Influences on Children Today

I think that the single most influential item on children today is the media. The media attacks children in so many ways, such as television (commercials and programs), movies, radio, books and magazines, music, schools and advertising. Media manages to find a way into our children’s lives even when we are not looking. Almost every day children are influenced by the media and if parents are not mindful and vigilant in their children’s lives, they will be exposed and manipulated before they are ready to understand what they are watching and listening to. There are advertisements on vehicles and in the mail, television in schools and inappropriate commercials during children’s television shows. I think people allow their children to sit in front of the television as a distraction, thinking it is safe, and their children are being taken advantage of and used. It seems the only safe way to expose children to media influences is by viewing with them, or previewing ahead of time and being available to answer their questions and talk about what they have just viewed, heard or read.

Children and the Media

My views on children and the media are that I think that most television shows and video games are inappropriate and offer exposure to situations and behaviors that effect children in negative ways. I am constantly amazed at the things that I watch on television with my children and the many shows that are age appropriate but have inappropriate information. My daughter watches Jon & Kate Plus 8 and during the commercials, there was advertising for a show about people that killed other people and took the law into their own hands. My daughter wanted to know what it was because the music that played in the background was attracting her attention. I was discussed and have not let her watch any shows or commercials without my being present.

I think that children should be allowed to watch television around age two, but only educational programs or programs that offer a positive message that can be discussed between the parent and the child. I think that television viewing should be limited to one hour a day at the most so that it is seen as a treat or a time to sit down with parents and their child. Television, Internet and video games can be monitored by not allowing their use without a parent present, by having channels locked out so that they cannot be accessed by children, and by allowing children to have access to a computer that is set up for their age appropriate activities only.

Best and Worst Teachers

My best teacher was the funniest lady I ever met. She was a Chinese American lady under five feet tall and on the first day of class she told us how she always wanted to be a rock star. Talk about going against stereotypes. That first day was my first introduction into opening my mind and not judging a book by its cover. She taught us that the past was in the past and we had a clean slate in her class, our old grades and scores did not follow us into her class. This was refreshing because I always felt like my previous teachers had an expectation of how I would do and they did not push me to do better. My best teacher would have us all work in groups so that we could help each other with our weaknesses. On a bad day in class, my best teacher had us all stand up against the wall in the front of the class and sing the song “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.” We were all smiling and laughing for the rest of the day. My best teacher put herself out there for her students and was always there for us and made class entertaining. Our class performed a Chinese New Year Parade with costumes and a dragon for the whole school. We went on field trips for fun and educational purposes. Class did not get boring and kept us all active and learning through different styles that were meant to grab the entire class’s attention.


My worst teacher was my Math teacher in the sixth grade. I loved math and found it easy. My teacher would give a quick and rushed lecture then turn off the lights and play the movie “Space Camp.” This was class every day. He did not ask if we had any questions, and we did not get to work on our homework in class so if any questions popped up we could not ask him for help. I personally did not need his help, but several of my friends did. I had math late in the afternoon, and some days we could hear the ice cream truck go by. My teacher would let us go get ice cream and most of the students did not come back to class. I think that is what he wanted. It was a very frustrating situation for me because I wanted to learn and felt like my teacher was there to do as little as possible to collect his paycheck. He was lazy, had a monotone voice which made class boring, and I would say his teaching style was similar to a laissez-faire style except that he was not interested in answering questions. He just wanted to be left alone.


My memories of school are my experiences of field trips like the one my mom came on, and cheerleading after school at games and getting to take the bus to different schools. I even remember the bus drills of learning how to evacuate in a safe manner, and our earthquake drills of duck and cover under our desks. I do not remember much academically except that I could not spell aim in our class spelling bee and was the first person to lose. It was embarrassing!

Preschool

I think that preschool is a great idea. It offers early education and socialization for child away from and with their parents. For some children preschool may be their first introduction into spending time with other children their own age and learning in a formal setting. I went to preschool as a child for two years. The preschool I went to was a parent involved preschool, so my mom was able to participate while having both my older sister and I in preschool together. I have never worked in a preschool and think that people who do deserve medals. My kids do not attend preschool, but my husband and I are in the process of finding a preschool for our three year old. Personally, I think that parent involved preschool is great for children so that they begin to learn along with their parents who are able to carry on what was done in school at home. I also think that a child should go to preschool, at least part of the time, on their own so that they become independent and explorative in their learning and so that they are not relying on the parents being there at all times. I think this will help children become prepared for kindergarten and further school. I also think preschools should include indoor and outdoor activities, field trips, learning the alphabet and numbers, colors, animals, how to spell your own name, potty training enforcement, and beginning cooking. It would be great to find a preschool that teaches other languages and about other cultures so that our child do not grow up unfamiliar with differences in their own community and around the world.

Stressors on Family and Children

The top 10 stressors on families today are:
1. Economics
2. Children’s behavior
3. Insufficient couple time
4. Lack of shared responsibility in the family
5. Communicating with children
6. Insufficient “me” time
7. Guilt for not accomplishing more
8. Spousal relationship
9. Insufficient family play time
10. Overscheduled family calendar


These stressors effect children in many ways such as children are able to pick up on the stress of their parents and they will start acting in similar ways. They act out and disobey because they feel stressed and are not sure what to do with it. They may yell and talk back and act with negative behavior because they know something is wrong. Some children do not act out, but instead become quiet and reserved and stop expressing their feelings, withdrawing from their family and social connections. When families and parents are not communicating with their children or making time for them the children may feel as if they have done something wrong and a sense of responsibility for the problems. They take it on themselves and become depressed because they feel left out, alone and responsible for something that is way beyond their control.

80's Baby

I was born in 1978, so I would say I was a child of the 80's. I grew up with my family struggling with money because the economy was in a recession and my father was out of work in the winter. This is similar to the current decade because the economy has taken a bad fall and so many people have lost their homes and vehicles because they cannot afford them. Times were tough in the 80's and are tough again today. It seems like in the 80's home life was more family oriented with family dinners and families spending time together. Now it seems as though society is driven more by the selfish, what do I get out of it, attitude that pulls the focus away from the family and puts in on the individual.

A current societal trend is the need for young girls to look older. I see middle school girls walking to school and have to do a double-take because they are dressed like adult women about to go to the night club. On a few occasion I have seen girls that looked like prostitutes. Where are our school dress codes? I think the need for girls to look older will and does have a negative impact on child development because it is forcing our children to sprint out of their childhood and deny their innocence in an attempt to fit in with their peers.