How do you teach your kids about current events?

[DawnCt1]

Yeah, that is why we are teaching them early, if they love the life they live, to vote, VOTE, VOTE, and LISTEN to the talk radio, they speak the truth.

And ALL of ours vote now too!

 

[DawnCt1]

 

[AustinTink]

Wow, I thought politics were not allowed on the DIS. It escalates so easily, doesn't it? This is perfect example of why our nation is so deeply divided. Sad.

 

[Colleen27]

I am a Republican, but I would no sooner have my kids listening to Rush than I would have them watching porn. I would rather have them learn to make their own decisions about issues rather than having it screamed at them with such derisive terms. And if you think kids pick up on the nuances of sarcasm, I don't even know what to say.

I wouldn't go so far as comparing it to porn, but I agree with the rest. When I teach my kids about current events, I want them hearing/reading/seeing facts and learning to think about issues and make up their own minds, not being told what to think/feel by some biased talking head (on either side of the aisle).

 

[handinpocket]

Wow, I thought politics were not allowed on the DIS. It escalates so easily, doesn't it? This is perfect example of why our nation is so deeply divided. Sad.

.

 

[wdwiala]

This has certainly had an interesting turn of events....

 

[descovy]

Fox and Friends, first thing in the morning!

It's all good... my kiddos watch Jon Stewart with me every morning (dvr'd from the night before)

 

[shortbun]

We kept the news, especially the sensationalized local, from our son until he was about 10. We did listen to national and international here and there. We censored contraversy, politics and opinions, from him until he was 14. We talked a lot about Abe Lincoln's 'believe none of what you hear and only half of what you see' quote as we were turning him on to all the news. I still don't recommend 'commentators' as he is not fully developed intellectually and I'd like to allow him to stay a child for another year or two. His Humanities course teachers are requiring a current events report weekly. He's chosen to report on things like the gasoline spill in the Nile. He and his friends do listen to our adult conversations when we party with our friends and he's aware of our political leaning but we've given him clear berth on making his own decisions. I even try to present the 'other side' in a dry, straight manner if he asks. He's suprised me on a couple of issues and landed somewhere pretty far from me on them. Current events around here come with a disclaimer that all that glitters is not gold and there is no one able to report without putting a little of themselves into it.

 

[Magpie]

We watch the news with them, we discuss articles in the paper, we rarely censor our conversations, and we're always upfront and honest.

Plus, I never miss an opportunity to pass on a life lesson to the kids. "Hey, look at this. Some kid decided to dig into a snowbank and it collapsed on him and now he's dead. Oh man, that's incredibly sad for his poor parents and his friends. And what have we learned from this? Don't dig caves in snowbanks! We'd miss you!"

The news has led us into family discussions about everything from snow safety to date rape to complex ethical dilemmas.

Oh... and we also regularly watch the Daily Show and the Colbert Report!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

I dislike and distrust the media, and don't spend a lot of time listening to the news besides NPR and The Daily Show. We don't really talk about current events much with the kids. Sometimes. My kids will occasionally listen to On the Media or Planet Money when I have a podcast on in the car (or Car Talk...). But, we just don't find it that important. They know the elections are coming up. Not sure if they knew much about the Chile miner thing.

Although they tend to know more about football and baseball current events.

 

[LiberalPrincess]

I wouldn't go so far as comparing it to porn, but I agree with the rest. When I teach my kids about current events, I want them hearing/reading/seeing facts and learning to think about issues and make up their own minds, not being told what to think/feel by some biased talking head (on either side of the aisle).

Thanks! That is exactly my point. Let the facts speak for themselves. No need for being told how to think. Especially for kids!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

The only pundit I think is healthy for my children to listen to is Uncle Jay. Everybody else, whether I agree with them or not, talk about subject matter I don't want to subject my kids too.

And either way, talking heads are not journalists.

 

[SunnyP4Disney]

DS is 12 and very savvy, we usually watch the evening local news while eating dinner (we're at the table but it's an open floor plan) and then he finishes up his homework while we have MSNBC on (our nightly liberal indoctrination, lol). He also likes to watch reruns of The Daily Show and Colbert Report.

Both DH and I have worked in the government field, DH is military and I work in local county public admin, and we want to make sure our child is in touch with what's out there so when he grows up he can help make our country better.

 

[nskjerven]

My DH took the kids (DD13 and DS 10) to school while listening to NPR - on the way home I drove and we'd talk and talk and talk. It was some of the best conversations we've ever hand. Now they are older they walk to school together - I bet they aren't talking world events anymore

 

[NHdisneylover]

WE used to always have All Things Considered or the BBC news hour on in the car in the mornings. Both shows (which were both on NPR) tend to cover world events but not focus as much on the sensational and violent/scary aspects in the way that virtually every other outlet (on all sides) seem to. SO, I felt that was more appropriate for the kids.

Their school used to send home a note every year asking each parent to pay a few dollars (I want to say $3) to subscribe to TIME for Kids. It is a good publication that covers current events but in a bit less detail and (again) avoiding the over sensationalized stuff. When we homeschooled we found we could not easily get an individual subscription, but we got a group of friends together and still did a group subscription. You may look into that. Perhaps by now they let individuals subscribe.

As they get used to seeing/hearing news and forming opinions (including, with you guidance) about the quality and realibility of reposrting then have them branch out into Newpapers, TV news, News magazines, etc. My 13 year old is a real current events junkie00makes life easy for when my DH travels (nearly every week) as her favourtie present for him to bring home is an issue of Time