The Bottom Line, Ministries Christian News, Articles, & Poetry My daughter really wanted to watch cartoons the other day and I decided to indulge her a little. Normally, she watches Disney or a DVD of Mickey Mouse or something of the like. But those were not an option at the time. I skimmed through the channels until I came to the only cartoons I could find. “Cartoons are cartoons,” I said to myself.
My daughter sat quietly and watched her cartoons while eating her snack. In turn, I went about my cleaning and packing duties. After a short period of time, I started to tune into what was playing out on the television. I can’t remember the exact phrases, but what I do remember is how vulgar it was.
I quickly went and stared at the show trying to figure out if she had somehow changed the channel. Nope! It was the cartoon that was making the vulgar statements. Shocked, I turned off the television and had my daughter do something else. From that point on, I have paid closer attention to what the shows have been saying and teaching my kids.
Although meant for little children, a lot of cartoons on mainstream television have adult humor and antics that are not suitable for them. They may not even be suitable for us for that matter. I know that society sells sex more and more to our young adults, but it is another thing when they sell it or other vulgar things to young children.
Granted, my convictions may not be the same as others, but I plead with those who have kids; please keep a closer eye on what your kids are watching and doing. This world is filled with sin, but we can prevent our young ones from seeing or falling into it with a little extra help!
“Train up a child in the way he should go, even when he is old he will not depart from it.” –Proverbs 22:6
Michael,
What a great idea for an article and you’re so right about cartoons. They have become vulgar. Too bad really. Even as an adult I enjoy cartoons, especially the Disney movies, but it seems like they always have to try to slip some type of “adult” content in it. Thanks for writing this. God bless.
Cartoons are awesome! From Charlie Brown to the Smurfs to Rudolph to Futurama to Family Guy to The Cleveland Show (RIP). All cartoons are awesome!
The reason why I think some people call todays cartoons ‘adult’ is just when they grew up. That is all there is to it.
Think about it, when you where a kid there were certain cartoons that your parents didnt like (cant think of any at the moment cause Joel drugged me) but you still watched them. Does that make you some pyshco thirty years later cause you wanted Gargamel to eat a smurf? Nooooo!
As adult you see things different. When you are a child, innocence is a lovely thing. Cartoons are just that; a cartoon! Something to laugh at and make you fell good. It does not really matter what we as adults think of them for the most part. What matters is how you raise your kids!
I’ve said this a thousand times over the years, it is not what your kids watch or play, it is how you raise them. If they know right from wrong, then some cartoon is not going to influence how they act.
It may sound harsh, but be a parent and don’t let tv dictate how your kids react to life.
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I hear where you are coming from and do not necessarily disagree with you, but I do think there is a line where as a parent you should monitor what kind of cartoons they are watching. As a child I watched South Park and I know that due to this show I learned a lot of various curse words and such that shaped the way I talked to my friends.
What you watch can still have an impact on you. But yes parenting is an even bigger factor.
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