Third graders, murder plot...what's next?

[Guest Sheree Dawn]

It all comes down to parental supervision. You don't have to censor every single thing or block it, just be aware of what they are watching and make sure that the kids understand the reality or fantasy of what they are watching. I think if you just simply block everything, it does as much harm. You can't shelter them from the outside world.

I was so pi$$ed off one time when I was with my kid at a video store. The parent in front of me was buying their kid one of the Grand Theft Auto movies. Don't remember which one, but they are all the same anyway. Her child was younger than my own 4th grader. The clerk advised her of the mature content, and she said she really didn't know much about the game, only that her son said it was cooler than the previous version of the game.

I waited till my kids were in their early teens before I allowed them to play more mature games, but still I made sure I knew what the game was about and made sure that the kids knew what was illegal and should never ever be takaen as something to mimic in real life. Luckily my kids were mostly Mario junkies.

As for movies, I brought my kids up on horror movies. They never had nightmares and learned about serial killers from Jason and Michael Meyers. I never let them watch that stuff alone, though. I was always around. I never used the TV for a baby sitter and just let them watch anything and everything without knowing what they were watching.

But a lot of my supervision was possible because I am a stay at home mom. And society and poverty levels have forced most families into a situation where most are having to have both parents working, leaving kids alone way too long or with baby sitters who are just out there to earn a buck.

Crap, I'm rattling on again, aren't I?