To all conspiracy theorists with younger children

[wasn't sure where to post this, so mods move if need be]

I have a year and half old son, and another son on the way. I've been think a lot lately about how I'm going to explain certain things to them when they are older. Concerning religion, I'm going to let them make up their own minds about that. As long as they don't join a crazy cult I'll be fine with it.

However, with matters concerning the world, conspiracy theories and such, I don't know how I'd go about that.
I think there is a lot more going on in the world than we're lead to believe. I want to tell them that not everything on tv is true, and they can't always trust everyone around them. I would like them to be believers with a healthy dose of skepticism.

If they ask me if I believe in aliens/ufos, I will say that I do, but no one really knows for sure if they exsist.
If they ask me about the government, I will say I don't think it's to be trusted.
My only concern is once they decide what they believe to be true, that they will be ridiculed for it. If you're 6 years old and believe in aliens and you try to explain that to another 6 year old who hasn't been brought up to believe such things, that's a sticky situation for a kid that thinks it's normal.
I know all too well how the american culture is, and I don't want them getting caught up in it. I don't want them to be brainwashed by the MSM like I was for so long.


I'm wondering if any ATS members have gone through this with their children?
And if you haven't yet, how do you expect to explain subjects like this with them?
I'm very curious to hear your answers

Easy. Tell them the same thing my Grandfather told me..and I said this before in another thread... Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Never be afraid to ask questions, and if someone says that its not right to ask, then they are in the wrong. History is a strong subject for my son who is only 12, and he is constantly amazed at what is left out of history schoolbooks, and for that matter, so am I. I just explain to him that there are just too many factors for the teachers or schools to cover, so we have to find out on our own. Offer all you can in the way of information from all sources, that way your children will be able to consider all sides.

reply to post by casijones


I've got two sets of kids. One set is aged 20 & 17, the other set is age 7 & 5. The first is from a previous marriage.

With the first set, we imposed our beliefs on the kids. We never really let them make their minds up about anything, it was what we wanted. Santa claus, easter bunnies - that came & went...it was somewhat knocked askew due to our short (very short) stint as Jehovah's witnesses. They were around 9 & 11 when their mother & I split & things got...odd for me for a while...at their mothers they did things her (new) way, and I pretty much let them do whatever they wanted to do whenever they were with me. These days, my son, is up for a promotion to Seargent in the Army...daughter...well, she does what she wants to do and that's pretty much the way it is.

The batch I'm raising now, we've decided to let them make their minds up about religion, government...etc. When asked (and they have asked about how things got here, like whales, birds...) we supply them with the information we have at the time presented in a manner that kids can understand. For evolution...it's something along the lines of "A long time ago there was nothing but water, and different stuff in the water and it mixed all around and made a little tiny animal, and later that animal changed into something else, and that one into something else, and all it's babies changed into different things that are the things we know today"
It's hard to explain politics to elementary school kids..we haven't gone there yet.

As far as the MSM goes, it's hard to isolate kids from it. They need to be aware of it, and it's very hard to keep kids from getting caught up in it. It's not just the media, it's the mainstream *anything*
We don't even have televisions in our home. They watch educational shows & various kids movies ripped from DVD's or caught from somewhere online, they've got a computer set up in their bedroom that serves as a "television" with over 1200 shows to pick from.
Our 7 year old will hardly eat candy, even if he's offered a bucketful. The 5 year old wowed a waitress last week when he said he wanted a salad instead of the other fruits/fries they had for side orders.
We are very firm with them on their do's & don't-do's regarding their behavior in public. The logic behind this is if it is instilled firmly in them when they are very young, they will be less likely to bend to peer pressure. We'll have to wait a few years to see about that.
I work from home, they go to public school, we do things in the afternoon almost everyday if the weather is permitting, even if it's just walking around the block. For days of non-inclement weather we have several drawers full of "craft" materials that we use to make different things that I'll usually display in my workplace.
I'm hoping the extra effort pays off - I almost hate to think what the world will be like in 35 years or so when they're the age I am now.

Originally posted by volafox
Easy. Tell them the same thing my Grandfather told me..and I said this before in another thread... Don't believe anything you hear and only half of what you see. Never be afraid to ask questions, and if someone says that its not right to ask, then they are in the wrong. History is a strong subject for my son who is only 12, and he is constantly amazed at what is left out of history schoolbooks, and for that matter, so am I. I just explain to him that there are just too many factors for the teachers or schools to cover, so we have to find out on our own. Offer all you can in the way of information from all sources, that way your children will be able to consider all sides.

Yes i agree with that. I'm just afraid too when they reach school age that they might have certain ideas about things, and who knows what they'll be teaching by then, that will conflict with what teachers tell them. I'm sure my kids will be quite outspoken, so I can only imagine when parent/teacher time comes around...

Originally posted by sykickvision
reply to post by casijones

 

Our 7 year old will hardly eat candy, even if he's offered a bucketful. The 5 year old wowed a waitress last week when he said he wanted a salad instead of the other fruits/fries they had for side orders.
We are very firm with them on their do's & don't-do's regarding their behavior in public. The logic behind this is if it is instilled firmly in them when they are very young, they will be less likely to bend to peer pressure. We'll have to wait a few years to see about that.

I'm a waitress myself, and I hate when parents order diet soda for their 5 year old (or even younger). It makes me happy when the children themselves ask for salad or fruit. There's many parents my age I see that let their kids run amok, make messes, and completely have total disrespect for everyone around them.
I'm trying to find a parenting style that will be a blend of old school, while being completely down to earth with them regarding any questions they have. I don't plan on letting them watch a lot of tv, or playing a lot of video games. The last thing I want is my children to be materialistic zombies.
I agree too, that they won't be completely immune to all MSM of any type, but all I can do is hope I instill good morals and values in them. That way they can make wise decisions regarding what they're fed through the culture.

reply to post by casijones


Mom,in 18 years your concern won't be aliens.

You will be spending all your time explaining to them what freedom was and that there existed, when they were born, a English speaking country that actually practiced democracy.

The indoctrination of the youth will be complete in 10 and the socialists will be totally in power by then.

By 2030 they will be telling the youth that you as a person(parent) is not relevant.

They will only listen to and believe what the government media and their indoctrinators(teachers) tell them.

If you think I am kidding it is already happening today.

my son will be 14 next months.

but since he was born we raised him the way to make up his own mind.
which is pretty good for him, since he soaks information like a dry sponge.
and than thinks about the informations and puts them together like a jigsaw.

sometimes it is even very hard to reply to a question he has, coz he has a very strong idea about what is going on.
no matter what question it is, i am going to reply to him, on the intellectual level he is able to cope - meanwhile it is like talking to an adult.

when it came to food we always allowed him to choose on his own, no matter what it was or how strange it appeared to me. when he has been a toddler and came for grocery shopping to the supermarket with me, he used to ponder about which yogurt he would take home, and therefore there was never a mess or a fight or anything unpleasant.
anything he would have chosen by himself, he would eat!
and he lives much more healthy than me

meanwhile he is in grade 8 and we get some problems with other kids.
he has very own insights in the corruptness of politicians and the financial system and tells everybody (no matter if they like to hear it or not) that the system will break soon, or his idea about the developing of the continents are worth a conspiracy theorist but with the brain washed mass media believing kids - this causes problems and they try to bully him - which doesn.t make him think differently