battleing the influence of modern society

[Shawn.L]

OK, so we started talking about not having cable, of throwing out the TV, of the effect of government schools on our children on another thread. It is a good conversation, and I dont want to highjack that thread, so here we are.

I find the current school system ran by our government ineffective, and wasteful at best. A tool for gov propaganda at worst. But (due to the heavy gov tax burden and lack of a voucher system) I cant afford to send my child anywhere else or home school. I try my best to raise him right, to supplement his school teaching however I can, and subvert it when needed.

I dont have cable, do have a TV. I try to spend good, quality time with my family talking, playing games, INTERACTING with each other as much as we can. (when I am not busy trying to catch up to EM's post count:-)

My grandmother taught me the power of family eating dinner together, and I try to have us all sit down together over some good home cooked food as much as possible with no distractions.

So, the question is, how do you try to live out your values in the world we live in?

[Atomic Dog]

I'll type more in a bit, but did you seriously read my mind in the middle of the night and decide to agree with everything I believe in?


Or is it possible I'm not the only one who is awesome and rational?


(have to get back to you on that one )

[BearTitan]

It is especially difficult for us, Shawn, because my wife works as a teacher in the public school system. No one is more frustrated with the public school system than she is. No one is in charge. Teacher's can neither be fired or provided additional earning opportunity for doing well. We have our own little USSR going on in the public school system. We learned what happens to the product of a company when employees can not be fired and there is no incentive to do well. That was the reason for the fall of the USSR. Nobody gave a shit about their jobs and they just couldn't feed themselves.

The way that I try to combat the modern society is to talk about God with my children every day. I am not an evangelical guy, but even the most atheist among us should be able to admit that scripture teaches proper values. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. There is no gray area when you are 6 years old. We are all responsible for our actions. Wrongs bring punishment and good deeds bring priveledge.

I am not against TV, however I must approve any show that my children watch and they are limited to 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the afternoon (while my wife is eating breakfast and preparing dinner).

I am rabidly against children under the age of reason playing kill-type video games. I am very much for children learning where there food comes from. I teach my children respect for the animals we kill, for without them, we will all die. I teach them to question what they are told if it conflicts with their values.

I see my responsibility in all this to raise my children right.

[Atomic Dog]

It is especially difficult for us, Shawn, because my wife works as a teacher in the public school system. No one is more frustrated with the public school system than she is. No one is in charge. Teacher's can neither be fired or provided additional earning opportunity for doing well. We have our own little USSR going on in the public school system. We learned what happens to the product of a company when employees can not be fired and there is no incentive to do well. That was the reason for the fall of the USSR. Nobody gave a shit about their jobs and they just couldn't feed themselves.

The way that I try to combat the modern society is to talk about God with my children every day. I am not an evangelical guy, but even the most atheist among us should be able to admit that scripture teaches proper values. Right is right. Wrong is wrong. There is no gray area when you are 6 years old. We are all responsible for our actions. Wrongs bring punishment and good deeds bring priveledge.

I am not against TV, however I must approve any show that my children watch and they are limited to 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the afternoon (while my wife is eating breakfast and preparing dinner).

I am rabidly against children under the age of reason playing kill-type video games. I am very much for children learning where there food comes from. I teach my children respect for the animals we kill, for without them, we will all die. I teach them to question what they are told if it conflicts with their values.

I see my responsibility in all this to raise my children right.

I got mad respect for you Brian, but I have to disagree to a point with you on the above. The scripture does have some good parts, but has an awful lot that I wouldn't want my kids to read. In the end you have to read through the lens of our own time and society. At that point I think much can be gained by just examining out cultural norms and mores and trying to understand why they exist and what happens when they are broke. And there will ALWAYS be grey areas no matter how hard we try to dial it in.

Besides that, I agree 100% with your post, especially with the education system. My wife is a teacher and I have degrees in Special and Elementary education. I have met several teachers who go above and beyond and a large number who don't.

I'm no expert on how to fix it but I do think small, private schools couldn't hurt at all.

[Shawn.L]

I am not against TV, however I must approve any show that my children watch and they are limited to 1/2 hour in the morning and 1/2 hour in the afternoon (while my wife is eating breakfast and preparing dinner).
.

Now thats active parenting, taking the time to preview the things which will undoubtabley (I learned spelling in public school) influence your children. We have made a consistant effort to pre-approve, as an example, any music he wants to listen to. No unsupervised radio. When I listen, I listen for content. I have nothing againt a swear word here or there, what I will not allow is the degredation of women, of glamorized violence and drug use.

[jon'76]

I agree even as a devout atheist that religion if applied properly is great. It gives people hope, strength, and a good set of morals.

However I hate brainwashed religious people. Your religion is yours and I don't care about it so shut up. To be fair I also hate atheists who can't shut the hell up about how stupid relgions is.

The problem with society is a lack of parenting and control. If kids don't learn discipline they learn to be little bastards.

[BearTitan]

The scripture does have some good parts, but has an awful lot that I wouldn't want my kids to read. In the end you have to read through the lens of our own time and society. At that point I think much can be gained by just examining out cultural norms and mores and trying to understand why they exist and what happens when they are broke. And there will ALWAYS be grey areas no matter how hard we try to dial it in.

I appreciate the mad respect, but your correction of my post is academic at best. There is no gray area to a child. To a small child, wrong is wrong and right is whatever I can get away with. It is the parent's responsibility to be their conscience, because they have not developed one yet. You'll see when you have kids. Parents who try to reason with children who have not reached the age of reason end up with children who behave badly.

It is the same lense of time that the anti's would have us read the constitution, particularly when it comes to the 2nd amendment. You interpret it the way you want and I will do the same.

[Atomic Dog]

I'll take your word for it as I don't have kids; but "grey areas" are by far the most important from a moral and learning standpoint. How else can we expect critical thinking unless you learn to practice? Right and wrong is NOT black and white in every situation and it's always good to sit down and examine your beliefs in relation to society and be prepared to change them as more evidence comes in.

[dnar]

It is especially difficult for us, Shawn, because my wife works as a teacher in the public school system. No one is more frustrated with the public school system than she is. No one is in charge. Teacher's can neither be fired or provided additional earning opportunity for doing well. We have our own little USSR going on in the public school system. We learned what happens to the product of a company when employees can not be fired and there is no incentive to do well.

BT,

Have you ever considered homeschooling? My niece was homeschooled (9th - 12th grade) because she wasn't doing too good in the public school she was attending. As a matter of fact, she was failing miserably. She did excel through the homeschooling process, though. She turned out to be a very smart, beautiful and faithful young lady, and I'm very proud of her.

By the way, there are homeschooling families out there who also homeschool other people's children for a living.

I am rabidly against children under the age of reason playing kill-type video games.

I feel the same way too. My nephew is a little monster because of those kinds of video games.

rand

[ExCopInPhilly]

My son and I do homework after he gets an hour of doing what he wants when he gets home from school. There is no TV from 6-8, which is the time when we cook dinner together and talk, or finish more damn homework (I hate the 6th grade). Then he gets a half hour of whatever he wants before bed. I refuse to allow the TV to raise him, and I will be damn if only the teacher will be responsible for what he learns.

You guys are all on the right track though. Glad to see others making it happen. I wish the rest of the world would do the same. Might not have had to deal with so many juveniles when I was an LEO.