Today's News.

Watching the evening news is no longer an option in our house.  SQ is five years old and as inquisitive as a puppy.  We as parents are automatically programmed to protect the little ones.   This begins during the woman’s pregnancy for both husband and wife. Even more so for the father once he finds out it will be a little girl. Little boys, are supposed to be rough and tumble. Get their knees scratched up fall outa trees.   Not so for little girls. They should be dressed in bright lively colors. Pig tails in the hair and freckles on their faces.    But the one thing they both have in common is innocence.  As parents we are instilled to preserve that innocence for as long as possible.  By doing so we are protecting them from “The World”.

We have found this to be increasingly hard with the Television news.  You never really pay attention to what is actually happening out there until your little one starts asking what a house fire is. What a Tsunami is.  What a tornado is.  How many times can you beat around the bush on a topic like murder? A small child should not know of such things.  The only concern the need have is wondering when is playtime.    

As a result of this we have quit watching the TV news when SQ is around.  This has led to watching less of the news.   For me this has turned out to be a good thing.  Removing that source of daily negativity has in a way brightened my outlook of today’s world.

What happened to our society that has made us need all that negativity? Yes, it is news, but what happened to the feel good stories in the news. What caused us to become so calloused towards feel good media? Where are the legends of our youth we looked up to in today's society?   What message are we giving to our children?  Is it okay to kill, steal, riot. No, I think not.  Are we as parents to damn busy to pay attention to what we are mentally feeding our children?  We are not perfect by any means, but we try.  Family dinners are important to us.  With Joy’s job she is forced to miss a dinner or two a week.  No worries. That makes it all the more important for us to have a meal together as a family the rest of the week.  We embrace those nights. To talk about each other’s days, to listen to SQ’s running commentary on the fish tank.  If SQ does not like what we are making that’s fine with us, she is five. She is putting food into her belly and she is healthy.   Some people are not as fortunate.

As I sit here writing this, I find myself looking at our walls. We have no store bought art work. Instead upon our walls are pictures of family, and the places we have been. Each photo tells a story. A happy story on a happy day, no negativity, no hurt, just many stories of love.    The smile that comes to the mind’s eye translates to the face, in a show of happiness, of innocence.

Is there something wrong with us for choosing to not take part in the drama that the world forces upon us? 

I think not.  I believe the world is wrong for forcing all the negativity upon us. 

Sam