I think we did the right thing...
To put it mildly, my kids are naive. Maybe you could go so far as to say they are clueless. As other teens are chortling away at some crass comment, my three are lost in space wondering what they missed. Half of the lyrics in popular music float right over their heads. Most sexual comedic overtures in TV and movies leave them nonplussed - since they don't get it.
This has become a liability.
We did it with the best intentions - sheltered our kids - but now they are doing more than missing a beat, they are missing the band.
I have always ascribed to the "garbage in, garbage out" theory when it comes to raising our kids. Therefore, if we wanted to keep our kids innocent and well, kids, we believed that they should be exposed to age-appropriate movies, TV, music, and conversation. They were raised on PBS - Sesame Street, Barney, and gasp! Teletubbies, Disney movies and Christian radio. No movie rated PG was screened until they were in grade school and they were at or close to 13 for PG13. As younguns, they went to bed at 7pm and all adult programing followed bedtime. To say we have been vigilant is an understatement.
Then early last year I got some hints that there may be a problem, a disconnect from the world they live in, that may hinder them as they navigate the perilous and murky waters of teen life. Mid-semester my daughter came home from a rigorous debate in Freshman Social Studies with an important question - "What is an abortion?" What? How could she not know this? Has this topic never come up in the last 15 years? Moreover, how did the teacher not preface the discussion with some explanation of the topic. Alas, no. No preface, no exposure in 15 years, and no doubt the teacher assumed every one in the class had at least some knowledge of the subject. Uh, yeah, not so much.
Another hint: singing along to Baby Got Back by Sir Mix Alot and not having a clue what half of the nasty lyrics are referring to. Okay, okay, something needs to be done.
I don't regret keeping them unadulterated. The benefits have been tremendous: sweet temperaments, few attitude problems, believers in God, and basically harmonious familial relationships. I give my kids credit for making great choices and being wonderful examples to their peers.
Hopefully that foundation will remain intact.
So let the sex-ucation and crass-crash-courses begin. This should be interesting. I have decided to start with a screening of John Hughes movies - might as well make it fun!
