In case you haven’t noticed, my taste in music is all over the map. I listen to just about anything. This would include music that isn’t always “Safe for the whole family”. So when I am not by myself, I find that the music I usually listen to either has to be filtered or changed completely. I always seem to pick up words that I had not heard, or realize just how raunchy a song really is. I realize that I have become numb to all of it. Yet a quick peak in the rear view mirror quickly reminds me that maybe I should be more “in tune” to what I am hearing.
I also felt a bit convicted when I thought “if it isn’t right for him to hear it, why is it ok for me”? The same thing happened with an old movie we were watching on the tube this weekend. I never remember that many cuss words, but I sure heard everyone of them while we were watching it with the kiddies. It’s amazing how much more accountable and in tune I can be when my children are around. Probably something to be said for that.
I have been challenged with the question of where you become old enough, “faithful enough” or Christian enough to be immune to lyrics, words or scenes in music and movies. The more I ponder and pray about that, I am not sure we do. It’s a fine line of discernment and I don’t want to be lukewarm.
I have friends who use TV Guardian (TVG) to monitor the verbage. They say it turns a fight into a batman like fight seen with the kapows and bams. I can be seen here http://tvguardian.com/gshell.php I don’t watch much tv but I do watch some shows that are violent for my children. We use the tv filter, (V-chip) to prevent teh children from watching inappropriate material. Great post.
Aaron,
I’ve experienced the same thing. Caden has turned into the “language” police. He listens to everything Christine and I say and will often interrupt us to say… you can’t say “hate” mommy… or you shouldn’t say “stupid” daddy. Our little ones hear everything with fresh ears.
Their sensitivity is a bit of a challenge to my “mature” de-sensitivity.
I can so relate to this! When my daughter was about three or four years old I was listening to music on the radio realizing that she was singing along to a lot of the songs. I started thinking about what she was singing (not anything really bad but nothing a 3 year old needed to be singing about!) and decided I needed to make a change. We didn’t have a good Christian station at the time but not to long later I found one and that’s pretty much all I’ve listened to ever since. My husband is another story though. 🙂 He likes all that old stuff he used to listen to as a teenager and my daughter likes some of it – it’s kind of an ongoing struggle in our house – only Christian music or a variety of music. It’s hard because some of it isn’t bad stuff but then every once in awhile a song isn’t that great and we hear that too.