"Family Table Time is a practical tool that provides any family with a route to the healthy growth of each family member, as well as enriching the family unit itself."
--Dr. Art Cross, President, Cross Learning Associates, Inc.

"You will LOVE this book. We've been loyal users of the Family Table Time Kit for many years. And the results are astounding. Our family looks forward to meals... to discussion... to debate... to celebration. We make time for each other. This book makes a great gift for your family and friends."
--Peter Urbain, Western Springs, IL

Your Family Table Time Newsletter

Battling the Influence of Pop Culture…… TV May be the Easiest Pop Culture to Monitor in Your Home

“I am not a role model. Parents should be role models.”
--Charles Barkley, former NBA player and U.S. Olympian

Unless you’re raising your kids in a cave on the side of a mountain somewhere, with no radio, TV or internet access, your children are receiving all sorts of messages everyday. And it should go without saying that most of us don’t completely agree with the messages that pop culture bombards our kids with. But how can you fight against something that is everywhere you look?

The answer is simple, but in reality it’s hard to do. To make sure that your kids don’t solely rely on role models from MTV or whatever the latest cool TV show, interactive video game, web site, movie or clothing store catalog celebrity is, you’ve got to provide them with strong role models at home. If all they see on TV, or all they hear on CD’s is how much fun it is to get high, or to have sex, then it seems to follow that you can be pretty sure they’re going to start engaging in that sort of behavior.

When Neal and I are watching TV with the kids, we always try and follow a few simple rules. First, we always try and know what they’re watching. There’s plenty of stuff on TV these days that isn’t even appropriate for adults, let alone kids! Second, we’re not afraid to turn off the TV when something inappropriate comes up during a show — and then we discuss why we turned it off. We’ve found that you really need to be vigilant about what sorts of popular entertainment your kids are exposed to. The new television devices such as those that pause live TV are great. You can pause the program to discuss a topic, and after the discussion you can resume the show.

The new TV ratings system that you’ve been seeing lately has been a pretty good way to pre-judge what we’ll let our kids watch. When you see these ratings in the listings or when they flash up on the screen, it’s pretty hard to catch exactly what they mean, but if you take a little while to familiarize yourself with them, they can be a great help. To find a TV show’s rating, you can check the: 1) local newspaper listing 2) TV Guide 3) on-screen display at the beginning of each show 4) on-screen cable program guide. Some television broadcast and cable networks even list the program ratings on their web sites.

Of course, you’ll have to decide for yourselves at just what ages you’ll let your kids see what shows on TV, and nobody will know better than you. Children mature at different rates, and the sort of thing that might confuse or upset one kid at the age of twelve might be totally acceptable to another nine year old.

Remember that sometimes exposure to age-inappropriate television shows occur when parents watch their favorite shows in the presence of their children. Whether it’s an hour of Oprah during the day or a half-hour of a Seinfeld re-run in the evening, these seemingly innocent television breaks inadvertently expose our children to issues and images that they aren’t ready for. As hard as it may be, we need to discipline ourselves to use the VCR and watch adult programming when our kids aren’t lurking behind the couch!

Understanding the TV Ratings

All Children
This program is designed to be appropriate for all children. Whether animated or live-action, the themes and elements in this program are specifically designed for a very young audience, including children from ages 2 - 6. This program is not expected to frighten younger children.

Directed to Older Children
This program is designed for children age 7 and above. It may be more appropriate for children who have acquired the developmental skills needed to distinguish between make-believe and reality. Themes and elements in this program may include mild fantasy violence or comedic violence, or may frighten children under the age of 7. Therefore, parents may wish to consider the suitability of this program for their very young children.

Directed to Older Children - Fantasy Violence
For those programs where fantasy violence may be more intense or more combative than other programs in this category, such programs will be designated TV-Y7-FV.

General Audience
Most parents would find this program suitable for all ages. Although this rating does not signify a program designed specifically for children, most parents may let younger children watch this program unattended. It contains little or no violence, no strong language and little or no sexual dialogue or situations.

Parental Guidance Suggested
This program contains material that parents may find unsuitable for younger children. Many parents may want to watch it with their younger children. The theme itself may call for parental guidance and/or the program contains one or more of the following: moderate violence (V), some sexual situations (S), infrequent coarse language (L), or some suggestive dialogue (D).

Parents Strongly Cautioned
This program contains some material that many parents would find unsuitable for children less than 14 years of age. Parents are strongly urged to exercise greater care in monitoring this program and are cautioned against letting children under the age of 14 watch unattended. This program contains one or more of the following: intense violence (V), intense sexual situations (S), strong coarse language (L), or intensely suggestive dialogue (D).

LINK: The TV Parental Guidelines Monitoring Board