What one song would you recommend I download?

I'll unashamedly admit I stole this idea from another blog.  And I'll also admit my motives are a bit selfish, but I suspect all of you have exquisite musical taste.  

So here's the question:  if you could tell me to download only one song, what would it be and why?  (Please don't say "because I like it!")

You may be asking, "What does this have to do with parents and teens?"  I'm hoping it will encourage parents to listen to some of the teen suggestions and vice versa.  

At the very least, we can all expand our music library.  And hopefully our minds as well.  :)

Adult TV for kids=earlier sex for teens

"Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."  Deuteronomy 11:18-19

A new study by Children's Hospital in Boston shows children exposed to adult-themed movies and TV shows are likely to have sex earlier in their teen years than their peers who were not similarly exposed.  I doubt any of us find that too surprising.  

Examiner.com article   

I remember volunteering in my daughter's second grade classroom and hearing one little boy tell me about an R-rated movie he had watched.  I asked him if his parents knew he had watched it, and he said his father had rented the movie for him.  

This permissiveness does not just exist outside the church.  I've also listened to middle school students at church share their favorite movies with me, and sometimes the choices are pretty shocking.  Of course, I'm always told they are watching with parental permission, which may or may not be true.  

Still, I think way too often we are allowing the media to direct our children's sexual education. Kids exposed to such programs already have false expectations of sexuality, and it's no wonder both parents and educators have a difficult time getting their message across.  

What can be done?  Sure, we can monitor our family's media use more carefully.  But even that is becoming more difficult.  Recently, we were watching an episode of the Andy Griffith show on TV Land.  Innocent enough, right?  Sure!  It's a G rated show...but the commercials were PG-13.  You can't even watch a sporting event without viewing half naked women during a commercial break.  

Can we boycott?  Well, yes, I believe to a certain degree, we could probably turn off the TV a lot more.  I speak for myself there as well.  

Can we hold Hollywood accountable?  That's difficult too, but we can do our part.  We can choose to only support movies and programs that are wholesome.  We can get in the faces of our local, state and national representatives, armed with studies such as the one above, and demand that America cleans up its act.  

In the end, though, we have to come to some form of acceptance that this will always be an issue.  We live in a sinful world, after all.  The best thing we can do when our kids are exposed to adult material is to talk about it.  Don't ignore it or be embarrassed by it.  Express your feelings about it, explain in language they will understand, and let them ask questions.  You can never go wrong being open and honest with your kids.  

Believe it or not, they will listen.  

Why does science only matter when it's convenient?

I was up early this morning and spent some time praying for my daughter who is taking a four hour AP test this morning.  I prayed for her clarity of mind since the test is being given during a period of the day which is not her prime functioning time.  

I recently read this statistic:  Twenty percent of teens fall asleep during class every day.   I began to ponder why teens are continuously asked to perform academically at early times of the morning in light of scientific evidence to the contrary.  Study after study has shown teens do better in school and have less depression when they are allowed to start working later in the morning.  

A middle school student told me last night she has to get up by 6:00 a.m. in order to be ready to be on the bus before 7:00.  In order to get the recommended nine hours of sleep, she would have to be in bed and asleep by 9:00 each night.  With after-school activities and homework, that can be a challenge.  Add in the circadian rhythm changes that occur during adolescence, which cause teens to want to stay up later/sleep later, and that's a near impossibility.  Thus, the sleep deprivation cycle begins.  

I've heard adults make the argument that "this is what they will have to do in the real world."  True, but by then, they will be adults and will have outgrown this particular biological tendency.      

In this "age of science", why is only some science regarded as important?  In this case, school districts will say it's a matter of budget or, sadly, the need to accommodate sports.  If this is a matter of our whether or not our children get a good education, why isn't this issue as important as funding for schools (which is always backed up with scientific data)? 

Deuteronomy 4:9 says:  "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live.  Teach them to your children and to their children after them."  

I've taught early morning Sunday school for teens and can say with all authority, I may as well have been attempting to instruct a brick wall. Parents, have you ever attempted to communicate some deep and wonderful truth to your teen at 7:00 in the morning?  If so, I know you get what I am saying.

I say, let the kids sleep later.  What do you think?

  

  

 

Torturing teenagers for entertainment

I don't necessarily agree with the comparison made in the article, "Torturing Terrorists for National Security? Bad.  Torturing Teenagers for Entertainment? OK."  However, this article is worth the read, particularly if you allow your teens to view horror movies (and you don't see them yourself).  

I am fortunate that my girls are not interested in seeing these types of movies, but if they were, they'd have a tough time selling me on the idea.  I watched horror movies in my teens and wish I hadn't.  Even though most of the horror movies of those days were pretty hokey and unrealistic, they still invited a spirit of fear and left graphic visual images I will never be able to erase.  

If kids can show me a way that watching these movies will glorify God, I'll get on board.  Until then, I will continue to discourage teens (and parents) from supporting an industry that has total disregard for the mental health of our children.  

In case you don't feel like reading the whole article, here are few quotes:

"“To me, it’s aesthetic, not a question of society. There is nothing you can do wrong in a movie.” --Quentin Tarantino, when asked if the use of graphic violence in film is a good thing for society

"'Saw’ was a huge hit, proving that mainstream audiences have an appetite for sadism – at least if it's cleverly conceived."  -- Time's Rebecca Winters Keegan

“[Musician/director Rob] Zombie says in his movies, violence is not gratuitous – it’s the point.” --NPR's Neda Ulaby