HopeForYourFamily

If you know me, or read my blog with any regularity, you know I have a passion for helping families navigate the evolving sea of entertainment/media/technology in as healthy a manner as possible. One huge portion of this evolving world is the vast expanse of online “social networking” sites, with MySpace and Facebook still leading the field. I have shared previously my perspectives on these sites, with recommendations for parents. Today I write, not just as a media/family expert and critic, but as a social networking participant - a Facebooker.

One of the differences (among many) between Facebook and MySpace is that Facebook really presents itself as essentially tamer and not quite as edgy as MySpace. Sure, people post their party pics, share wisecracking “bumper stickers,” and post links to favorite videos and such. But the Facebook experience somehow seems less given to some of the worst of the MySpace experience. (MySpace is certainly not all bad, by the way.) Well, I am pleased to share with you a recent experience that really encouraged me regarding Facebook’s desire and efforts to remain a positive social networking experience. I was looking for the profile of someone who was not on my official “friends” list. When I entered her name, I saw a profile list of a dozen or so people with the same name. One of these individuals had a very sexually revealing and provocative picture on their profile image, and I immediately reported it to Facebook, which they readily encourage in such situations. Facebook’s stock just went up in my view, when they responded within a couple days and pulled the offensive image.

Way to go, Facebook! No, they can’t police everything everyone does on such a vast social network, nor should they. But they can maintain certain limits on what can be shared for all to see, and I am impressed to see how willing they are to do so. Happy Facebooking!

Here’s a link to a terrific resource for setting the right tone for family life this summer.

Make it a MediaWise Summer!

Check out the new Parenting 101 page on WAFB.com! Thanks to Daniel and Cheryl and Jill at WAFB and Jill Rigby for the work they have put into bringing this page into reality. I look forward to seeing the new page develop in the coming weeks and months. If you like the page, and appreciate it, please pass on your thanks to WAFB. Enjoy, and God bless you as you keep working hard to raise your children well.

With Hope,

Roger

“The Golden Compass” may look fun, but it has a VERY SINISTER DARK SIDE! No surprise, since it is based on the first book in a bold atheist’s “His Dark Materials” trilogy.

I may very well be writing more about this in the coming weeks, as the release of “The Golden Compass” approaches. Folks, I don’t know what you’ve heard about this film which presents itself as a kid-friendly adventure, not unlike the fantastic world of Narnia. This one is bad news - very bad news! I would urge you not to go, not to let your kids go, persuade your friends and family not to go, and do the same with the books on which the movie is based. I know in the world of internet hoaxes, it is easy to tune out things such as this post, which may ring of conspiracy theory. Do what I do when you hear something along these lines, check it out on www.snopes.com. In fact, here is the specific link regarding this movie: http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp   Or check out this Wikipedia article about the “His Dark Materials” trilogy.  Here is the information straight from Snopes.com, which has proven true every time I have checked it:

“The Golden Compass, a fantasy film starring Nicole Kidman that is scheduled to be released into theaters on 7 December 2007, has been drawing fire from concerned Christians. The film is based on Northern Lights (released in the U.S. as The Golden Compass), the first offering in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy of children’s books, a series that follows the adventures of a streetwise girl who travels through multiple worlds populated by witches, armor-plated bears, and sinister ecclesiastical assassins to defeat the oppressive forces of a senile God.Books of the trilogy have sold more than 15 million copies around the world, with Northern Lights winning the Carnegie Medal for Children’s Literature in 1995 and in 2007 being awarded the ‘Carnegie of Carnegies’ for the best children’s book of the past 70 years. The Amber Spyglass, the final book of the series, won The Whitbread Prize in 2001, making it the first children’s book to do so.

The series’ author, Philip Pullman, is an avowed atheist who has averred that “I don’t profess any religion; I don’t think it’s possible that there is a God; I have the greatest difficulty in understanding what is meant by the words ’spiritual’ or ’spirituality.’” Critics of Pullman’s books point to the strong anti-religion and anti-God themes they incorporate, and although literary works are subject to a variety of interpretations, Pullman left little doubt about his intentions when he said in a 2003 interview that “My books are about killing God.” (Conservative British columnist Peter Hitchens labeled Pullman “The Most Dangerous Author in Britain” and described him as the writer “the atheists would have been praying for, if atheists prayed.”)”

Beginning in the upcoming November/December issue, I will be a regular columnist for Southern Families Magazine.  My column will be an “ask-the-expert” piece entitled “Hope For Your Family.“  It will include my email address so readers can submit questions for me to address in forthcoming issues of Southern Families.  I am impressed with this new magazine, which has a distribution throughout Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and would encourage you to become a regular reader.  It is available for subscription, or on free displays located at a growing number of locations throughout the region.  If you like it, be sure to recommend it to your pediatrician, doctor, hairstylist, or other such professionals who provide magazines in their waiting area.

Normally when I make movie recommendations, it is to rent a video and watch it at home, typically for some “therapeutic” value. Let’s face it - watching movies on the big screen costs a fortune these days, and a lot of it is junk. Having said that…

You need to see Spiderman 3!!! This is not about being amazed by the special effects or the thrill of seeing comic book heroes and villains come to life at the theater. It’s about watching a Hollywood film with great moral messages. The themes in this summer blockbuster are obvious and in your face - and really fantastic. I salute the makers and producers of this great movie for challenging us to live lives of self-sacrifice, righteousness, and forgiveness, rather than the selfishness, wickedness, and bitterness that seem to be consuming our culture much like a sticky blob of black tar that crawls around looking for someone already headed down the wrong path…OK, I’ll let you go watch it for yourself.

Check out my “Therapeutic Movie Recommendations” page for more recommendations and helpful resources and links regarding using movies for insight and inspiration.

Check out my Parenting 101 page to see my latest interview and read the Q & A regarding children/adolescents and self-injury.