As a parent of growing kids, I find that navigating popular culture is a never-ending and exhausting task. What is okay to let the kids watch, see, and listen to? What kinds of television, music, movies, and video games are being marketed to children today?
It can be challenging to keep up.
Finding the answers is never easy, but I am convinced that protecting our kids from negative influences and engaging them in conversations about the aspects of popular culture that are contrary to Christianity is one of the most important things we can do.
I am happy to have CultureGauge.com as a new weapon in my parental arsenal.
Jim Havens is the man behind the site. From the about page:
[Jim Havens] recognized three ways parents were dealing with the popular media: the unaware parent (“it’s not so bad”), the overprotective parent (“I will shield my child from all media”), and the wise parent (“I need to raise my child to understand the popular media messages and teach them how to reject the bad and choose the good”). Jim began thinking about an idea for a resource to help the wise parents. He called it Culture Gauge, and he hoped to launch a component of parish youth ministry to serve parents with this new idea.
At CultureGauge.com parents have access a Weekly Briefing that gives an overview of popular items in music, games, television, and movies that are currently being marketed to children and teens. It gives a thorough analysis of each of these items along with an overview of the “messages” young people are likely to hear in the words and images.
I like how in addition to a “caution rating” for each item, there are also suggested questions for parents and kids to further discuss the issues brought up by media. These discussion questions are a great resource for parents who say Yes to some kinds of media, but want to continue having open conversations about the challenges some of these kinds of entertainment might present to their faith.
I also like how the reviews of popular songs, movies, and books pull no punches. They are honest about the good and redeeming qualities that are found in some otherwise objectionable fare, but unafraid to lable certain products for what they are: Toxic.
There are different levels of affordable membership at CutureGauge.com. This is a helpful new means of support in that all-important job of protecting our families from unhealthy influences while preparing our children to engage the culture as adults.
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Thanks! I was shocked the other day when a teen I know mentioned an MTV show I had to look up. I was horrified by what I read about the show. When I was younger, I thought Friends was a dirty show, but this new show Is nothing but a direct attack on puroty by means of overt hedonism. Good to know we have people looking out.
I was shocked to find a graphic representation of a penis on the “iCarly” review page!
This website is an excellent resource… The reviews are courageous and full of truth. We as parents need to know what lies in our childrens gaze regarding the media. I’m very happy with the product!
Please disregard my previous comment. I clearly over-reacted. This site should prove to be an excellent resource for parents actively engaged in their kids media consumption!
The graphic shown on the iCarly page is the same one shown on the TV show. It is good for parents to know exactly what their adolescent children are seeing on this very popular Nickelodeon show.
Culturegauge.com is an invaluable resource for my family. I don’t have time to monitor every aspect of the media and this site gives me the heads up on what is appropriate and what is not. Even if I didn’t have children I would love this site for my husband and I. It is nice to be able to avoid negative influences.
I knew Jim Havens when he was in Buffalo. He is a great Catholic guy, respectable, with a solid moral compass. It is nice to see people put their talents to work to help Catholic families.
Pax!
Thanks for the link Danielle.
I was thinking as I read this..What a great ministry?? Then I clicked onto the website…quite an expensive little ministry too… for those who have to pinch their pennies these days! Perhaps someone with a more
“ministerial spirit”,( as in Mother Teresa, who did not charge those she helped but approached her ministry as a work of mercy )could provide this much needed service to all deserving families, not just those with excess cash. I am surprised Catholic Register is “shilling” for this website. I was going to give this to my daughter and her family but the more I thought about the mercenary side of this website the less I trust its true authenticity as a Christian website! Sorry! I will pass!
I am happy to address your concerns, Adele. I hope you will still let your daughter know about us. I assure you there is nothing mercenary about us.
I would love to give all of our research and information away for free, but I would also like to feed my family. If there are any benefactors out there who deeply believe in our mission and would like to help us to become a free site, please contact me.
The cost of a CultureGauge.com Membership is actually a tremendous bargain. A one year membership is $29.95 ($2.50 per month). Is it worth $2.50 per month to stay up to date on the popular media messages directed at your kids? I believe it is worth much more than that, but I guess that is up to each parent to decide.
As far as our Catholic identity, we believe in the fullness of Truth as revealed by Jesus Christ and handed on to us by the Holy Spirit and through His Holy Catholic Church for the past 2000 years. All of our analysis is done from this perspective and we bring that worldview to bear upon the popular movies, t.v. shows, songs, and video games that are directed at the young people of today. If you think that information would be valuable to you, we welcome you to sign up for a membership and to experience CultureGauge.com for yourself.
All for God’s Glory,
Jim Havens
President- CultureGauge.com
The website is a powerful weapon, and is a real blessing to have a tool finally available for parents to log on and immediately know the score on multiple pieces of media for the week. From what clearly looks like grueling hours of research per week, all for the cost of a single cup of coffee per month.
Small change to keep up with so much at once. Skip that starbucks run once, and you can have an invaluable weapon in your arsenal for the month.
My sincerest thanks to the staff of Cultureguage, it’s about time the net produced something good amongst so much muck, and by Golly, It’s Catholic!!
I am a member of the Overprotective Parents Club.
In some way, I get the feeling from Mr. Haven’s description on his website, that we are somehow not “wise,” as if we were lacking in one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. However, even within good Catholic circles, I am saddened that we are still categorized… (I, myself, suffer from this.) Instead, I like to think of Mr. Haven’s parental categories as stages or even interior rooms, as St. Teresa of Avila described the areas/levels of spirituality. The majority of today’s parents actually need to be in the “wise” category that Culturegauge.com is directed toward. In dealing with parents of this description, this website is just a step in God’s process of purifying the world. It provides a one-stop resource center.
However, there is still a “wise” purpose for overprotective parents. They are raising future adults that will hold steadfast to the removal of all inappropriate media messages. They won’t be potentially desensitized or tolerant because they were still exposed to it. They will simply say no, no to supporting the media, and yes to supporting Truth and Purity only. They will help the purification process move forward.
And until we all say no to the media and remove it from our lives as best we can, the media will still have a Catholic audience to pollute.
I cherish being an overprotective parent. It’s a label I believe that many canonized saints, were they alive today, would also choose to wear. Mostly, however, I truly believe if the Blessed Mother were raising children today, she would also fall into the Overprotective Parent Club. She is the ultimate benchmark. I always ask myself if I would be comfortable viewing and/or discussing the subject matter with Our Blessed Mother. Only then would I discuss it with my teens.
May God continue to provide the grace needed for all the interior rooms of today’s culture.
April, I respect and hear what you are saying. You sound like a terrific mom! I don’t think we disagree. I think we are both interested in living out Romans 12:2: “Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.”
Just so you better understand where we’re coming from, CultureGauge.com is intended to help Catholic parents to raise authentic disciples of Jesus Christ who are equipped to change the culture. As Catholics, we are not called to be filled with the culture or to be fearful of it, but rather to be filled with the Holy Spirit, fearlessly prepared to bring Christ to the culture. CultureGauge.com can benefit members in many ways and one of those ways is that it can inform parents and kids about what is going on in the culture without having to personally consume its negative aspects. How can we effectively invite those who are soaked in the culture to Jesus if we don’t know what they value and believe? Yet, how can we know what they value and believe if we are not students of the culture (ex. St. Paul in Acts 17:22-23)?
CultureGauge.com is a timely and valuable resource on many levels.
-Jim Havens, President - www.CultureGauge.com
Jim, it helps a lot to read April’s concern and your response. Finding the balance is very challenging. (I just called to disconnect our already-limited cable access yesterday.) My kids are 12 and 9. I struggle to monitor their exposure to media. Those who care run a gaunlet everyday — even walking through the checkout line at Safeway is hazardous. I appreciate the service you are providing. Godspeed.
Don Roberto
San Leandro, CA
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