on Dear Gossip Girl, WTF?!?! Signed, Parents Of America at 20:11 11/04/2009 as a reply on the comment by jham

For your information, both my husband and I work. In fact, work two jobs, one full-time and one part-time job. We put blocks on our TV. The kids don't have a TV in their room. If there is work to be done on the computer, there is always an adult on sitting next to them. There are no video games. They are encouraged to read, play with creative toys or play outside with their friends, not sit in front of the tube. Yes, my children are only 8 and 4, but I aim to have the values (worked for me, my sister, my husband and brother-in-law—we all had very involved parents) instilled in them well before they're teenagers and spending lengthy amounts of time away from us. I believe it is already working. I'm aiming to raise confident, self-aware individuals who know their self-worth and aren't swayed by one or two TV shows. I think that all parents should have this aim. I'm not saying that it's easy to limit your child, when "everyone else is doing it," but instead of wasting energy trying to convince a TV network to change its programming, we should be investing that energy in being a positive influence in our children's lives.

on Dear Gossip Girl, WTF?!?! Signed, Parents Of America at 20:01 11/04/2009 as a reply on the comment by ISIS2080

I believe the role models in your children's lives shouldn't come from a TV show. They should come from the INVOLVED people around them. I don't just talk to my children about what our family values. I LIVE it. I explain to them about everything that we value. We go to church. (I'm not saying that everyone has to, that's just what we value). We volunteer in the community. We go out to cultural events. I try to limit what my kids see on TV, and when they do see something, I talk to them about it. I don't believe that it's the TV's (or any other media entity) responsibility to take care of my children.

on Dear Gossip Girl, WTF?!?! Signed, Parents Of America at 19:49 11/04/2009 as a reply on the comment by ISIS2080

I'm not saying that this group can't go and send their letters. Go ahead. What I'm saying is that PARENTS need to take responsibility. I'm tired of people saying "this show is trash." DON'T WATCH the show. That's how TV shows work: when ratings decline, the show gets taken off the air. I frankly don't care if there are no TV show for kids. Kids are better off not watching TV anyway. Do I let my children watch kids shows? Yes. I watch with them. And, as I wrote earlier, I know that kids will probably see something you don't want them to see at a friend's house or wherever. So, you talk to your child about it. I've done it before, and I'll continue to do it. It's being a PARENT. I suppose a big part of it is having open communication with your children as well. I worked on it from the moment they were born, so, it may be harder for parents who are just now getting concerned with what the media has in store for their kids, but it's still not impossible.

on Dear Gossip Girl, WTF?!?! Signed, Parents Of America at 19:08 11/04/2009 as a reply on the comment by jham

How what would be possible? Restricting what your children watch? Simple. TURN OFF THE TV. DON'T ALLOW YOUR CHILDREN TO PLAY VIDEO GAMES. It's easy. Yes, difficult to tell them "no" sometimes, but you know what? Sometimes in life, you get told "no." It takes supervision. And, I understand, sometimes, especially as the kids get older, they might see something (like the odd episode of Gossip Girl, or example) at a friend's house. You find out about it, you TALK TO YOUR CHILD. I fail to see how you don't understand this. I don't expect the CW network to censor itself to fit my family's needs. I expect that I will be responsible for what MY CHILDREN watch. Like I said, it's called PARENTING.

on Dear Gossip Girl, WTF?!?! Signed, Parents Of America at 18:26 11/04/2009

PARENTS are responsible for what their children watch. PERIOD. If your child does happen to watch something that you didn't mean for them to watch, or something that goes against the values you're trying to teach your child, it's your job, as the PARENT, to sit them down and talk to them about it. It's called PARENTING. I'm not saying it's easy, I have an 8-year-old and a 4-year-old, sometimes, it's hard to explain to them that they can't watch/do/read/play the same things their friends are. That's just one of the reasons why PARENTING is the toughest job anyone will take on.