her for it too! If anyone needed prayer, they knew who they could ask.
Okay, I'll stop. Should have just done a post! :D
AAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!! I just wrote a VERY LONG comment and it told me it was TOO long!!!!! Lost every bit of it!!!! *SIGH* I'll just try to do a post on my blog in the next day or so.
Let me just say, you are on the right track.
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