Limiting exposure

EEWRED said:

You know what I can't stand.....people who scream for intolerance and then flip out when a caring parent wants to limit their childs exposure to something that they personally don't believe in

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Is there any benefit to this, or does it just set up the child for a harsh slap in the face once they move out from the parents' house?

If there is benefit, how far should this idea extend? I don't believe in Christianity, but if (gods forbid) I ever had children, I wouldn't limit their exposure to it... or Wicca or Buddhism or Satanism (you get the idea).

Jensa said:

Is there any benefit to this, or does it just set up the child for a harsh slap in the face once they move out from the parents' house?

If there is benefit, how far should this idea extend? I don't believe in Christianity, but if (gods forbid) I ever had children, I wouldn't limit their exposure to it... or Wicca or Buddhism or Satanism (you get the idea).

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I hear ya Jensa.... but as a parent, I gotta tell ya that your views would change when/if you had a child.

I don't know you all that well, but we both can't stand Christian zealots and I imagine you'd limit your childs exposure to that "garbage" should he/she show an uneducated interest in it.

Like I said... I hear ya.... limited exposure should be the exception, not the rule... I would guess that you agree with me that the best course of action would be to educate the child.... but sometimes you'll just want to limit the amount of "poo-poo" that goes into your childs brain.

Just a thought.... from your friend Scott....... hehe I'm a poet.

If you shield children from everything, they are still vulnerable to it when they enter the real world.

I would think it would be to a parent's advantage to have some regulated exposure while they still hold some influence over the child. Being exposed to things while adults are still available to help keep it in context and answer questions would seem to be the best possible scenario.

I think i would expose them to as much as possible and let them decide what to with it on thier own, if they pick something that i don't care what can i do? its not my life to control

I personally try to teach my kids the good and bad of many different religions, but do limit the exposure to "over-the-top" followers of any one religion. In the end the decision is still theirs.

We have not limited my daughter's exposure to much. Instead we have explained and discussed the things she has seen and experienced with her, as they have come up. I feel that this has resulted in a stronger person, with a very firm sense of herself, and of what she will and will not agree with or participate in.

Every parent has their "hot button".

Mine was cartoon violence. Shows like GI Joe had all sorts of guns firing but no one seemed to get hurt. HOW AWFUL!!! HOW OBSCENE!!! HOW IRRESPONSIBLE!!! This takes causality right out of the equation. If a gun goes off, then someone needs to die or get get seriously hurt. Any message other than that is immoral.

So yes, there are things that I shielded my daughter and son from: Pro Wrestling, The 700 Club and The Republican Party are just a few.


(Just kidding about the Republican Party... my kids aren't THAT gullible)

Raising a child in a bubble is, in my opinion, one of the worst things you can do as a parent. My son is 13, my daughter is 10. They have both been to churches (Catholic and Baptist) on many occasions. At this point, my daughter is leaning toward being a Theist, while my son has demonstrated a clear disposition to ask skeptical questions, and expect solid, logical answers.
I rather enjoy showing both of them articles in the paper that show the intolerance, stupidity, bigotry, and hatred that spews from the mouths of idiots - whatever that persons view of religion is. If Jerry Falwell tries to blame the 9/11 attacks on homosexuals (which he did) or if Pat Robertson wants to lay the tsunami at the feet of non-believers - well - that only serves to underscore the stupidity of some people.
Understand that I make certain that both of my kids know the difference between people of a given faith, and the fringe proponents of intolerance. I also show them some of the tripe that flows from the mouths of people that are not of the Theistic bent. Stupidity is not the sole domain of any group of people.

TVOR

NetDoc said:

...So yes, there are things that I shielded my daughter and son from: Pro Wrestling, The 700 Club and The Republican Party are just a few.

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Man, am I glad to hear you say that. I was wondering if anyone else noticed the resemblance between Dick Cheney and Andre the Giant - both devilishly handsome men...

How about the thought of seeing W in a pair of tights, dropping the "Atomic Elbow" on a Saddam Hussein look-alike?

TVOR

The Voice of Reason said:

Man, am I glad to hear you say that. I was wondering if anyone else noticed the resemblance between Dick Cheney and Andre the Giant - both devilishly handsome men...

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Have you watched The Princess Bride lately?

The Voice of Reason said:

How about the thought of seeing W in a pair of tights, dropping the "Atomic Elbow" on a Saddam Hussein look-alike?

TVOR

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I get the feeling W might enjoy that far too much........

The Voice of Reason said:

Man, am I glad to hear you say that. I was wondering if anyone else noticed the resemblance between Dick Cheney and Andre the Giant - both devilishly handsome men...

How about the thought of seeing W in a pair of tights, dropping the "Atomic Elbow" on a Saddam Hussein look-alike?

TVOR

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Look-alike? Why not put the real deal in the ring? That's how we should have settled this thing in the first place. It would have cost a lot less, hell, we could have made money on pay per view. :bonk:

Fat Old Sun said:

... hell, we could have made money on pay per view. :bonk:

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Truly a man of vision...

TVOR

Jensa said:

Is there any benefit to this, or does it just set up the child for a harsh slap in the face once they move out from the parents' house?

If there is benefit, how far should this idea extend? I don't believe in Christianity, but if (gods forbid) I ever had children, I wouldn't limit their exposure to it... or Wicca or Buddhism or Satanism (you get the idea).

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Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
~Proverbs 22:6

From the day my son was born I censored/filtered everything he came in contact with. As he grew older, I filtered less but made sure to discuss the unfiltered material to help him incorporate it into his developing belief system. It has only been in the last year that he's been introduced to wicca, buddhism, jehovah's witness, LDS and others and usually as a result of something he's seen on tv.

It is my intention to raise my child as a Christian and do it in a way that he will consciously accept and retain that belief as an adult.

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.
~Proverbs 22:6

From the day my son was born I censored/filtered everything he came in contact with. As he grew older, I filtered less but made sure to discuss the unfiltered material to help him incorporate it into his developing belief system. It has only been in the last year that he's been introduced to wicca, buddhism, jehovah's witness, LDS and others and usually as a result of something he's seen on tv.

It is my intention to raise my child as a Christian and do it in a way that he will consciously accept and retain that belief as an adult.

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Not that your way is wrong (Though I would be of the opinion that it is. No offense), but I would never "train" a child, or censor information from them.

Whenever I am asked a question by my future child/ren, the answer is honest and straight. If they are old enough to ask about it, they are old enough to know about it. I will teach them Druidry if they ask questions pertaining to religion, but I will give them means to learn about other religions. I've already decided that as soon as they are old enough, I will introduce them to RF, if it's still around. It will be up to them to choose what to be, as it's not my choice to make.

Whenever I teach them about Druidry, it will be clear that this is only what I believe, and that they can believe what they want. Sure, they may be likely to stray from Druidry, but I shall not mind. They made the choice themselves.

i would like to think i would be able to enlighten my children enough to expose them to a variety of religious beliefs but that i would emphasize the importance of being born a jew and the unique and special bond that creates with them and their G-d

The Voice of Reason said:

Raising a child in a bubble is, in my opinion, one of the worst things you can do as a parent. My son is 13, my daughter is 10. They have both been to churches (Catholic and Baptist) on many occasions. At this point, my daughter is leaning toward being a Theist, while my son has demonstrated a clear disposition to ask skeptical questions, and expect solid, logical answers.
I rather enjoy showing both of them articles in the paper that show the intolerance, stupidity, bigotry, and hatred that spews from the mouths of idiots - whatever that persons view of religion is. If Jerry Falwell tries to blame the 9/11 attacks on homosexuals (which he did) or if Pat Robertson wants to lay the tsunami at the feet of non-believers - well - that only serves to underscore the stupidity of some people.
Understand that I make certain that both of my kids know the difference between people of a given faith, and the fringe proponents of intolerance. I also show them some of the tripe that flows from the mouths of people that are not of the Theistic bent. Stupidity is not the sole domain of any group of people.

TVOR

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hehehe ! Love it! - I guess I did the same for my kids - and I think the only time they've ever been in a Church was when they were baptized (and they were a bit young to complain then!) - I completely agree with not bringing your kids up in a comfortable bubble.
I'm not sure of the validity of my and Marie's method with these sort of subjects though - My 26 year old son thinks he is an atheist (but I'm pretty sure he would be convinced he is actually an agnostic; the other one (21) wants to be a politician :help: ! -he never mentions Church, and I would never bring a subject out 'forcibly' - besides, they both think Dad's a nutter - and a religious one at that!:jiggy:

As an Agnostic, I say this with all due respect - I pray you can turn your son from politics - what an unhealthy lifestyle that would be...

TVOR

Druidus said:

Not that your way is wrong (Though I would be of the opinion that it is. No offense), but I would never "train" a child, or censor information from them.

Whenever I am asked a question by my future child/ren, the answer is honest and straight. If they are old enough to ask about it, they are old enough to know about it. I will teach them Druidry if they ask questions pertaining to religion, but I will give them means to learn about other religions. I've already decided that as soon as they are old enough, I will introduce them to RF, if it's still around. It will be up to them to choose what to be, as it's not my choice to make.

Whenever I teach them about Druidry, it will be clear that this is only what I believe, and that they can believe what they want. Sure, they may be likely to stray from Druidry, but I shall not mind. They made the choice themselves.

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Druidus,
No offense taken. There were lots of things I said I'd do (and not do) before I had kids. Now my mother just snickers in the background.

We all can only do what we think is best for our children. Since my faith says there is only one way, it would be irresponsible of me not to try to "imprint" the basics of that faith on my children while they're still young and impressionable. Now that my son is 12, I am exposing him to other beliefs...while I'm still able to counter them.