"Mommy, I'm Scared": How TV and Movies Frighten Children and What We Can Do to Protect Them

Every parent should own this book, especially parents who THINK they know what "bad" content is. No parent in his or her right mind would allow a preschooler to watch programs featuring murder and mayhem, but sensitive parents realize that the most seemingly innocuous content can produce unexpectedly strong reactions in kids. By way of example, I'm reminded of a friend who was so frightened by a coconut that had a face carved in it (in a G-rated movie) that he refused to visit the grocery store produce section for months! This didn't go over well with his mother, as you can imagine. Cantor's book explains why such a thing occured by reviewing her extensive and rigorous program of research on the types of stimuli that produce fright reactions in children of different ages. It helped me understand why my husband had such strong fright reactions to nuclear war movies as an adolescent in the 80s, and why I was so afraid of clowns in the early 70s. The idea is that perceptual differences exist among kids in different developmental stages, and these differences can put them at risk for significant fright reactions that parents cannot always see coming. Cantor's book also deals with the most effective coping strategies for kids of different ages, thereby empowering parents to help their kids deal with fright reactions that couldn't be prevented (given that parents can't always preview what their kids see and that a G rating is no guarantee of fright-free content). With so many parents allowing their kids to watch the news these days, this book is more important than ever.

I was not prepared for what I learned when I read this book. Dr. Cantor is very forthright in telling parents and caregivers the effects of television and movies on children. She reminds us that very young children process the world in a very different way from adults, and we, as adults, have to be very aware of that difference as we choose TV shows and Movies for our kids. She herself was surprised by some of the results of her research, and that honesty was refreshing.Most interesting to me was the fact that some of these events were singular, ie, happened once, and the now-college aged students remember vividly their fear and their reactions to their exposure to certain shows. It makes me, as a parent, realize that it is up to ME to serve as the filter through which my children's TV and Movie choices come. If I don't protect them, no one else will.With the movie and TV ratings guided more by the bottom line than than a concern for our children's emotional welfare, it is even more vital that all parents become aware and actively involved in their kids' viewing habits.I highly recommend it, but you may not like the conclusions you will probably draw from it. As for us, the tube is off, for now.