Entertainment Discernment

My four children are growing up way too fast and as I look back over all the things I should have done as a parent I am overwhelmingly reminded of how much God was with my husband and I as we made decisions that would mold and shape our children.  I very much remember entertainment; TV, movies, radio, CDs, etc., and the large part they played in our discussions...

From early on we made a decision - if our children shouldn’t watch or listen to it then we also wouldn’t watch or listen to it.  That decision, in turn, forced us to become very informed about many things and sometimes make decisions that were not very popular on the homefront. Even now with 2 teenagers still at home, our skills at maneuvering through the “entertainment” industry are tested on a regular basis. 

We started this walk in the early 80’s when something that said it was “kid-friendly” probably was.  We didn’t have a lot of digging to do; our kids were young and most of the shows they wanted to watch were “safe”.  As we hit the 90’s and added 2 more children to the mix, this feat became a little more challenging.  During this time, I noticed something happening in the entertainment industry; when a label or description said that something was “kid-friendly”, what was on the outside didn’t always reveal the actual content on the inside of the package.  We became very concerned as parents. Up to this point we had operated many times using “because I said so”. However, we wanted our children to be able to reason information on their own as well. We began to heavily rely on the Biblical principle of “whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are of good report, if there be any virtue or any praise, think on these things.”  When they wanted to watch or listen to something questionable, we simply began to quote this scripture and ask if it matched.  They usually easily came to their own conclusions.

As my children hit the teenage years, things changed, I can’t explain it but they changed.  They understood the “because I said so” principle, however, it didn’t work nearly as well as it used to.  We wanted our children to understand both the “because I said so” principle and the right use of scripture to measure worth.  We also quickly realized that as emerging young adults they needed good solid information just as we did.  Because of this, a new way of evaluating entertainment emerged.  My husband and I had to become informed about the things our children brought to us in a deeper way and then we had to relay that information to our children so they were as armed as we were.  We found emails about music, movies and TV were sometimes helpful but not always reliable.  We had to seek out different avenues to gain information.

One way was to find other Christians we trusted, who had knowledge of the entertainment industry and from whom we could glean information.  Our church, the internet and libraries became great places to get solid information.  Another place we looked was friends in whom we trusted.  Unfortunately, we discovered that no matter how much we loved our friends, they didn’t always share the same values we did and we had to take any information given with a grain of salt.  On more than one occasion, our friends might say they enjoyed a movie but when we watched it, we noticed questionable scenes that we personally didn’t want our children to see.  Our friends were still a great resource, though; they were just one part of the overall picture.

The bottom line is the Bible does not specifically tell us what we can and can not see or listen to; some decisions have to be made simply as best we can as responsible Christians.  We must, without fail, know what the Word says about what should enter our ear and eye gates and we must decide for our own families how those values play out practically. Once decided we must stand firm on our decisions. There are many Godly men and women who can give us guidance in this area but we each have to make our own decisions.  We should always use the tools that God provides for us and use them well to make wise choices.

Most of all we have the wonderful opportunity of relying upon the Holy Spirit, who was given to us for this very purpose. He can easily maneuver through the murky waters of the entertainment industry and then guide us in the direction we need to go.  Above all else, whatever you sense God speaking to your heart, please listen… your children’s spiritual well-being depends on it!