What should I do about video games on playdates?
August 10, 2009
Q: My son is entering 3rd grade and is an only child. When he has playdates at his friends’ homes, sometimes the moms allow video games above my son’s age level, usually because my son’s friends have older siblings. It makes me uncomfortable, but I’ve noticed that a lot of parents don’t appreciate it when I ask that they not play any video games during the playdate—it’s viewed as trying to control what happens in their home, or as some judgment upon them for allowing the younger child to play age-inappropriate games. I don’t want to tell my son he can never go to their houses, so do you have any advice? I usually try to have kids over to my house so that it’s not an issue, but at some point, the other parents want my son to come to their home.
August 3, 2009
Q: My children like to watch TV before bed, and they often fall asleep while it’s still on. I have a feeling that that’s not good for them, but I’m not sure why. Can you offer any guidance?
July 30, 2009
Q: Our family does not have a TV or video game system in our house since my husband and I don’t approve of the shows and games that are out there. Some of my friends tell us that the kids will feel left out of social groups since they won’t know about the shows and characters their friends talk about. What do you think?
July 21, 2009
Q: How do we handle all the barely clothed adults that we see on billboards, in the form of underwear, perfume, and even soft drink ads? My 7-year-old finds it “funny” that all the young people in the ads always have their pants unbuttoned—that is, of course, when they are indeed wearing pants.
July 16, 2009
Q: I have 8- and 10-year-old daughters and a 6-year-old step-son. My new husband thinks that PG-13 movies and violent video games are fine for all of our children, even his 6-year-old. But I never let my daughters use violent media because as a school counselor, I am well aware of the dangers of media violence for children. How can I educate my husband on this issue?
July 10, 2009
Q: I see a lot of TV shows where women are not treated respectfully. How would you recommend talking to kids about sexism in the media? It’s rather like having a drunken bully over for dinner every night. How do you explain to your kids why you keep letting this kind of person into their home?
June 12, 2009
Q: My kids are four years apart (ages 8 and 12), and I’m not sure how to manage their media use since their needs are so different. Should my oldest watch only programs that are appropriate for the younger child?
June 1, 2009
Q: Recently, my children started singing the jingle from a commercial for an erectile dysfunction drug. I was shocked. Then I remembered that we had seen the ad during a baseball game on TV, and that I had thought it had gone over their heads. What should I do?
May 29, 2009
Q: My 11-year-old daughter keeps begging me for her own cell phone. She claims “all her friends have them”, and I admit, it seems most of them do. Should I get her one?
May 29, 2009
Q: The television is a constant source of conflict in our house. I am always battling with my 2nd and 5th grade kids about how much TV they watch, but I’m not even sure what a good limit would be. How much TV is too much TV?
