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Culture Watch
One area that a parent should be knowledgeable in is the culture that their child interacts with on a daily basis. This can include movies, music, magazines, other influences, and trends. However, finding time to stay current with adolescent culture can be a challenge. Check out the following websites to help you become educated with what your children see and hear in the world around them.
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Ministry and Media—www.ministryandmedia.com
As a parent, do you know what is new in music, videos, and movies? Are you consistent with checking out the lyrics of the songs your teens are listening to? This website is designed “to be a storehouse of pop culture information and programming ideas that will help adults relate the gospel to teenagers.” This site may help you be able to talk to your child about the movies and music they experience and enable you to point these experiences to God. We recommend taking the free tour of the website to learn the details of its purpose.
Center for Parent and Youth Understanding—www.cpyu.org
The Center for Parent/Youth Understanding is a nonprofit organization committed to building strong families by serving to bridge the cultural-generational gap between parents and teenagers. The mission of CPYU is to work with churches, schools, and community organizations to build stronger relationships between young people and those charged with helping them grow into healthy adulthood. CPYU does this by offering parents and adults a wide variety of articles, books, seminars, and newsletters all designed to educate adults about the society our teens and adolescents are engaged in.
CPYU events in our area:
Tuesday, September 11, in Lancaster— Understanding Today’s Youth Culture. 7:00-9:00pm at Parish Resource Center. For more information, contact Rosalyn Ward at rosalynward@parishresourcecenter.org
Saturday, September 22, in Export PA – Preparing for the College Transition. 10:00am – 1:00pm at Emmanuel Lutheran Church. For more information, contact Angela Held at rrrev1@juno.com
Monday, September 24, in Eagleville, PA – Understanding Today’s Youth Culture. 6:30-9:00pm at the Church of the Nazarene of FairView Village. For more information, contact Bill Bennett at bill@cross-fire.org
Promise Keepers Internet Filter—www.pkfamily.com
This ministry is “a filtered internet service provided by Promise Keepers and is dedicated to making the internet a useful and practical communication tool, and is available to all people, all ages, and all faiths.” They readily endorse an Internet that provides a vast amount of information and communication that is beneficial to society. However, sites that contain pornography, hate speech, violence, and other destructive content clearly present a major problem. While we believe in the freedom of speech, we firmly believe that parents have the right to as sure that their children and homes be protected from exposure to subjects that may cause them harm.
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You may also want to take a look at some of the following sites—just to keep your head in the game:
www.mtv.com
www.rollingstone.com
www.kidsworld.com/sit/advice_corner.htm
www.teenpeople.com
www.timeforkids.com/tfk/kidscoops
