I watch movies like Rio with my 3 year old and cringe every time the scene comes on where Tulio cautions Linda against blindly trusting this little street urchin she just met, claiming that if she just follows him he can help her, and she responds by saying, "But I have to trust him!" I'm left speechless when the characters on Chuggington split into teams, and as preparation for their competition, one team prepares by Literally. Doing. Nothing. and proceeds to beat the other team who spent their time doing ACTUAL TRAINING. I want to bury my face in my hands when the babies on Word Party break into a fight... in the middle of their stupid jingle about not fighting...And that's just to be specific...The statically narcissistic "friend" character appears in so many of my kid's shows, it's practically a cliche at this point. You know who I'm talking about. That side character who always hangs out with the protagonist, but never thinks of anyone but herself, takes advantage of the protagonist's generosity, and never becomes a nice character no matter how many times she "learns her lesson." In Clifford the Big Red Dog, that character is Jenna (and Machiavelli); in True and the Rainbow Kingdom, that character is Griselda; in the PJ Masks, that could honestly describe all of the characters, protagonists and villains included. On top of that, it seems like every popular kids movie these days from Finding Dory to Rio again is telling kids, "Feel, don't think." Meanwhile, Disney continues to present the most unrealistic image of what a healthy romantic relationship looks like. From Enchanted to Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers, love and romance is just a magical, destined thing that you'll "know in your heart" the moment you first lay eyes on your "true love."Almost every time I'm sitting on the couch with my daughter, I want to throw my hands up at the screen and demand, "What are you teaching my children???"I can't be the only parent who feels this way. If you're in a foreign country, and one of the locals tries to warn you about potential danger... you should probably fucking listen... and if someone is trying to con you, saying you have no choice is not a fucking reason... that's literally how you get conned.... what kind of lesson is that? What kind of lesson is it that you'll be rewarded and successful for slacking off? What kind of message does it send when you tell the kids not to fight, and then immediately go against your own advice? How are you preparing them to have healthy relationships when you teach them to be a doormat to their friends, and that their romantic relationships will just magically work out? How are you preparing them to navigate the world and decide for themselves what's true when you constantly tell them not to trust their brain?This is something I think about a lot, but I really have no information to go on. I've looked around, but I can't find any studies on how children interpret the movies and shows they watch, and what affect that will have on their personality, their friendships, or how they formulate opinions. So, I'm just left to speculate. What do you do as parents when you think that a show or a movie is influencing your kid in a way you don't like, or presenting them with ideas you think are bad? Do you just take it away? I don't like that approach because it feels like avoidance. You can't shield your kids from ideas you don't like, and you're not doing them any favors by not preparing them for the things they'll encounter out in the world. But my kid is only 3. I can't have a conversation with her about why Griselda is a toxic friend, or that following your heart all the time will result in your making some poor life choices and stunting your emotional maturity. Am I just misunderstanding how kids will interpret their shows and movies? via /r/Parenting https://ift.tt/2zBcLKd
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