The Blog: ministry, music, media
How Much Media for Kids? posted on January 30, 2010
The latest Kaiser Family Foundation research on children and media was released and it is an eye-opener. 
It appears that children in our American households are spending a whopping 11+ hours per day with media. Check it out: http://slides.kff.org/chart.aspx?ch=1351
If your children are engaged in music while playing a game online, it might be considered average media consumption in your family. If you watch a movie together on Friday nights or a favorite TV show mid-week as a family, or music in the car while driving somewhere - it is all pretty typical usage in our media saturated culture.
The question I would pose is: Are you actually aware of the number of hours in a day where your children are using media - just like you are aware of the nutritional value of the meals you prepare them to consume as meets the needs of growing young bodies? For example, you know you put vegetables on the plate at dinner, fruits in the lunchbox and protein shows up next to carbs etc…because you spend time shopping, planning and hoping you are providing healthy, nutritious meals they will actually eat. How are you intentional about the media they consume as feeds growing hearts and minds where you want to see them live into the compassionate, kind and loving people you know them to be? Is there a faith component in your parenting as intersects the great big world? 
This is part of what we hope to help you with at Common Good Radio.
I love media, as you know. I love that we can communicate through this amazing tool of digital technology. I respect the fact that with all the choices you have online, you are paying attention to http://www.commongoodradio.org and inviting the kids to listen with you; I hope you know that we are very intentional about the programming with respect to age-appropriate content that speaks to hope, peace, compassion, kindness and curiosity in the lives of children and families. 
It is our mission to be a part of the media in the world so when the kids are learning to participate in media culture, they can have something that supports the expectation that not all media is trying to sell them something or undermine your parental authority by inviting the ‘nag’ factor, and, that media can be a valid expression of faith where children’s voices matter.
I also hope that you will share how you understand media consumption in your household here in blog responses so we can all benefit from real life experience.
blessings for the common good,
Pastor Robin
