My 3 year-old daughter and I have been spending some time together these days. She's not feeling all that well, so she's been watching her favorite movie, Toy Story 2. It's a lot better than the original, especially for her because the villain is a little easier to watch.

On my 124th viewing today -- I have three children who love the movie -- a question dawned on me: Why does Andy have a TV in his room? Maybe it isn't so much a question as an objection. Of course, it serves the plot to inform the toys about the "chicken man." Still, I'm not sure what's more disturbing; the TV in the child's bedroom or the fact that it took me this long to realize that the TV was there in the bedroom. A TV is on my short list of things to keep out of my child's bedroom, along with small kitchen appliances, power tools, and alligators.

You might ask, "Is TV really this dangerous?" Do we even need to ask the question? Even the ads for Desperate Housewives are obscene...and they come on during family hour! Exposing my kids to this kind of stuff just doesn't fit my parenting model. Neither does allowing them on the internet without close guidance. It's just not a bright idea to allow a pipeline to the world loose in your kid's bedroom. Keep it in a common area, if you keep it at all, and monitor it.

We don't get broadcast TV where we live, thankfully, and it makes keeping a reign on entertainment simple. We have one satellite receiver hooked up to one TV with parental controls and customized programming that keeps the bulk of the "stuff" out. DVDs and games are chosen carefully, partly because we can't afford a whole lot, but mostly because we believe what you consume affects what you become. This is a natural extension of educating our children at home. If we sacrifice this much to be able to guide our children in what they learn, we're not going to stop with just textbooks.

I need to take a step back here and say that not all entertainment is evil. There are some great movies out there that are particularly helpful in raising and equipping your teens. As my own children get older, I will help them think through their entertainment choices. Guiding them and helping them think through what makes for good entertainment is a privelege. They may not agree with me on every choice and that's where we'll be able to challenge the choice on the grounds of the following criteria:

1. Realism -- By this, I don't just mean realistic characters or settings. Hollywood's fixation on realism gives them the excuse to show life in all it's graphic and sometimes gory detail, or to portray the hero as morally adrift. Instead, I look for the the show, movie, or game to show a realistic portrayal of cause-and-effect. The bulk of the entertainment industry is famously incapable of showing the impact of certain actions, especially sexual activity. The "pregnancy rate" of characters is far below those of their real-life counterparts who are engaging in sex. Hollywood almost never has a screen-based correllary to the fact that thousands of teenagers who participate in sex contract a sexually transmitted disease. Why don't sit-coms show all the negative effects of sin? For one thing, it's not funny. But lying could cost you more in real life than they ever show in the 30-minute episode. As a result, most sit-coms would fail the reality test.
   
2. Redemption -- Bond...James Bond is the classic poster boy for movies without a high redemptive value. At the end of GoldenEye, I left the theater thinking I could use a shower to get all the gunk off of my soul. Sure, Q had the awesome devices and Brosnan did fine carrying on the legacy...but what a legacy! Let's leave out the realism factor -- Bond would a petri dish of STDs by now. What about redemption? For all the cool explosions, eye-popping effects, and "fate of the world in the balance" type of plots, Bond's playboy lifestyle robs the viewer of feeling like they've seen a hero at work. And saving the world is the work of heroes, not "anti-heroes." Anti-heroes are a post-modern invention to make everyone feel noble about their own issues. They're a writer's way around the ultimate need for redemption of a human soul by Jesus Christ. Heroes are worthy of a rosy picture because they emulate the character of God, which is something to aspire to, not a puddle of pathos to dip our toes in. Heroes redeem the story by showing the heart of God toward rescuing, wooing, and pursuing. Yes, life is messy, problematic, and full of strife and sin, but heroes and heroines show us that it's possible to overcome all that. Without it, all you have is a rambling story of despair.
   
3. Reason -- We need a reason to seek entertainment. That may sound strange, but entertainment is good only towards the end it services. Do we need a break from our work? Are we looking to build up our family by sharing a common point of reference? Or are we simply looking to escape our lives and avoid what needs our attention? This is as much a spiritual question as it is a psychological or social one. Entertainment, like everything else, can be used for God's kingdom or against it.
   

The worst thing that could happen with my children is for them to think that entertainment is evil, and. even though we outwardly condemn it, we still secretly enjoy it. That's religion, not connecting with God. Entertainment is a way to recreate. By teaching my children in this area, I'm showing them how to play the game the right way and keep from injuring themselves and others. Now, if we could only get other parents to help keep their kids from "playing in the street" -- to extend the metaphor. Then maybe Tarantino and Co. will have less of a demand and end up making B-movies on a $50,000 budget. Wouldn't that be something?

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For more reading:

• Brent Bozell on Sex and the TV Watching Teen
• Small surprise -- Mass Media May Prompt Kids to Try Sex: Study
• Get a close inspection of the latest movies, games, and music from a Christian perspective at Plugged In Online.
• Spunky's Don't Control the Remote... at Spunky Homeschool
  

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