Explaining the Meaning of Books, TV Shows, and Movies to Your Kids to Help Keep Them on the Right Path

I’m a strong believer in filling our minds with positive content on a regular basis. But there are times when our children might read, watch, or hear content that is inappropriate or not developmentally appropriate. This is easy to miss because it can be hard to keep up with every book and show they see. But as parents we do need to help guide our kids on the right path. The first step is being intentional with helping them know what types of books and shows you are allowing them to read and watch and what they cannot.

We need to teach our kids to know when to stop watching or reading inappropriate content. My kids have told me they feel they should stop watching certain shows because it contradicts our Biblical moral beliefs. Or certain shows make them feel uncomfortable and they stop watching them on their own. At first I had to be the one to stop them from watching certain shows that I felt were not appropriate, when they were younger. But as they are getting older, they are able to do it on their own. And I’m very proud of them. Kids are capable of doing this when they have been taught by their parents.

Another way to help our kids is to make sure our kids can properly process the content in a developmentally appropriate way and understand what is right and wrong. There was a book one of my children was assigned to read. My child had brought up some concerns about the book to me. I ended up purchasing the book myself and reading it so I could help this child understand. This is not a book I would have chosen for my kids to read, but there were assignments assigned. I made sure I paced myself with reading a few pages or a chapter a day to keep up with the reading and we discussed the whole book. As you can imagine, doing this was not easy, but I made it a priority to fit it in my day. The parts of the book that were a bit mature, I had to explain on this child’s level to avoid confusion of thinking that certain actions were appropriate just because it was stated in the book.

Kids are often gullible, so we must make sure they know if certain actions are right or wrong. They also imitate things they watch, hear, and see. So making sure they understand can help to prevent them from copying inappropriate behaviors. Being aware of the content that our children are consuming is important for their mental health too. Certain content can affect children’s moods and thoughts in a negative way. It’s essential that we are mindful of this. Our kids also need to understand that the world we live in is not perfect and that we live in a fallen and broken world. As they learn this they can be encouraged to trust God and choose to make wise choices regardless of what they see.

I hope this encourages you to help your kids. There is a lot of content out there that is easily accessible to our kids. And it’s our job as parents to guide and protect them, with God’s help.