There would be times when my mother wouldn't be able to help us with operating the TV and DVD player back when my brother and I were kids, and so she taught us how to use them ourselves. Fascinated by technology at that age, I made sure to harness the new-found knowledge and - you know what kids do - watch my favourite shows.
I would sit for countless hours watching my favourite cartoons and never fancied the idea of sleep. Usually, I'd sneak to the sitting room to watch all night. I think my mother was always aware, but she never really complained much—unless I'm being lazy with house chores and some responsibilities.
Knowing how much we enjoyed cartoons, she would buy film and cartoon cassette discs for her boys every now and then, especially when she traveled. You should have seen my excitement when she brought Star Wars and X-men CDs the day she arrived from her trip to Abuja. And many other films too. Like Kung Fu Panda, she's the reason I got to watch it the year it was released. It's almost like she knew my taste then.
Many of the cartoons and films I had access to then were pretty safe. I don't remember my mother disapproving of any of them. I'm not sure if she always watched, though, but I remember she sat down with her little men back then to watch together.
The only time I remember getting disapproval of something I watched then was when Harry Potter was considered a "demonic film" in a church and was stealing the souls of children. It wasn't my mom, but she didn't even try to stop us from destroying all the CDs, and so we did. Now that I am older, my brother and I were so unwise.
I wouldn't say that all of the films I had as a kid were entirely safe, but there were generally no problems or controversies. And to me, they were often really good ones. I can't say the same about what we now have for kids of this generation.
I see some of the things these little kids watch (or want to watch), and I feel like what we had back then was way more creative and safe, too. These days, you have to be extra careful with what your kids are watching. Otherwise, you might find them saying or doing things that would surprise you but mostly scare you.
So, for sure, I will be monitoring the kinds of things that my own kids watch in the future. Their minds are very vulnerable at young ages. I will give them as much liberty as they need, though, because I actually learned a lot from films growing up.
Although some films may be rated, I still think it's worth knowing for oneself if those films truly comply with the ratings. It's surprising what cartoons for six-year-olds convey in messages to kids, and kids will always be unsuspecting.
Parenthood is a whole different ball game, but it's also a responsibility you don't want to mess up.
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