People (my husband, for example) keep asking me why this Spongebob thing has me so up in arms. Mark knows that I'm fairly laid back in terms of media, and I have a pretty decent sense of humor, in my humble opinion. Heck, I even know most of the words to "Baby Got Back;" the original song came out when I was in junior high school (I'm sure my parents would be appalled if they knew their 12 year old was singing "My anaconda don't want none unless you got BUNS hun!" Just the mere thought of that is enough to send me into giggles). People that know me know that I'm not even into the whole "woman's lib" thing. I've always been considered "just another one of the guys" by Mark's friends and can trade Simpsons quotes with the best of 'em. So I've been thinking a lot about the question Mark asked me - WHY does the commercial offend and bother me so much?
I think what it comes down to is the fact that as Matt and Jill are getting older, I find myself wanting to hold on to their innocence for as long as possible. I want to shield them from all the ugliness in the world. They are much too young to be exposed to violence, sexuality, crude and vulgar humor and all the other crap that's out there. I never want to them to lose their rose-colored view of the world. I want Jill to be able to respect herself and her femininity for as long as possible. I want Matt to grow up to respect himself and respect women. Yet as one who (yes, I'll admit it) lost my virginity way too young because I was just so damned naive about the world and the consequences that come from such a thing... well, where do you draw the line??
It's definitely proving to be a confusing conundrum for me as a mom: how do I protect their innocence, yet at the same time instill in them respect for themselves so that they make the right choices in life? Also, does it make me a hypocrite to want to shield them from the crap that's out there, yet at the same time still enjoy trading jokes with Mark and his friends or watching shows with that kind of humor? Is it wrong for me to be horrified by women being objectified and sexualized in a kid's meal commercial, even though before I saw the commercial I actually kind of liked the song?
Unfortunately, I'm not any closer to the answers to these questions now than when I started this post. But I hope that it gives my friends and family a glimpse into the conflicts and battles I've been having between the two pieces that make up 'ME' - my persona as "Mom" and the Kelly I've always thought I was.
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1 comment:
Kelly, Tim and I had a similar conversation when I first brought this issue to his attention. I am much like you, finding myself wanting to hold on to the innocence of my children. I like the song...for adults. I find it humorous...for adults. I am not a prude but we need to keep adult content reserved for that audience. When we blur the lines we confuse our children, send mixed messages and ultimately do them a great disservice.
A time will come for them to be exposed to the "real world" 3 and 4 just isn't that time. And hopefully, before that time comes we have done our job as parents and taught them self respect and dignity so that when they are adults they can watch a commercial like this and find the adult humor in it...but also be outraged by the fact that they are targeting children.
I think your instincts with this are right on with this.
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