Catholic Activity: Protecting Your Child from Outside Influences

Here are some general principles to aid parents in protecting their child from the potentially harmful influences of the media, bad companions, books, and magazines.

DIRECTIONS

In protecting your child from unsuitable community influences or from bad television shows, movies, radio programs, reading matter or bad companions, do not adopt the posture of the stern policeman. Rather, try to anticipate possible problems before they arise. Discuss them reasonably with your youngster, emphasizing your loving concern for his welfare. For instance, if an undesirable motion picture is coming to your community, you can convince your youngster that he should not see it if you discuss its bad qualities before the question of his actual attendance is raised. Similarly, you can emphasize the harm in reading salacious magazines before he reaches the teen years when he might be tempted to buy one. Some magazines and many local newspapers publish previews of forthcoming television programs, enabling you to choose in advance the most desirable ones for the children to see. If you take advantage of this opportunity to pre-select your child's TV viewing, you can help make this medium a good influence upon him.

To protect your youngster from evil forces outside the home will require much patience and application. There are so many sources of possible moral harm that you will have to be constantly alert. Your constant concern will be reflected, however, in your child's wholesome development. Eternal vigilance is the price of sanctity.

Activity Source: Catholic Family Handbook, The by Rev. George A. Kelly, Random House, Inc., New York, 1959