My husband is usually home in time to see the early news local broadcast as well as the network evening news. He is my “breaking news” guy. As a result, he never misses the late news either. God forbid anything new happens, since watching the network news several hours earlier.
We tell our kids it’s important to be up to date on the latest current events. But does it have to be “reality” TV 24/7? I get my news content online and watch the news programming before dinner, but it stops there. When I hear “Good evening, this is the 10 o’clock news,” the anchor doesn’t even need to finish the sentence before I am out. You will see me running away, pointer fingers in my ears, singing a song about lollipops and bubble gum. You see, in my mind, late news has become bad news. I’ve concluded the Late News, means unwanted images and information clouds my dreams.
Political drama alone would be a reason to shake your head and seek an escape. But, for me, avoiding the news isn’t always due to politics.
I don’t need multiple reminders to worry about my kids.
We’re told, with frightening regularity, how fast this tech-driven world is changing. Technological advances are now cautionary tales. The newscasters share the list of apps of which we should be wary. As a result, we have more questions than answers. Have we heard of anonymous texting? Do you know photo/video sharing has GPS built-in? Is live-streaming appropriate for our 12-year-olds? What new app do we parents need to track the self-destructing messages? How often does group chatting turn to bullying? Is sexting happening in junior high? How many kids are faking their profile so they can join the meeting and dating apps? And those are the apps we adults know about right now! Then there are warnings beyond the apps themselves. There are new ways people are lurking, following, shaming and luring our kids.
We receive opinions on how to help kids avoid drugs by encouraging involvement in sports. The next story details how our children are over-scheduled and tired. There are statistics of kids staying up too late to finish their homework. Earning a 4.0 in high school doesn’t seem to be enough any longer.
We are more aware than ever of the events happening around us.
Through smartphones and social media, we see in graphic detail, the most violent acts of the day. They air the most recent slumlords’ inactions. News broadcasts show animal abuse and the individuals who caused their demise. The list of negative news goes on and on. I don’t want my day to close with a mosaic of drug epidemics, bombings, natural disasters, or mass murders. We now can see and hear about way more than ever.
I refuse to let sad news dominate the end of my day.
I am not uninformed. I choose to avoid carrying lousy news on my shoulders until the next morning. I love to step into a bubble and pull off a night-time escape. Ideal evenings include mindless TV, a good book, or the Sunday NYT crossword, any day of the week. I resort to doing something I loathe: cleaning the toilet, paying bills, emptying the trash. I have even sought out cat videos, and I am not a cat fan. When it comes down to it, I’d prefer to end my day as I begin each one. I am somewhat groggy, content to be here, and living in the moment.
