RISHON LEZION, Israel — I do not understand this reaction to a television show:
Supermodel Cindy Crawford has banned her young daughter from watching Miley Cyrus’ hit TV show “Hannah Montana,” because it teaches her to talk back.
The star claims 7-year-old Kaya became rude and cocky after watching the teen hit, about a schoolgirl with a secret life as a pop star.
Crawford says, “I love ‘Hannah Montana,’ but (my daughter) learns to be sassy from that show. I’ll say to her, ‘I don’t let anyone talk to me like that. I’ll certainly not take it from a 7-year-old in my own house.’”
I have never understood whenever I hear parents tell their children not to “talk back” or have a “smart mouth.” Usually, this reprimand follows whenever a kid has vocally pointed out a flaw in the logic or consistency in something that a parent has said or done.
Of course, I do not have children, and I have only seen the “Hannah Montana” television show a couple of times when I have been in the United States. So, perhaps I am missing something. But would it not be better for parents to encourage their children to think and communicate intelligently and logically rather than passively accept whatever they are told?
If a child is being disrespectful, then that is something that needs to be stopped. But what is the problem with a child observing something intelligently and pointing it out to his mother or father? I hope that any future children I have will have a “smart mouth.”
I have also seen that Israel has a completely different culture in this context. Families yell, argue, and debate all the time — about everything. As far as I can tell, children are not expected to remain somewhat silent and passively obey whatever they parents say. I will be writing a post on the differences that I have seen between American and Israel in my Letter from Israel series, so stay tuned.
