Confronting the Media, conclusion

I'd like to finish off by dealing with aspects of chinuch and implementation of the hashkafos we discussed regarding confronting the media.

Steve Cohen makes a great point in mentioning that parents often make the mistake of relying on the schools to teach kids about the media while they totally ignore the issues. Parents have to be actively involved. After all, they're the ones in the home who are setting the examples for the kids! And if a kid hears how awful TV is and comes home to see his parents watching, the kid will be throughly confused. Parents have to explain their approach to the children. Steve also mentions that parents should be discussing the beauty of Torah, something I plan on dealing with in a future column (about positive thinking).

Another point I'd like to add is that parents should send kids to schools that share the same hashkafos regarding media. If parents have a more liberal shittoh regarding media and the school is very strict, it'll create a very sticky situation. What will the parents tell the kids, not to listen to the rabbeim? That's not good- if the kids don't have an authority in the classroom, they're just gonna lose interest. If parents say the rabbeim can't be trusted, that can destroy a kid.

And finally, the parents have to lead by example! It's hard for some people to control their taavos, but if parents don't want theit kids to watch movies, they've gotta quit! If parents don't practice what they preach, they're just begging for trouble.