Kids Aren’t As Fragile As We Think

Let’s all stop pretending for a second.

Seriously. There is plenty of time right now take a short moment, stare reality in the face and admit one thing: Kids aren’t as fragile as we believe them to be.

WMUR had a short story this week about a Center Barnstead mother who was “shocked” that her son bought a simulated stock in Playboy for his economics assignment. Clicking on it brought up a description of the adult service business.

That is it. A description of the business. There are also images of strippers after another link on this page, but it is blocked by the school anyway. So the problem is that this 12-year-old probably thought it was funny to buy a Playboy stock, and was sent to a page describing the business.

A Facebook newsfeed is more risque than that.

I don’t want to focus on this mother’s issue (as tempting as it is) because everybody has different parenting styles and guidelines for their children. My main issue is the idea that the young generation is full of delicate china dolls who will fall apart with the slightest touch.

This is the generation with incredible access to any and all information around the world. A youngster can pirate a violent movie, watch two girls fistfight on Youtube and find adult content online in the time it takes to make a cup of coffee.

It is sad. I was exposed to plenty of crazy things from my friends and the online access I had as a teen, but the speed and scope of it today is ridiculous. My point isn’t that it is right, but that it is happening.

Fighting against a sexual description in a class or nudity flashing on the television is the wrong battle to wage. This is ignoring reality and has little effect on the growth of our children, who are much more resilient than we expect. Real problems, like drinking too much too young and getting into crime, are much more worrisome. 

Kids will always seek out what they aren’t supposed to, whether parents want to admit it or not. No one child is a complete angel and their devil side can certainly run amok. Yours did, mine did it and a bunch of them are as I write this.

I have always felt that proper parental guidance is the best medicine to this problem. The focus cannot be shutting a child off from the harsh outside world, but helping them understand it when it leaks in. 

You can’t stop his/her friends exposing your children to something you advise against, but can build them to be better people in the meantime. A good defense on a negative influence is a positive shield of self-esteem and confidence.

Adult and violent content certainly has an effect on a few, but to most kids it is just another curiosity. There are many worse influences to worry about, such as hard drugs and alcoholism, that trump a photo of strippers.

I commend any parent taking an interest in their child’s well-being, because they are the bearers of the next generation. Just understand that there are much worse things to worry about than Playboy.