The Blog: Ministry, Music, Media
How Much Media for Kids? posted on January 30, 2010
The latest Kaiser Family Foundation research on children and media was released and it is an eye-opener. 
It appears that children in our American households are spending a whopping 11+ hours per day with media. Check it out: http://slides.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1351
If your children are engaged in music while playing a game online, it might be considered average media consumption in your family. If you watch a movie together on Friday nights or a favorite TV show mid-week as a family, or music in the car while driving somewhere - it is all pretty typical usage in our media saturated culture.
The question I would pose is: Are you actually aware of the number of hours in a day where your children are using media - just like you are aware of the nutritional value of the meals you prepare them to consume as meets the needs of growing young bodies? For example, you know you put vegetables on the plate at dinner, fruits in the lunchbox and protein shows up next to carbs etc…because you spend time shopping, planning and hoping you are providing healthy, nutritious meals they will actually eat. How are you intentional about the media they consume as feeds growing hearts and minds where you want to see them live into the compassionate, kind and loving people you know them to be?
Think of it another way: if your lovely son or daughter did nothing but read 11 hours a day - what would you have them reading? Would you monitor the reading material - or just let them loose in the store and take from the shelves that which attracted them - for whatever reason? Is there a thing as age-appropriate reading material (pictures included)?
I love media, as you know. I love that we can communicate through this amazing tool of digital technology. I respect that with all the choices you have online, you are paying attention to http://www.commongoodradio.org and inviting the kids to listen with you; I hope you know that we are very intentional about the programming with respect to age-appropriate content that speaks to hope, peace, compassion, kindness and curiosity in the lives of children and families. It is our mission to be a part of the media in the world so when the kids are learning to participate in media culture, they can have something that supports the expectation that not all media is trying to sell them something or undermine your parental authority by inviting the ‘nag’ factor, and, that media can be a valid expression of faith where children’s voices matter.
I also hope that you will share how you understand media consumption in your household here in blog responses so we can all benefit from real life experience.
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 6 comments “How Much Media for Kids?” was posted by Pastor Robin
How Much Media for Kids? posted on January 30, 2010
The latest Kaiser Family Foundation research on children and media was released and it is an eye-opener.
It appears that children in our American households are spending a whopping 11+ hours per day with media. Check it out: http://slides.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1351
If your children are engaged in music while playing a game online, it might be considered average media consumption in your family. If you watch a movie together on Friday nights or a favorite TV show mid-week as a family, or music in the car while driving somewhere - it is all pretty typical usage in our media saturated culture.
The question I would pose is: Are you actually aware of the number of hours in a day where your children are using media - just like you are aware of the nutritional value of the meals you prepare them to consume as meets the needs of growing young bodies? For example, you know you put vegetables on the plate at dinner, fruits in the lunchbox and protein shows up next to carbs etc…because you spend time shopping, planning and hoping you are providing healthy, nutritious meals they will actually eat. How are you intentional about the media they consume as feeds growing hearts and minds where you want to see them live into the compassionate, kind and loving people you know them to be? Is there a faith component in your parenting as intersects the great big world? 
This is part of what we hope to help you with at Common Good Radio.
I love media, as you know. I love that we can communicate through this amazing tool of digital technology. I respect the fact that with all the choices you have online, you are paying attention to http://www.commongoodradio.org and inviting the kids to listen with you; I hope you know that we are very intentional about the programming with respect to age-appropriate content that speaks to hope, peace, compassion, kindness and curiosity in the lives of children and families. 
It is our mission to be a part of the media in the world so when the kids are learning to participate in media culture, they can have something that supports the expectation that not all media is trying to sell them something or undermine your parental authority by inviting the ‘nag’ factor, and, that media can be a valid expression of faith where children’s voices matter.
I also hope that you will share how you understand media consumption in your household here in blog responses so we can all benefit from real life experience.
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 12 comments “How Much Media for Kids?” was posted by Pastor Robin
How to Help in Haiti posted on January 21, 2010
If you would like to donate to relief funds that help the people in Haiti recover from the earthquake that nearly leveled the island, 
check out some of the efforts below that I found in the Huffington Post. Add to below, the Red Cross, and UMCOR.
•Music For Relief is offering a compilation of unreleased music, available for free download on MusicForRelief.org. The site encourages donations, which will be divided equally among the United Nations Foundation, Habitat For Humanity, and Dave Matthews Band’s BAMA Works Haitian relief program.
•National Nurses United already has 10,000 nurses volunteering to go to Haiti, but they need to raise money to send them there. Every dollar donated to NNU will be spent directly on sending a professional nurse to Haiti.
•Artists For Peace and Justice is a relatively new organization with an advisory board of prominent celebrity activists, including Maria Bello, Madeleine Stowe, Charlize Theron, Oliver Stone and Josh Brolin. Founded by filmmaker Paul Haggis, the group originally sought to help build functional schools in impoverished regions in Haiti. Since the earthquake, they’ve directed all of their funds to recovery efforts, with a focus on helping to rebuild schools, hospitals and orphanages.
•K.I.D.S., or Kids In Distressed Situations, is delivering clothes, diapers, and water and is asking for cash donations as well as product gifts. To inquire about necessary items you can give, contact K.I.D.S. president Janice Weinman at 212-279-5493 x207.
•Healing The Children has firm commitments from numerous pediatric hospitals throughout the U.S. to provide medical care for over 50 children injured in the Haiti earthquake. They will organize and navigate the medical system for the children and provide a host family to offer the children the love and security they need during their treatment. Donate online.
We might not all be able to donate a great deal of money to relief efforts - but we can all pray that grace will be made known in the rubble. If you have the time you might also check with your local faith community or Red Cross and see how to donate some of your time to help.
With blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 3 comments “How to Help in Haiti” was posted by Pastor Robin
11 Year Old Kids Have Cell Phones posted on January 21, 2010
Here is an article to read: Cell phone usage by 11 year olds is way up.
What do you think?
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 10 comments “11 Year Old Kids Have Cell Phones” was posted by Pastor Robin
Faith and the Obama Administration posted on January 20, 2010
I thought you might be interested in what the Obama Administration is doing in conversation with the religious communities of our country regarding the intersection of social justice issues, faithful voices and your family. There is an Advisory Council that is made up of folks from various religious organizations who offer opinions on lots of issues, listed here. You will also find the council appointees with their bios.
Media violence pointed at the children did not make the urgent issue discussion; when will it matter enough to make the list, I wonder? Maybe soon if we continue to act in faithful resistance turning away from exploiting of children’s vulnerabilities with the ads and programming that sexualizes childhood and make violence normal conflict resolution, to sell stuff to kids.
Common Good Radio brings you violence-free programming through music and talk - we focus on hope. Not beat-em-up cause my guns are bigger than your guns music and talk, just music and talk with hopeful themes. We have an expectation that we can nurture kids to expect peace with hope - even if it takes some effort.
I thought you might like this resource, happy reading.
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 4 comments “Faith and the Obama Administration” was posted by Pastor Robin
Internet Connects Us In Prayer - Even with Earthquakes posted on January 14, 2010
I can’t help thinking of children and how much fear there must be for children in Haiti at the hands of the devastating destruction this week. I think of families missing loved ones in the rubble and how helpless that would make me feel. It makes me feel helpless from where I write this blog in NY. 
I imagine you, too, feel a sense of sadness and loss, frightened for others with all this unknown and also compassionate feelings that have few words. I also imagine as people of faith, you have been in prayer.
Regarding disasters, the TV/Internet/radio news and telling the children in your household what happen, I found these suggestions from the US Department of Health and Human Services that might be helpful. The central idea is that you find the time to talk with the children about what they are seeing on TV, hearing from their friends and how they feel about all of it. Consider a simple prayer at the end of your talk, “God, please help the people in Haiti know you love them”, or something to let them know you believe God is the hope in any situation. I believe God has everything, held. I hope you have a sense of hope, too, even in the face of this devastation.
There is a story that Pat Robertson said some harsh things about Haiti and God’s wrath; I will always wonder about God’s grace and why Mr. Robertson has such a difficult time sharing since he has found a hearty helping for himself. I found a writer who responded thoughtfully and I wanted to share it with you, happy reading.
Songs of hope are what we aim to do here at Common Good Radio, so be sure to listen for them and use them as a springboard for conversation with your kids. Joanie Bartels, Anything Is Possible, Beth Nielsen Chapman with Shine All Your Light, or, Taj Mahal, Everybody Is Somebody.
Hope and affirm life for the common good!
with blessings,
Pastor Robin
There are 3 comments “Internet Connects Us In Prayer - Even with Earthquakes” was posted by Pastor Robin
Food for thought on obesity in American children posted on January 7, 2010
We have posted this week about the age-inappropriate, fast food tie-ins with the blockbuster film, Avatar; the next step in faithful thinking is: what is the food that the tie is into? What are we trying to lure the children to eat? How do we feed our children? What is our joyful responsibility, full of love and grace, when it comes to feeding the kids? And related to media - what does food have to do with movie characters?
I just watched the CBS evening news and to my surprise and Big Thanks(!) they reported a segment on childhood obesity in America. Check it out for a glance at a community in California that has come together to care about the health of the children they all love. They acknowledged a problem ( the health threat of obesity in children), got together and have begun to make a difference. Wow. Digital media means I can share this with you.
Please let us know what you think of the CBS clip - in just two minutes they share a great deal of information.
Do you think children in American are obese? Does it matter to you as a parent what the children eat?
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
There are 8 comments “Food for thought on obesity in American children” was posted by Pastor Robin
Childhood Obesity and Avatar posted on January 7, 2010
I was sent this article via email and thought you might find it interesting.
The good parents and folks who care about children in Arkansas are becoming active surrounding food offered in school lunches to children. They use the movie, Avatar, to make the point that while on the planet, Pandora, there are no fast food restaurants in sight. In today’s world on earth, the film’s characters are coupled with junk food marketed to children encouraging food with high fat content, disposable paper products, and one wonders of the dissonance between the message of the movie and the marketing of the movie. Would any of the Navi serve up a Big Mac with fries to their kids?
Read the article to get your parental ideas flowing about media literacy, age inappropriate movie/food tie-ins, and what you can advocate online with digital media to make this better for your kids in a world that is filled with people who care, like us!
Bravo MD’s and caring parents in Arkanas for getting on board for their kids and continuing to try to make things better.
with blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
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Movies and Sustainable Parenting posted on January 3, 2010
Greetings of grace, peace and serving the common good in this new calendar year!
Media is our dialogue, parenting and caring for children our focus. How to continually navigate the world of digital communication and entertainment as you faithfully love your children in family or community? All comments are welcome. Let’s get the new year going with some conversation about movies that are marketed in such a big way that the kids are begging you to take them to the theater. Or, you just really want to see the film and wonder if you should get a babysitter?
First up: Avatar. Story short: 150 years from now, humans discover a valuable mineral on a far-from-earth planet; they want it and so they take it without regard to the life that lives in spiritual peace on that planet. 
Some characters are sympathetic to the living systems on the planet, others are not. They fight, many die. Good guys and gals win, earthlings are sent back to earth to live with their selfish and greedy shame.
I recently watched this blockbuster film in 3-D, IMAX, with popcorn. I walked away wondering if folks would get beyond the scenes of spectacular destruction and violence as stimulation to a greater message of loving the life we live and showing some respect and reverence for the planet we live on with its interconnectedness of all creation. The reviews of the film are all over the Internet, and I suspect you have read some of them and are trying to decide whether or not to take your children to this movie. 
Adding to the technical and artistic reviews, I want to discuss what the kids might see on the big screen in a dark theater.
If you are considering taking your young or pre-adolescent children, I would once again suggest that you first weigh the rating, PG-13, with a serious hand. The adult nature of the story (ruining the resources of the planet, creating pain, suffering, death and destruction for creatures that did you no harm) and the scenes of adult behavior (the female blue native of the planet Pandora climbs on to the lap of the male to mate), the sheer violence (robotic creations of the humans guests on Pandora rip, bomb and destroy all living things, including children, fed by the passion of their greed) offered up in 3-D on the big screen are both eye popping and frightening. All this is soft pedaled in marketing, backed up by a cultural affirmation that includes branded movie themed free online games, toys for the Happy Meal, and the toys that are offered by a major toy manufacturing company for children, 5+.
I don’t know many 13 year olds who ask for the happy meal - food or toys. So, is anyone confused about the mixed messages being sent by media, toy makers and fast food chains to our young children? You may think these details fall into place without notice in the lives of your 5, 7, 8 etc…year old kids, I would wonder about that assumption as singularly true. There is a cultural affect to bear in mind; remember the multiple exposures to the brand like the fast food, clothing, toys or games that reach the kids without seeing the film and what those affirmations mean in regard to how your kids form opinions and make meaning in their lives.
When considering films for the kids and for your family, the following guidelines may be important to families who put faith principals at the center of their lives:
1. What is the message of the film and how is that message conveyed?
2. How is conflict solved between characters in the film (with violence that is depicted graphically, with conversation, or with intention, compassion and respect)?
3. How is life regarded in this film (as a gift, burden or without care)?
4. How is the film marketed (is it branded all over food products that may be unhealthy, is it on clothing you cannot afford, through toys that promote principals in line with your families ideals and faithful living)?
5. Did you see it first and agree as parents/careproviders that the children in your life can benefit or be entertained by this film?
Remember, too, that kids younger than 8 years old have a tough time telling fantasy from reality, so, even if you explain it and they say, ‘yes I understand’, they still are likely to think everything is real because it is their job to learn what is real. You are the adults who guide that learning.
So, Avatar and your family? If you have teens - go for it and have great conversation about how you feel about taking what is not yours to take (the corporate greed part of the film), or falling in love (the process and how it happened between the central characters), or why violence is a rough way to solve problems (all the death and destruction in the film that hurt and did not help) as you lay these themes against the faith formation in your family.
If you have younger children who are begging and bugging you to be taken to this big movie, be calm and say you would love to teach them chess, Crazy 8’s or how to build birdhouse, instead. You will love that nearly three hours (the length of this film) more than any film.
Blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
