We’ve all been there. The days are long, the kids are crazy, and we need a break from them. We reluctantly flip on the tv or pull out the iPad and find whatever show is popular for their age group and get our solace. Maybe your kids are old enough that they have discovered the power of being the one to hold the remote and feel the infinite cosmic power of picking the show they get to watch. As a parent, we have a choice to either let them have free reign over their entertainment or we can be actively involved in picking good shows and movies for them.
I would implore you to please watch what your kids watch. Make sure what they are putting their eyes on and what is going into their ears is good. As Christian’s, there must be some sort of filter that we use for our entertainment choices. As adults, I would hope this is true in our choices. If this is something we will do for ourselves, it must be something we do for our kids as well. They need our protection in this. I’m reminded of Paul’s words to the Philippian church.
Philippians 4:8-9 ESV
[8] Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. [9] What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
We find things that are true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise for our kids to watch. I like what Paul writes in verse 9. It’s a pretty common refrain for parents. “Do what I do.” Pick good stuff for your family’s entertainment. Here’s some practical advice for us as parents.
1. Young kids should not be unsupervised
There is some room for discretion as your kids get older, but Netflix time is not the time for you to disappear from your kids. In our home, we battle for the remote at times. It isn’t wise to just give your kids the remote and let them do what they want. There is simply too much crud on tv in our day to do that.
2. You should have some favorite kid’s shows
This is important. Have favorites and then you can direct your kids to those favorite shows. In our home, we mainly watch Netflix, Disney+, and PBSKids. For younger girls, I’d suggest a show like Spirit: Riding Free. It has strong friendship values in it. There are consequences to misbehavior. Plus the animation for the show is pretty good. We watch a lot of Curious George in our house too. When it comes to kid shows, the king in our house, or should I say the queen is Bluey. Here soon, this show is getting its own post, but this is a show on Disney+ and it is hilarious!
3. If you take something away, explain why
We’ve had to drill this one into our heads. You can’t just turn off a show because you don’t like it and you can’t just take a show away with questionable material without giving some sort of explanation. Well, you can, but in the explanation you have a tremendous opportunity to teach your kids something important. We’ve had shows that we’ve had moral opposition to. We’ve had to take those shows away and have had to explain to them why. Those conversations we have had are vital and has been so beneficial for our family.
4. Look for signs of overstimulation
We can’t just let our kids watch for hours on end and then expect them to not be crazy the rest of the day. Look for those signs of craziness and intervene. It’s no secret that numerological issues are rampant in our kids and loads of screen time is not good for them. It’s quite harmful in fact.
5. When in doubt, turn it off
Will you be the meanest parent ever? Possibly. Is turning the tv off the best option a lot of the time? Yes! Maybe you need a day without tv. Maybe you need weeks without tv. Maybe your kids have become even crazier because of screen time or have picked up on some bad habits from what they are watching. Don’t be afraid to step in and turn it off. Find something else to do. Go outside. Do some puzzles. Read a book. Do something and do it without a screen.
This is a topic that is close to home for me. This is one of my biggest struggles. There have been so many times where I’ve fallen prey to just getting a break and throwing something on the tv so I can walk away. My kids deserve better. Our kids deserve better if we are going to let them watch tv. They need parents that will do the hard work of making sure that whatever they watch is good and God honoring.
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