Summer is here and I am Mean Mommie

by mrsjones5 49 Replies latest social family

• 

  Big Tex

  I said that a movie in which a couple just "appears" who happen to be rich and who happen to be wanting to adopt the child - is not realistic. I didn't say adoption itself wasn't realistic

  Ah, then I misunderstood.

  Of course, in the movie, the couple doesn't appear. Juno and her friend search through want ads from couples who want to adopt. Juno chooses them, not vice versa.

  So to reiterate, what I find unrealistic is the context in this movie. By chance they meet a rich couple who say "hey we'll look after your baby!". In reality, the girl would have to give birth and watch the baby be whisked away to be adopted out to people she has never met. I was suggesting that this movie would possibly give the idea that if you get pregnant you can just find someone perfect who will care for your child and it will all turn out wonderfully!

  Well again, the "rich" couple (they're more upper middle to be accurate) didn't meet Juno by chance.

  In the film, Juno does give birth to the baby and does watch the baby go away. However she didn't find someone "perfect". The "perfect" couple turns out to not be so perfect after all. They have problems, as does every other character in the film.

  In my opinion everything didn't turn out wonderfully. The film goes to great lengths to show what Juno has to put up with for 9 months, not just the physical demands, but the stigma and taunts from school and teachers. She also made a very difficult decision to give up her baby, the film shows them meeting with a lawyer who goes through the legal aspects.

  In the end, the couple divorces because the husband doesn't want children, so the wife is left to raise the baby on her own. She faced the same choice Juno did but she chose to keep the baby rather than give it up. Juno loved the baby enough to give it up, as she knew she could not give the baby what it needed, and the woman (played by Jennifer Garner) loved the baby enough to keep it because she knew she could give the baby what it needed.

  It's not a perfect solution by any means. The baby is going to grow up in a single parent home.

  Again I'm not saying this is a film for children. But it deserved all the accolades it got. Killer soundtrack too by the way.

  Chris
• 

  NYCkid

  Josie, I respect and appreciate your decision to regulate what your children view from the mass media. In fact I think parents need to "turn off" mass media more and read and talk with their children more.

  However I think banning something that was already in progress may have been counter-productive. I know that when I was a kid, my curiosity was enlivened more when my parents restricted something. Not being able to watch something or do something because "it's worldly and bad" or "because I said so" didn't cut it with me. Regarding sex, my father said nothing to me and my mother tried through that horrible pink Great Teacher book or the Young People Ask articles. I remember learning about birth in my 9th grade health class and I was red-faced with embarrassment, not because of the sensitive topic, but because I was the only one in the entire class that didn't know about intercourse. I had thought that a woman could get pregnant just by lying next to a man. (A few years before that I had asked how the doctor knew whether a baby was a boy or a girl, when the girl didn't have long hair yet....all I got from my parents was, "oh, isn't NYCkid cute?")

  I rented "Juno" a couple of weeks ago and don't know what all the Oscar buzz was about...it was just OK in my opinion, but I do think that it's an excellent story for teaching children about the consequences of unplanned pregnancy and sex outside of a stable and committed relationship. (I argue however that we should all be careful about allowing mass media to "educate us," but it was a pretty good story, especially for our children in the U.S. where we have the highest teen pregnancy rates in all the developed countries). From my viewpoint, a parent could discuss with their children after viewing the film together, "see, look at all the problems that ensued because Juno and her boyfriend had unprotected sex and were not prepared for having children (in more ways than one)." Then a parent could explain that "see, you really must have a good job, a committed partner (preferably through marriage), and definitely NOT be in high school." While abstinence should be promoted, children in the U.S. need to be taught that if for any reason a teen engages in sex, condomns should always, always, always be used.

  Anyway, I saw the film as not promoting sexual behavior in teens or abortion, but representing all the problems that occur when teens engage in sexual relationships and are not prepared for the consequences.

  Thanks for letting me share my thoughts.

  Best,

  NYCkid
• 

  nvrgnbk

  Rule #1 when offering advice to another parent on how to raise their kids:

  Never offer advice to another parent on how to raise their kids

  Good luck to you and your husband, Josie.

  P.S.- Like 6of9 said, we tend to underestimate kids in general.
• 

  inkling

  I think the children can come out learning that there's something to be said about abstinence.

  What, that it's vastly and embarrassingly unrealistic? [inkling]
• 

  UnConfused

  I remember when it was summer...you got a crew cut and was locked out of the house until supper. Now of course because of pedophiles and lawyers you can't let your kids out of your sight.
  
  I think if you hubby was going to ignore your request he should have had the decency to lie to you when he came down the stairs.....
• 

  Robert7

  It pissed me off that the Society would say that I, as a mature adult cannot watch R movies (which I watched anyway, LOL)
  
  But as a father of two kids, I do agree that the ratings should apply to the age groups defined. I think you are 100% correct with limiting what the kids are exposed to on TV and movies.
• 

  lola28

  I think you over reacted. If you’ve taught your children to be good human beings with morals and values watching one PG13 movie is not going to do damage to them. If you really want to keep them from watching inappropriate things I suggest you get rid of MTV, in fact get rid of your TV altogether along with your computer and your radio. Oh and you might also want to move them into the basement and away from civilization.
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  mrsjones5

  Thank you for all the replies. I especially appreciates the advice from the child rearing experts who don't had any kids yet...you made my day! *smile* :-D. I would say more but at this exact moment I'm getting my hair done. Bye. :-D
• 

  momzcrazy

  I love advice from childless people. "My kids will never do that!". Just wait they will. All the ideas you have on child rearing go flying out the window when a helpless kid, that you are totally responsible for, comes into the world with no owners manual.

  momz
• 

  hillbilly

  Thank you for all the replies. I especially appreciates the advice from the child rearing experts who don't had any kids yet...you made my day!

  I am the "crap police" at my house... and I really enjoy the opinions of those who have never had the pleasure.

  For all you kidless kids out there... when you finally do have progeny and you send them out among the living.... teachers and neigbors do notice how kids act.

  Hill