Adrianne Richardson
It was Tuesday, May 20th, about 4:30 p.m. I was finally home from a long day of interviewing people who did not want to speak with me, writing a story and meeting deadlines. I waltzed into the kitchen, like I normally do, for some of my favorite ice cream when I found myself singing along to a song called Fancy by Iggy Azalea. I didn’t realize who was watching TV until I went into the family room and found my baby brother’s eyes glued to the television where the music video of the song was being shown.
Now, I’ve seen this video countless times on YouTube and BET; however, I did not plan to see this on Nickelodeon, especially not while my baby brother is watching it. Anyone having seen this music video knows that it is not one for children, the language isn’t even friendly.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Iggy, but I don’t think her music nor any music like it is for children.
My honest reaction was to take the remote from him and change the channel to something more inspirational, like TBN (Trinity Broadcasting Network), which is exactly what I did. He was mad, but, I was simply looking out for the preservation of his childhood, he’s only a baby.
This situation made me realize that childhood just isn’t childhood anymore.
When I was growing up, I could watch PBS Kids, Nickelodeon and Disney Channel all day without my parents having to worry about inappropriate footage that could possibly take away from my childhood and scar me. Nowadays, this just isn’t the case. What happened to Barney and Friends, That’s So Raven, Zoey 101, Teletubbies, Sesame Street, Toonami, Yu-Gi-Oh!, One Piece, Winx Club and countless other shows that played a role in childhood?
Now, I know some of you may say that some of these shows are still around. But, I am sure we can all admit that they aren’t the same. The last time I saw Sesame Street, Elmo had a cell phone and called the Cookie Monster so he wouldn’t have to leave his house.Since when did Elmo need a cellular device and become lazy? See what I mean?
Kids grow up so fast nowadays.
According to WordNet.com, childhood is the state between infancy and adolescence and includes curiosity and innocence. Childhood is also important because it deals with the development of personality, style and creativity according to Erica Cruz’s blog called Does “Childhood” Still Exist Today?
Now, instead of childhood being something available in our society, it’s up to the parents and relatives to make sure that they preserve a childhood for their children. You can’t trust the networks who cater to children anymore.
So, can childhood exist in modern culture? Yes, it can, if parents spent more time with their children and monitored what their eyes are exposed to at such a young age.
It takes a village to raise a child.
Thank me later.
opinion@fiusm.com
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