Talking to your kids about those fallen idols
Another day, another set of headlines about the poor choices made by a popular entertainer. Regardless of how much screening we do at home, sooner or later our media-soaked children will hear the news - the actor or actress who played their favorite TV character, the singer of one of their favorite songs, or even an athlete they admire will do something that will make us as a society cringe, cry or scream “what were you thinking?”
Dr. Gwenn from Pediatrics Now has written two very good articles on this topic over the past few days. They are both MUST reads. The first one is her very thought provoking commentary on the Vanessa Hudgens incident - Gabriella or Vanessa? The second one is her take on the MTV VMA event from last night - thank goodness I didn’t waste my time watching it - Television, are we barking up the wrong tree?
How do we as parents take these headlines and turn them into reality checks, opportunities for learning, and an opportunity to share our own personal views? Easy. Talk about it with your tweens and teens.
Here are a few potential lessons that can be learned:
1. If you screw up - say sorry. Take ownership of your mistake and move on.
2. Money doesn’t buy happiness.
3. Never post anything online that you would be ashamed of if your grandmother saw it.
4. Drugs and alcohol lead to one destination - and its not good.
5. Keep your clothes on. And don’t believe anyone who says they want a photo of you in a compromising setting for their own use only.
6. Pick your friends wisely.
I’m sure you all could add to this list.
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POSTED IN: Celebrity
2 opinions for Talking to your kids about those fallen idols
Thrifty Karen
Sep 11, 2007 at 6:50 pm
We teach that only God is perfect. Humans mess up and we can’t model our lives after humans because they’ll slip up and we’ll be hugely disappointed. When we look up to people, we quickly find ourselves in compromising situations saying, “Well, she did it. Why can’t I?”
Gayle
Sep 11, 2007 at 8:31 pm
One thing I would mention is, Are you ready for the kind of attention something like this will get you? Are you ready to be harrassed, embarrassed, and to have to explain something like this to your family and friends?
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