I will be honest; this is a rant post and it is not meant to offend but it might. Today while reading a new blog I came across a post on how we should monitor our children's ipod content because heaven forbid they had anything inapproporiate on them. Well guess what; get over it. I get that we are supposed to protect our children, being a mother and a teacher I feel that heavy burden every day. And yet, we have to allow our children to breathe. If we constantly monitor every little thing they listen to, read, or watch, we will have children who will want to break free of our rule.
Yes, I was raised in a very trusting, nurtutring household that had rules. They were sensible rules though, my mother had 5 children to raise and could not be bothered to check the music we listened to. She also knew that even though I listened to Snoop Doggy Dogg, as he was called back then, I was not going to go out and emualte his lifestyle. She trusted me to realize that it was music; an artistic exporession, and that was it. Not a lifestyle, not a role model, but entertainment.
Growing up, I had a friend with wonderful caring parents that wanted nothing but to raise her in the best way possible. So they blocked MTV, stopped her from going out of the house after 9 PM (because nothing good ever happens after 9 o'clock) and monitored who her friends were. Guess what happened; she snuck out and got into a lot of trouble repeatedly. She felt suffocated. And I don't blame her. I know as parents and teachers we want the best for our children but we have to let them grow up and make choices. If we make those choices for them, they will not be able to do it on their own, or at the very least it will be a lot harder for them.
So let your child make decisions about the clothes they wear, the music they listen, the books they read. They are forming their identity and if they don't get to explore somewhat then they will rebel. I thank my mother for the way I was raised all the time because she trusted me to make good decisions. Of course, she would have stepped in if I had made horrible choices, but I never felt the need to. I knew that she believed that I would make a good life for myself and not feel the need to screw it all up just to spite her. So relax, and stop listening to their Ipods. It is just music after all...
