NPR around kids? - Page 3

[philomom]

Originally Posted by coffeegirl 

According to the NPR demographics link posted up-thread, "The public radio audience is set apart by its high degree of educational and professional attainment." See, I didn't know this. My family is kinda poor at the moment. Now I wonder if it's even ok for us to listen to NPR in good conscience?

Umm, why? I like that my kids are hearing big words and hearing folks tackling big issues. We must all challenge ourselves to be the best we can be.. I feel NPR helps me on that path.


Here's the rest of the demographics page.
http://www.wqub.org/media/NPR%20Profile%20stats%202009/NPR%20demographics.pdf

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by coffeegirl 

According to the NPR demographics link posted up-thread, "The public radio audience is set apart by its high degree of educational and professional attainment." See, I didn't know this. My family is kinda poor at the moment. Now I wonder if it's even ok for us to listen to NPR in good conscience?

Nope, you have to stop listening to NPR right away. 

[meemee]

 so?!!!! It is true what was written earlier. no one here is implying u have to be that to listen to NPR. the people who donate to NPR mostly do fall in that category. and high prof. attainment does not mean you will be there all the time. you could be making a 100,000 one year and the next year be out on the street. 

dunno. i dont find NPR a snooty radio show. its sad there really is nothing else other than npr. however i do find NPR a cultural exclusive show. which is how most things are in the world. they cover very little of other perspective than the usual 'white' perspective. i would love NPR to be more diverse, as much as i would like the same of BBC. not just with 'newscasters of colour' but from the community itself. there is hardly any non white program on NPR and that is sad. and if there is mostly (not always) its v. stereotypical. blacks and violence or teen moms. hispanics and gangs. and the list goes on. the few non white programs that i have listened to have been done extremely well. 
 

Originally Posted by coffeegirl 

According to the NPR demographics link posted up-thread, "The public radio audience is set apart by its high degree of educational and professional attainment." See, I didn't know this. My family is kinda poor at the moment. Now I wonder if it's even ok for us to listen to NPR in good conscience?

RUBIDOX - your son might enjoy this with Daniel Handler. But i heard a better interview than this one i think 2 or 3 years ago. he just rocked and i immediately fell in love with his witticism http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4212818

CARFREEMAMA - you know something i find interesting. i find dd handles news over NPR much better than any other news station. i feel BBC and NPR do their news reporting without too much fear mongering. i have noticed with my dd - the way the news is presented affects her. The Cold war, the Russians are coming were i feel horrible times. i remember my cousins here freaking out. i didnt grow up here. because of the way media presented the cold war and the drills one did in school the fear was very alive for them. 

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by journeymom 

Nope, you have to stop listening to NPR right away. 

lol  I kinda thought the demographics page was a little off-putting even though I'm pretty squarely within it  --  except I'm younger!  But the high education/professional status stuff made me wince.  I am not from a family with high educ/prof status and I don't feel very identified with it myself.  I am a high school drop out with a law degree, but I feel more hs drop out than lawyer most days.  So I can certainly see why it would rub somebody wrong.  Otoh, they obviously aren't telling us who can listen but who does listen.  

I cannot rely on my son to ask if he's worried about something.  I didn't know that for a long time, though I did realize it by the time we started listening to the news together.  I thought he was never scared of anything, he never showed it!  Until he couldn't stand it any more. :(  I was so bummed that I hadn't addressed the stuff he was worried about as it was happening.  But I think he's more likely to talk to me about a news story he's worried about, he has done that, and I often will bring stuff up with him if it seems potentially bothersome.  I'm always there with him when he's listening.  I'm sure I miss things, but I try both to address stuff and to make him feel comfortable asking.

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by rubidoux 

lol  I kinda thought the demographics page was a little off-putting even though I'm pretty squarely within it  --  except I'm younger!  But the high education/professional status stuff made me wince.  I am not from a family with high educ/prof status and I don't feel very identified with it myself.  I am a high school drop out with a law degree, but I feel more hs drop out than lawyer most days.  So I can certainly see why it would rub somebody wrong.  Otoh, they obviously aren't telling us who can listen but who does listen.  

My dh has an AA in electronics from a for-profit college, I never finished college.  We consider ourselves well 'educated'.  Education comes in multiple modes. 

Also, that profile tells us who bothered to answer NPR's request for personal information.  It may be that the profile of listeners who don't provide personal information is slightly different. (Probably not.)

[AndtheStars]

I love NPR and have it on in the car about 75% of the time when DS and I are cruising around.  He doesn't really pay attention, as far as I can tell, because he's always trying to talk to me about stuff he sees out the window and asking me to turn it off.  So I guess we listen to it in the car about 15% of the time   I remember my parents having it on every night while cooking dinner and the All Things Considered 'theme song' still makes me think about being little in the kitchen with my parents. 

[amberskyfire]

We listen to NPR every day and DD (3) listens as well. We didn't think she was paying attention  until she started asking a lot of questions about what she was hearing lately and asking about some of the words she heard. Now she starts discussions about what we hear on the radio. It's kind of bizarre talking about politics and news with a toddler, but it's probably good for her. I don't usually turn it off, but a couple of weeks ago, there was a news story about something that I thought was extremely graphic and disturbing, so we turned it down for that. I can't remember what it was, probably something involving rape. Normally, we just leave it on, even if it's not exactly child-friendly.

And I had to LOL at that demographic. The ONLY part we fit is "Caucasian." DH never went to college and I never finished. We have a child and another on the way. We live well below the poverty line and can't afford rent so we live in an abandoned house (much nicer than it actually sounds, I promise!) and we live out in the country. We can't even see our neighbors.

But no, I see no problem with NPR in general. Our favorite shows are on Saturday when A Prairie Home Companion comes on followed by Thistle and Shamrock and then Fascinatin' Rhythms. We gather around the kitchen on Saturdays to listen (we don't have a TV, so not a lot in the way of entertainment) and DD and I dance to the music. So fun!

[ZippyGirl]

Originally Posted by Melaniee 

I do not. There are too many things on there I wouldn't want Dc (ages 6 and 9) to hear or know about.  I'd definitely be upset if Dc were in another car and newstories and things were on. However listening to anything on the radio in the car is generally frowned upon at our school so I'm not overly concerned about it on field trips.  And at age 9 the stuff the kids come up with on their own is frightening enough! ;)

I still have yet to read all of the posts, but I agree with the above poster.  I love NPR, I'm an NPR addict, but I have to find other times to listen to it.  I often listen to it online after DD is asleep or when she is in school. 

I never listen to NPR news in the car with her (although she has heard Car Talk and Wait, Wait a few times).  We listen to the classical music on NPR, but as soon as the news comes on, the radio goes off, no questions asked.  I would be very upset if someone drove DD around and listened to NPR (or any other news radio).  Without a doubt, most news coverage is disturbing and upsetting to me, let alone to a young child.  She will encounter enough of that stuff later in life (that's a guarantee), and we have many, many years ahead of us for interesting discussions on world events.    For now, I'll keep the global mess away from her.

[Jenga]

Sure. 

I also let them listen to Dr. Laura at home, but I am bothered by some of the language she uses now that she's off syndicated radio. 

[rubidoux]

Originally Posted by Jenga 

Sure. I also let them listen to Dr. Laura at home, but I am bothered by some of the language she uses now that she's off syndicated radio. 

Do you mean the "n..." word???  Yeah, I'd say that's out of my comfort zone, especially for my kids to hear.  

[happy*mama]

This is me exactly ZippyGirl

Originally Posted by ZippyGirl 

 I love NPR, I'm an NPR addict, but I have to find other times to listen to it.  I often listen to it online after DD is asleep or when she is in school. 

I never listen to NPR news in the car with her (although she has heard Car Talk and Wait, Wait a few times).  We listen to the classical music on NPR, but as soon as the news comes on, the radio goes off, no questions asked.  I would be very upset if someone drove DD around and listened to NPR (or any other news radio).  Without a doubt, most news coverage is disturbing and upsetting to me, let alone to a young child.  She will encounter enough of that stuff later in life (that's a guarantee), and we have many, many years ahead of us for interesting discussions on world events.    For now, I'll keep the global mess away from her.

[MissAnthrope]

While I agree it would be better for everyone if there were no news stories of violence, sexual or otherwise, to report, that is not the world we live in.

We prepare our children for the possibility that someone might attempt to abduct them, that their house might burn down in the night, or that a trusted adult might become sexually violent toward them--- they need to understand that those things happen so that they can protect themselves, as upsetting as we might find the idea of our children coming to that sort of harm.  Similarly, children need to have some rudimentary grasp of global issues, including the unpleasant ones, so that they can protect their global community.  As parents, we have a responsibility to provide our children with information about real life and the tools they need to be successful in it.

[LynnS6]

Originally Posted by MissAnthrope 

While I agree it would be better for everyone if there were no news stories of violence, sexual or otherwise, to report, that is not the world we live in.

We prepare our children for the possibility that someone might attempt to abduct them, that their house might burn down in the night, or that a trusted adult might become sexually violent toward them--- they need to understand that those things happen so that they can protect themselves, as upsetting as we might find the idea of our children coming to that sort of harm.  Similarly, children need to have some rudimentary grasp of global issues, including the unpleasant ones, so that they can protect their global community.  As parents, we have a responsibility to provide our children with information about real life and the tools they need to be successful in it.

I would argue strongly that they do not need this knowledge at age 3 or age 7 or maybe even older. As they become older and more able to put events in perspective certainly. But I'd argue that's not until they're somewhere between 10-15, depending on the child. At 10 our son is pretty rational, but there are still evils of the world that I don't want to expose him to.

Developmentally, 6-7-8 year olds are fearful because they have no way to put bad things into perspective. Our dd (age 7)  is afraid to go out right now when it's raining because there might be a tornado. Never mind that the region we live in has something like 1 tornado every 10 years! She's learning about the world, but hasn't figured out probabilities or the likelihood of something like this happening to her.  She doesn't like talking about space because that reminds her of the universe, which makes her think about the fact that the sun will nova someday, which will bring about the end of Earth. Never mind that we'll all be long dead when this happens! This is NOT a child who should be listening to NPR.

I would argue that fear-mongering news shows do the same thing for adults. More people are struck by lightening than there are abducted by strangers every year. Yet, we, as a culture, are so afraid of abduction that kids aren't allowed to play outside without supervision. (NPR is pretty good in this way, but it's still much more about death and destruction than my kids can handle.)

I think there's also a risk of desensitizing people to the issues if they're talked about too much and when kids are too young. I'd rather delay the introduction of these big topics until my children are cognitively and emotionally ready to handle them. that way they won't shut out all these issues because they'll have a perspective of what they can do and what is out of their control. I think that exposing children to unpleasant ideas that they have no control over is a really bad idea. It promotes anxiety and fear. We, as adults, can build a healthy relationship with our kids so they can come to us with issues, and we can shield them to protect them from information, just like we shield them to protect them from other harm.

[Bearsmom]

I love npr and would listen to it all the time but with at two very active and loud boys I can hardly hear the radio (at home or in the car). I'm jealous of everyone out there who has the choice to listen or not to listen. 

FWIW, 41, toyota minivan

[Melaniee]

Originally Posted by LynnS6 

I would argue strongly that they do not need this knowledge at age 3 or age 7 or maybe even older. As they become older and more able to put events in perspective certainly. But I'd argue that's not until they're somewhere between 10-15, depending on the child. At 10 our son is pretty rational, but there are still evils of the world that I don't want to expose him to.

Developmentally, 6-7-8 year olds are fearful because they have no way to put bad things into perspective. Our dd (age 7)  is afraid to go out right now when it's raining because there might be a tornado. Never mind that the region we live in has something like 1 tornado every 10 years! She's learning about the world, but hasn't figured out probabilities or the likelihood of something like this happening to her.  She doesn't like talking about space because that reminds her of the universe, which makes her think about the fact that the sun will nova someday, which will bring about the end of Earth. Never mind that we'll all be long dead when this happens! This is NOT a child who should be listening to NPR.

I would argue that fear-mongering news shows do the same thing for adults. More people are struck by lightening than there are abducted by strangers every year. Yet, we, as a culture, are so afraid of abduction that kids aren't allowed to play outside without supervision. (NPR is pretty good in this way, but it's still much more about death and destruction than my kids can handle.)

I think there's also a risk of desensitizing people to the issues if they're talked about too much and when kids are too young. I'd rather delay the introduction of these big topics until my children are cognitively and emotionally ready to handle them. that way they won't shut out all these issues because they'll have a perspective of what they can do and what is out of their control. I think that exposing children to unpleasant ideas that they have no control over is a really bad idea. It promotes anxiety and fear. We, as adults, can build a healthy relationship with our kids so they can come to us with issues, and we can shield them to protect them from information, just like we shield them to protect them from other harm.

Here! Here!  I was beginning to feel very alone.  I cannot count the number of things I learned about too young in my childhood, from television, that left me so fearful it negatively impacted my life. And since you mentioned, one was a newstory about a 'death star' or something that was discovered to be heading to Earth and could destroy life and something similiar was potentially the cause of the demise of the Dinosaurs (or something along those lines, this was decades ago). I was so scared! Then there was the year of the Nightstalker - OMG. My parents were actually angry with me for not wanting to sleep with the window open in the summertime. Well perhaps then don't let your single-digit child watch the news about a Serial Killer on the loose. Seriously - there was NO benefit to my knowing about this, it just scared the daylights out of me for months on end.

My very young children weren't out of my sight - they did not need to be filled with fear about 'stranger danger.' As they got older and might start to ride their bicycle around the block *I* taught them "It's okay to say hello to someone friendly, but that is it. You don't stop to talk."  I kept an eye on them and watched for their return from their short independent journey. Developmentally there is a time and a place and I don't agree with what seems to be, in our culture, a rush to teach them all about the world by age 7. 

Anyway, I was coming to this thread to share my story from today. I finally was able to ride in the car alone and enjoy some NPR for about an hour in two different spurts. Originally I'd thought to keep track of what I heard in the first half hour, to share a run-down of the Worldly information given, as I think out of context and in list form, it might have more of an impact to better illustrate what I am feeling. However, instead I am going to share what I heard later, in the second half hour:  There was an interesting interview with an Artist and the Curator of his new exhibit. I wasn't familiar with the man's work, but the discussions of the pieces was interesting to me (thought honestly may have been boring for a younger child, but IMHO, harmless). They discussed the timespan of his work, the selections chosen for the show, other installations and the impact they've had on people and something I'd never considered -  the role of the Curator in a show. I immediately thought of this thread and how so many liked to share "educational" things like this from NPR with their children.  I won't say I was contemplating changing my mind on the issue, but my mind did go to this discussion. Then without any warning, the host asked him how his role and witness of 9/11 affected his work. The man spoke briefly about how he literally was there and watched both planes crash into the towers, how he saw people hold hands five-across and jump off the buildings, that he watched some try to make ropes out of sheets and fabric to climb out of the windows and how he saw people "try to fly."  He talked about how for weeks afterwards the dust outside of his studio was made up of the victims of 9/11.  My heart breaks for all the little children who were listening this morning to the wonderful interview with this artist.  My children do not need to hear such things.  Knowing about 9/11 isn't going to help keep my 6 year old safe.

[rubidoux]

I actually haven't talked to my 8 year old who listens intently to NPR daily about "stranger danger" almost at all.  When he was five we pulled up to a knitting store where I needed to go in and grab one hank of yarn, it was a strip mall set up where I was able to park right in front of the huge front window and would have been able to see him the whole time.  He begged me to let him wait in the car, but of course, I thought, he's five, I don't feel comfortable with it.  When he asked why I thought "someone could take him," but I made up some other reason, maybe I told him it was against the law or something  --  it probably is, right?  Anyhow I just could not bear the idea of him worrying about someone trying to hurt him or take him or anything like that.  Unfortunately a few months later his little six year old friend told him that "sometimes people grab children and run off with them and kill them."  I still want to throw up thinking about that.  It led to one of our only talks about reasonable fear of strangers  --  emphasis on reasonable.  

But even though I can think of several things I would not have chosen for him to hear on NPR, I cannot think of any that actually seemed harmful to him.  We didn't hear that story about the artist, and that probably would have made me feel pretty uncomfortable.  Otoh, so much of what you hear on the news is desensitizing and impersonal and that story sounds like it laid bare some real human costs.  I would have felt uncomfortable for sure, but I don't know that it would have been all bad or even bad at all for him to hear it.  I am sure it would have made him feel sad and have other difficult feelings, but I do think he's at an age that he's starting to learn things when I'm not around and I feel like even though I don't know what they're going to say next from minute to minute on the radio, it is a controlled environment.  I am there to talk about it and help him through it.  

If I were given the choice, I'd much rather hear a story about some stranger danger thing with him than have some other kid tell him what they think their parents told them when I'm not around.  In fact there was a horrible story that was talked about quite a bit here about a teenage girl being abducted and killed maybe 20 or 30 miles from here.  When it came on it made me wince for sure, but I do think it was okay for him to hear it.  Bad things do happen and I wouldn't want to dump it on a young kid all at once or anything, but it feels pretty natural for it to come out in bits and pieces as it's actually happening out there.  I wouldn't feel comfortable with keeping it all from him and allowing him to how an unrealistic vision of the world.  But I certainly see that it's a sticky issue without any clear right answers.    

If I didn't feel like he was getting a lot of great stuff out of listening or if it seemed like he was being hurt by it or if he hated it, I probably wouldn't play it around him.  But he loves listening and he's learned about a lot of stuff that I wouldn't even know about if we weren't listening together, and it's led to tons of interesting discussions.  I also think it makes him feel more confident about his place in the world to know what's going on and be able to talk about it.  I do think there are negatives, but I believe that for my kid it has been very positive on balance.  

[velochic]

Lynn, I would actually argue that your post over-simplifies and generalizes points that may or may not be applicable to different children and families.  You say that 6-8 year olds are fearful because of their lack of understanding how to put things into perspective.  This has not been my experience *at all*, so obviously it varies from child to child and family to family.  My dd has never been fearful.  Listening to NPR has spawned tons of REASONABLE discussion and real-life examples that we can talk through.  Hearing these stories allows ME to put these life lessons into perspective based on what I know will be the best way to approach it for MY child.  I don't want dd to learn about these things from a 3rd party.  I want to be the one having these discussions with her.  By listening to NPR, I've always been the one to talk *first* with her about the real world, and for that reason, she seeks me out to talk about things she now hears at school.  I have an only, who is 9, so I'm not sure if she is the norm or not, but these stories have never made her fearful.  They have made her sad.  They have even made her more empathetic toward certain causes.  They have not desensitized her, but they have given her real-world knowledge.

For example, we live very close to an international airport.  On cloudy days, the planes sound like they are going to land right on top of our house.  From an early age, dd knew about 9/11 and has even seen the pictures (including of people jumping).  She knows what happened, yet the planes over our house have never even bothered her.  She has had the reasoning for years that this was an isolated incident and that what happened there is not a tangible threat where WE live.  In fact, isolating her from it would only have proved to be damaging because her world includes Islam and the last thing I want her to be exposed to is the opinions of others about it (which may or may not include serious religious bias).

So, I personally disagree that ALL young kids shouldn't be told about a reasonable amount of what is the very real world we live in.  You have to determine that for your own child.  If you have a child that do not have the cognitive ability or emotional maturity to reason these things through then of course you do what is best for them.  I would argue that not talking about these things give others the chance to do so first, though.  From whom do you want them to hear about these things?  For us, I wanted it to be one of the parents and not friends or teachers or neighbors.  Our philosophy is that if dd can comprehend the issue at hand, she is old enough to explore it.  This hasn't failed us yet, but of course what works for our kid may not for others.  A generalized statement doesn't apply to her and I'm sure it doesn't to many other kids.

ETA:  And honestly, I've never heard a single "sensationalized" (ala Fox News or Rush Limbaugh) story on NPR.  They are a tame news source compared to what is available out there and seem to be as factual and fair as possible.  As an early introduction to news, I think NPR is awesome.

[hildare]

.... totally threadjacking for a brief moment, but did you know:  more kids die in the US from circumcision-related issues than from being murdered/kidnapped by strangers?  This came up in a conversation I was having about the whole "stranger danger" thing the other day, and I had happened to be researching circ stats at the same time.  and yet....  (sorry for the interruption, i just really thought it was an interesting point about what we fear and what we choose to emphasize as something to fear, spend time worrying about, etc.) 

so, no, personally, i am not real big on "stranger danger."  i think it's a myth designed & perpetuated to keep us fearful, distrustful, and suspicious.

and because i know someone will ask, here's a website that cites a paper with the stat of 117 deaths from circ related problems annually in the US (i operate on the assumption of the citation to be correct, have seen that figure elsewhere too)

vs. this stat on murdered missing kids per year, about 100. 

[meemee]

hildare its funny you bring that up. i actually heard that on NPR last year. :) and that statistic has stayed with me. 

Velochic thank you for your post. i was trying to reply to Lynn's but i could not do it as eloquently as you have done it. 

that is the same with us. again dd is an only but our family since she was 4 included other people (roommates or family). since we are active in many areas dd has been a part of the conversation and has taken part in many marches/protests. and yes those things makes dd sad. very sad. but not fearful. gosh if anything sometimes its her books - fantasy that get her scared the reason why she has not read lemony snickett before. 

actually in our case early knowledge has actually HELPED her. of issues. i find if she has the knowledge before she is emotionally ready - when she IS emotionally ready she is not as deeply affected as she would have been. for instance death at 2/3. she asked i answered. she was sad for a bit and then she was ok. if i had to introduce death at anytime from 5 the news would have been devastating for her. 

the one key point that makes a huge difference is the absense of fear mongering and sensationalisation on NPR. they say as it is. the other key factors is when they do news reports they do personal stories. same with BBC. dd has known about 9/11 from whenever she was aware of the world. i am not sure how it happened but she has known it. what she gets from it (she wouldnt have any problems with the news story) is the human story - that people hurt even today. this year she heard a report from one of the widows. 

if anything being aware of human pain earlier has given her a more 'understanding' or sympathising view of the human race. where she truly applies it is to bullies and actually wonders what is going on in their life to make them who they are. she gets things at a deeper level i feel because she has been aware of human suffering and not been sheltered. 

of course just coz the radio is on doesnt mean she is listening to them. i remember this author talking about where he grew up and how it affected his writing. dd was 7 or 8 i think. and she listened fascinated that places like that exist in the world. it was the new york bronx in a place full of guns, needles and prostitutes. dd has been watching short films on pangea. she is so deeply affected by them. like the one on beirut and how it was before the fighting began. 

i think as an adult she first gets what is news and what is not. how to read between the lines. and how to have her own voice instead of relying on how others interpret the news for you. 

and the part that i am glad about is when dd ever brings up something from the news with her friends - she is accurate and correct and gives the right information. if friends bring up sensational parts of the news dd brings up facts. 

[journeymom]

Bad things do happen and I wouldn't want to dump it on a young kid all at once or anything, but it feels pretty natural for it to come out in bits and pieces as it's actually happening out there.  I wouldn't feel comfortable with keeping it all from him and allowing him to how an unrealistic vision of the world.

I agree with this.  I learned about Holocaust atrocities from a PBS history series when I was maybe 6 y.o.  There were some truly horrible images there, and I am surprised my parents let me see it.  But it didn't scar me.  It introduced the whole idea to me at a time when I just wasn't sophisticated enough to get the full scope of it.  As I grew I gradually assimilated more. 

so, no, personally, i am not real big on "stranger danger."  i think it's a myth designed & perpetuated to keep us fearful, distrustful, and suspicious.

This is one of the sadder developments of the late 20th century.  The news media discovered that people are riveted to their TVs by death and mayhem stories, which therefore keeps viewers around for the advertisements.  Hence TV news frequently leads with the juiciest criminal/destructive event of the day, no matter how irrelevant it really is. And this just led to the routine of keeping it all in your face, all the time, most recent example is the Kaylee/Kaycee Anthony case.  Holy cow, was that ever inflated.  Anyway, I despise the tone they use to present this kind of news, along with drama-filled music meant to manipulate our feelings. I really dislike when the news media tries to manipulate my emotional reactions.