Secret Life of the American Teenager = Real Class.

Just letting you know, not everyone may agree with what I say in this blog and may have different opinions and beliefs about certian things. If you watch the show or condone it, I suggest you close my blog and go elsewhere, if you leave a mean comment, I'll just delete it. Cheers!

I have been seeing alot of previews for a show being aired on ABCfamily whose parent company is Disney called The Secret Life of the American Teenager. I have never watched an episode and I dont think I need to in order to know what its about. I gave it a fair chance and researched the show on the internet to find out more about it. What I found out was just so sad and disheartening that such topics can be aired on a so called family channel that targets young children. When I reseached the show, the topics came up as follows: teen pregnency, teen parenting, sex, oral sex, relationships, and affairs. Sounds real classy, something I want my future children watching when I, the parent, can discuss these things in the privacy of my own home without the influence of the media and the corruption thereof. This is a show discussing very adult things yet targeting a very young audience. I may sound like a prude but I realize that this is reality and sadly what many young people are participating in. This is what is so sad, that we are so disensitized that this becomes "normal". Im 23 years old and I know that when I was 15-17 years old, that probably would be deemed inappropiate to air on a family channel, I could be wrong. I can only imagine what is going to be airing on our family channels when I have children. Even ABCfamilys slogan "It's a New Kind of Family" is steering away from the traditional family that is revealed in the Proclamation of the Family. Now, some say, those who have watched the show say "oh it has a 14tv advisory on it" and "oh, but it has a good message on pregnency prevention at the end" and "oh its a tool for my children to learn about the realitys of sex". I don't think the kids that watch that show think "im going to practice abstinence!" . Kids want to immitate what they see on tv, and if they are watching shows about sex and pressuring your partner to have sex, well...? they are going to think "oh no big deal, the characters on the tv do it and they are 15 just like me!" I guess the only good thing they are learning is that yeah, you can get pregnant at a very young age which I think the parents should be teaching anyway, not some sex crazed tv show with characters like a 15 unwed mother.

The following is from the Liahona by Russell M Ballard "The new morality preached from the media’s pulpit is nothing more than the old immorality. It attacks religion. It undermines the family. It turns virtue into vice and vice into virtue. It assaults the senses and batters the soul with messages and images that are neither virtuous, nor lovely, nor of good report, nor praiseworthy." So true, it turns vice into virtue. What you think is a good tool for your children is doing quite the opposite.

One of the shows producers, "Hampton says ABC Family leaves her alone, giving her more freedom than most of the network's other shows by putting a TV-14 advisory on the episodes. As she puts it: "I can have a character say the words oral sex, but you won't hear her say 'Jesus Christ. "

What a good example of what Russel M. Ballard in that same article in the Liahona said..."Each year the new shows seem to get worse, pushing the envelope of what the public will accept" he goes on to say "Immorality and sexual innuendo are everywhere, causing some to believe that because everyone is doing it, it must be all right. This pernicious evil is not out in the street somewhere; it is coming right into our homes, right into the heart of our families...The choices we make in media can be symbolic of the choices we make in life. Choosing the trendy, the titillating, the tawdry in the TV programs or movies we watch can cause us to end up, if we’re not careful, choosing the same things in the lives we live.
If we do not make good choices, the media can devastate our families and pull our children away from the narrow gospel path."

Another show that is being aired on ABCfamily is the show Greek. I researched that one as well and didn't find it quite as bad as Secret Life but still discussing more mature elements like homosexuality, sex, and drinking. These mature topics I personally believe should be discussed in homes and not on television.

I recently saw Juno and 17 Again, both of which I truly enjoyed which at the end, both had a good message but of course, you gotta throw in some sex, pregnant teenagers and teachers handing out condoms in sex ed class pretty much saying your going to do it anyways! might as well use some protection while your at it! Which I guess is the better choice, that, or just not involve in immoral activity until your married.

I know these are all very controversial things I'm talking about and perhaps some might be offended that I'm talking about it. Understand that if you watch this show, I dont think your a horrible person, just something I don't believe in watching based on how I was raised. This is my own point of view. I have been rasied LDS (mormon) and hold very strong to my beliefs. Reading about these shows and movies, I am so sad knowing that it will probably be alot worse when I have children of my own, making it harder for them to make the right choice. Choosing good tv shows to watch, music to listen to, websites to visit and so on. I do realize that this is Gods plan, a test and reguardless of all the filth out in the world, I am so grateful for the gospel in my life and good morals to live by so that we can strengthen our families.

Go to http://www.lds.org/ to learn more about the influence that the media has over our families and how we can prevent it or www.mormon.org to learn more about Mormon beliefs and teachings.