24 - North Shore News ~ Wednesday, September 27, 2000 ivinarooin NEWS photo _ Spring into fall WHILE the kids: are hitting the books again with “much guste, there should sill be time left for play. M NATIVE JEWELLERY _ Weppine Rincs” - 441 West 3rd Street, North Vancouver 988-9215 rthday Parties!) $ from oniy 99 person M incusdina 2 pan sized pizza each, pop, 3 games “of laser tag and 1 hour in the party room. Parties take apprex 2 hours in total and yes, we do supply the plates, forks, napkins & cups. We also have a fridge for your cake and ice cream - FOR SER: DOME : LASER TAG ul West 16th Street, North Van Ph: 985-6033 Aché Brasil Sunday, Nov. 26 TWO SHOWS » 14:36ar1 & 2:00pm - «Fred Penner ” & His Cat's Meow Banp ‘Saturday, Oct. 21... TWO SHOWS.” BAND Charlotte Diamond & THe Huc Buc Sunday, Dec. 17 ERED EI INT BOP ERE 2 Parenti PERHAPS it is my age or perhaps it is the age of my children, but it seems to me the job of being a parent is getting an awful lot bigger these days. I seem to spend an inordi- Nate amount of time interact- ing (arguing) with my children and running interference against all the others who would like to influence them. Despite my early parenting pronouncements that I°d develop a relationship with my children that would make the teen years easier than those | saw around nie, I now find myself in the same quagmire in which most parents of teens find themselves. Tam facing some huge cor- porate competition in the dis- pensing of values. It is becom- ing increasingly difficult to find a movie, any movie, which does not have an R rat- ing, and even the PG movies " seem to have a lot of question- able janguage and sexual innu- endo. As for the music that is popular — yikes! Call me a prude but is the tail wagging the dog here? Are our children becoming a little more obnox- ious, violent or sexually active because they are being exposed to these values consis- tenuy in the media, and at an MOTUS O Dance Sunday, Jan. 21 Two sHOWS 11:30am & 2:00pm TWO SHOWS 7 T30am & 20pm, shake Parental Guidance earlier age? Are movies and music a reflection of our soci- ety or are they shaping our society? Do my children, who live with parents who do not gratuitously swear, beat each other up, or engage in contin- uous sex, believe that they are living in an abnormal home? There are enough studies and arguments out there to subjectively justify just about any answer to these questions and parents are finding it more difficult to identify one correct set of values, We are, after all, a very culturally diverse coun- try and while we could identify some universal values that cross all ethnic and religious boundaries, differences will still exist. It is more important then, for each family to deter- mine what is right for them, than to follow the latest polls on what “normal” is, or to simply turn their teens loose to find their own values. Family values are important, and can be established only within our Green Thumb The Theatre THE Beauty MACHINE Sunday, Feb. 18 «, TWO SHOWS _- 1 30am & 2:00pm Checkerboard Guy Davip A‘KEN Sunday, Mar. 4 » TWO SHOWS . 11:30am & 2:00pm own homes. Still, f sweat over such issues, worrying that I may leave my children too naive, or alternately, thar they may rebel against everything T propose to them as worthy values and engage ardently in the most negative values others offer them. Like every other parent, these concerns leave me bal- ancing on a daily dghtrope of standing for something, with- Out coming across as narrow- minded, or worse, as a dicta- tor. It’s exhausting work, maybe even more exhausting than those two-hour feeding frenzies when they were a few months old. I woke up, then, tired, and fell back to sleep when the feeding was over. Now I wake up in a cold sweat and can’t get back to sleep. My parents, and all parents, go through this angst. The apparent values of the younger generation have almost always contradicted, or at least con- flicted with, the values of par- ents. Yet it seems to happen earlier now and with greater intensity. I read an article recently that described research which found that girls aged eight-12 are seriously concerned about their appear- ance and eating habits. Children who can hardly mul- tiply to 100 are counting calo- ries. Younger and younger chil- “Sin Gr dren are concermed about issues related to dating and relationships, and partes have taken on a definite adult aura of dancing and partners. Donkeys are getting few tails from the pre-teen crowd. E actually thought J could avoid the difficult moments of parenting, the times when I would have to take serious steps toward teaching my chil- dren independence, unul they were 16 or 7. Instead, I find myself dealing with more seri- ous topics at a ime when I thought we would still be wrestling on the carpet and seeing the world through they eyes of kids. I find myself talk- ing to kids’ bodies about adult issues long before it seems they are ready for it emotion- ally, but sometimes, long after they have been exposed to it _. through various sources. Maybe it’s the marketers _ who are trying to turn money- laden youth into adult-like consumers that are forcing these issues upon families.” - Maybe it’s the chemicals in - our food that are’causing them : : : to mature more quickly. ?’m not sure what the cause of all this is, but I can sure see the. = effect. The pace of growing up . is accelerating, and the need _ for parents to jump in with - feet and make their impression on value systems is: starting at ever-carlier ages. It’s.” a big job, but someone has to, do it. . Graham. Hookey can: ‘be . reached at sphatkerGyahoo,. WEDNESDAYS Drop-in. ~ ”: Toddler: Storytime: For ages’ 2-3 “at the North Van City: Library. ‘ Wednesdays and Fridays at 10. See more page 26 Three affordable ticket purchase | Options: * Super Package 6 SHows © $45.00 * Regular Package - - 5 Sows ° $40.00 ngle Show Tickets $9.5 Except Frep PENNER , , $14.00 - **Single Show Tickets on sale Oct Available a Box Ofiia