“Mom, may I get this game?” a young child asks as he lifts up a game from the rack. The game is Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
The game is rated M for Mature audiences, meaning only those 17 and older can buy it.
“Of course you can, sweetie,” the mother replies.
People have been witnesses to small events like this. It can include other forms of media as well, such as movies. I distinctly remember going to a horror movie where there was an infant in the audience with its guardians.
An infant.
In our society and culture, we possess a nasty habit of putting the blame on our media. Kid becomes a serial killer? Scream influenced the child. Do they try to hijack cars and shoot people? Grand Theft Auto gets blamed. Does the kid have health problems? McDonald’s caused it. There is a trend here that is repeatedly shown. A number of parents do not embrace responsibility and that they believe that others should do their job for them. This is why multiple organizations exist. Notable examples included are the ESRB (Entertainment Software Ratings Board) and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America). Each organization rates software and movies, respectively, for appropriate age groups. These organizations do everything in their power to let people know what games and movies contain unsuitable material for minors. The ratings are always located on the product’s box for everyone to see.
Despite the information being accessible, parents still blame these organizations and their industries for failing to control their kids. Even the government gets blame for not enacting enough restrictions to the media.
The governments and organizations may not be the sole source of blame here. The blame for behavioral problems in children as they get older lies heavily with the parents. The parents are the main external influences kids are introduced to every single day of their lives. As parents, they have an active duty of raising a child so that the child may become a functioning member of society. A major problem that is persisting in this day and age is that not only the parents are not fulfilling their duty, but are putting the blame towards forms of media if their children act out.
With the story of the mother buying her kid a M-rated game, possible reasons can be given as to why she does the deed. She could easily not care about what her child does. The mother may use as a distraction to keep her child occupied as she gets work done. The best scenario is that she does care, but she doesn’t know about ratings. She does have a potential excuse, but what about the guardians who took their infant into a horror movie? The guardians simply don’t care.
Parents should care. Parents need to take an active part in their child’s life. Parents shouldn’t rely on getting a game, a movie, or using the TV as a babysitter. The parents should also be willing to learn about what is acceptable to their children, accept the responsibility of a child’s actions, and not expect the media or government to provide guidance to their children. Only the parents and guardians can provide direction for their kids.
April 9, 2012 at 10:44 am
As much as i’d like to agree, i’d like to disagree. First of, unless YOU ARE a parent, you have no idea and cannot say anything abou at raising a child. Even if you are, you still cant say anything about raising someone else’s child. When you have a child who likes to play your shadow, i think a little tv doesnt hurt to direct their attention elsewhere while you are trying to get things done like homework, dishes, laundry, anything that NEEDS to get done. I used to be one of those people that would judge a parent with a screaming child in the store, until i was that parent. Everything under the sun won’t please a child if they dont want to be there. You have to be in a parent’s shoes to know why they do what they do. Second, i’d like to say that all human beings like to have their freedom and do not like to be “controlled”. You can’t tell a child to do something and expect them to just do it. I know if someone was to tell me to do something, id be less motivated to do it. So if you were to tell your child they couldnt play that video game, what do you think they would do…seriously? I’ve seen this happen when my brother was younger. I know they have regulations on video games like you have to be 18 to buy them…but you can still have access to playing the game. I’ve known many people to have snuck around behind their parents backs to do something they “weren’t supposed to do”. You can’t control them. You can only guide them. You also cannot control what the game creators decide to put out. Just like cant control gun manuacturer’s from making guns. It’s all about education of a substance. You also cannot shelter your kids from their environment. Media plays a huge role in being a part of that. If you shield your kids from this then how are they ever going to induce right vs. wrong? I’ve known parents who are good christian people try to “control” their child and they turn to drugs or violence as a form of rebellion. With this being said, i agree that parents are the first influence, but they are not necessarily the only one or the main one.
August 6, 2012 at 9:34 pm
It’s perfectly possible to raise a child, such that he or she obeys his/her parents, enjoys healthy entertainment, and willingly abides by restrictions put in place to prevent mental, emotional or physical harm.
The point of the original post is that parents are responsible for setting standards for their children. We can give them choices about some things, but sometimes we simply cannot. It is a part of gradually teaching them to have self-control. They might want to test their new ice skates on your new kitchen floor, but they can’t. They may prefer pop to fresh juice or milk, but that’s not going to happen. And, some day they may want to drive a car, but they will have to sit down, just like everyone else, to do it – even though they’d rather stand up.
If we provide our children with what is good, clean and wholesome, in abundance, when they are young and empressionable, they will not have the time nor inclination to seek out what is wicked, filthy and loathsome, behind our backs.
Oh, and was a widow, who raised eight children, before the advent of x-rated t.v. programs, video games, walkmans, computers, DVDs, CDs, cell phones, I-pods, I-pads, and nooks. I prepared meals, cleaned house, installed air-conditioners, repaired broken plumbing, shopped, etc. and my children enjoyed helping. We were a team. The best team a kid could ever be on, save the one he/she begins as a parent.