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ly to a remate mountain or desert
hideaway you probably would not
totally escape the influences of this
world. You might forbid magazines,
television, even a radio. But what
kind of child would be produced in
that reclusive environment?
Would children be bet–
ter off i f they never
watched television? 1f they
never saw a movie? If they
ncver heard a popular
record? Or viewed one of
the new video sensations?
Sorne people tbink so.
However, in tbat envi–
ronment children would
become introverted, re–
clusive and probably un–
able to function in society
as adults.
That is not the an–
swer.
But if parents simply
Jet their children go, they well may
be inftuenced by the immoral and
godless messages overtly and sub–
liminally being broadcast.
The chances are, through movies
and television, your children have
already seen enough blood, gore,
violence, sex, perversion and drug
usage to last a lifetime.
A couple of years ago my then
14- and 12-year-olds wanted to see
a particular movie. 1 had read a
review about it and didn't feel it
was the kind of movie 1 wanted
them to see.
It
was rated PG (a
U.S. movie rating that suggests
parental discretion on permitting
youngsters under age 18 seeing it).
The review noted it had abusive
and profane language.
When I told the children why 1
didn' t want them to see it, their
answer was: " Oh, Dad, we hear lan–
guage that bad or worse on the
school grounds every day. Even
from the teachers."
What can a parent say? What
they said was true. Children are
surrou nded by profanity and bad
language. Of course, that doesn 't
make it right to hear it in movics,
television or in music, but they do
hear it all the time.
So again what do parents do?
Forbid all movies? Throw out the
television set? Read every maga–
zine article before the children are
permitted to even look at the maga–
zine?
36
Frankly,
1
know a few parents
who come clase to this. They
almost never permit the children to
see a movie and they don't own a
television set.
That is not necessarily the
answer.
Then What ls the Answer?
At that luncheon conversation all of
us agreed that if parents are going
to succeed in rearing successful and
moral children in today's society, it
is absolutely essential parents SELL
THEIR VALUES
lO
their children.
Not just teach them.
SELL them!
Children have to be convinced
there is a better way than that
which is depicted in the song or on
the screen. They must be shown
there is a better way than the
examples of so-called success that
surround them- the movie and
television stars, the sports personal–
ities and the business magnates,
sorne who openly live in and advo–
cate an immoral life-s tyle.
They have to have the ability to
think things through to a conclu–
sion. What is the result of drugs?
What is the result of abuse? Of
excessive alcohol? Of promiscuous
sexual activity?
The words of songs, and the life
shown in the movie may extol such
life-styles. lf parents simply answer
with ridicule and forbid, they are not
convincing the children. There has
to be much greater depth than that.
In tbe earlier days of drug usage
many alarmed parents attacked and
ridiculed drugs, but were not prop–
erly informed- in fact they often
were misinformed. The teenagers and
young people of that time knew their
parents did not have the facts. The
teenagers consequently failed to heed
warnings. Families were often torn
apart. The youths could not accept
what appeared to be prejudiced and
certainly oftcn improper information.
So they smoked marijuana and
popped pills. Many parents
simply gave up. They could
not persuade their children
not to get involved.
First-Teach!
The first arder of busi–
ness is to teach and repeat
over and over again the values you
hold.
God tells parents what to do:
" Impress them [God's law and
val ues] on your children. Talk
about them when you sit at borne
and when you walk along the
road, when you lie down and
when you get up" (Deut. 6:7,
New Tnternational Yersion
throughout).
lf
parents fail to positively teach
values and laws, children will grow
up following the wbims of a society
that more and more has turned
from the basic values.
A few years ago there was a pop–
ular philosophy that began to per–
meate Western culture and educa-
The
PLAIN TRUTH