Are we hampering his social development by making him the 'different' kid on the playground? Is his childhood going to be like mine? Amazing at home and terrible in the school yard? What are we to do? We read Roahl Dahl books (dark indeed), do not filter information about death and sickness, but explain it when asked. He watches the news with us, and we tell him the truth. He knows where his food comes from and where babies come from... and yet I feel like maybe, maybe we SHOULD let him watch these movies.
Then, this past weekend, we were at a beautiful wedding at Camp Wanakita. My Tent Sisters were there - fellow wild women of the woods (one was getting married), and my friends little guy - well - he is JUST LIKE mine. They played non-stop, in the sand, in the creek, in the trees. Not one mention of movies or superheroes, they talked bird calls and cool rocks. Too bad he lives all the way in Nelson, BC. They performed their made-up songs on the stage and ran themselves ragged at the party. SO neat to see, Mo has great friends - better than great friends, but this connection is was a rare jewel.
Peggy,
ReplyDeleteI'm totally with you on this issue. I'm a teacher and I see what happens to kids over time who get hooked obsessively on media. In my opinion, it's about the gradual release of responsibility over time, using developmentally-appropriate tools and a lot of conversation in a loving context. Build in some room for kids to make mistakes with the view of talking and learning from them. Maybe when your next book is done, we should get our kids together.
Brian C.
P.S. You should check out a book called "Amusing Our Kids to Death," based on the very meaning of the word "amuse" ("un-thinking". Very thought provoking).