Page 36 - Mangwanani Magazine - June2017

INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S DAY 1 JUNE

Raising
Kids

in Today's World

The world today is very different for children growing
up. Children are exposed to many forms of media and
messages that children in earlier years were not
exposed to.

Today’s kids are not equipped to accurately interpret
the messages they are receiving. We as parents need to
take an active role in being informed of what our kids
are watching on TV, what they read, and what music
they are listening to.

When kids are not given the knowledge or information
to help them process the thousands of messages they
receive daily, they easily buy into what they hear, see
and read. Left on their own, kids will try to understand
their world by themselves or with the help of their
friends.

Some tips for parents to navigate through today’s
culture:

Educate yourself on today's Youth Culture

Find out if your community offers any
education/resources for parents and attend
these presentations/ read books if they are
available.

Become aware of what your kids are watching on
TV and the internet. Be sure to point out the
good as well as the bad. Engage in a conversation
with them. If you do not approve of a show, the
content or the language, explain why.

Ask your kids about what they are reading. This
can be books and/or magazines. Read it yourself.
Reading what they read can help you understand
their world and give you the opportunity to help
them process it.

Listen to their music- especially to the words.
One of the advantages of the internet, you can
almost always find the lyrics to songs. Again,
engage in conversation about it. Kids may not
understand the meaning of a song and may just
like the tune.

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