Scooby Doo, Or Scooby Don’t?

My son is six years old, and his friends all like Scooby-Doo and Pokémon.  He watches these shows at their houses and Pokémon was even shown at summer school.  Some of the content is spooky.  It disturbs me!  Is it okay if I let him watch this stuff?  How hard do I put my foot down?  How do I address this with other parents and the school?  He wants to watch Scooby Doo and Pokémon and asks for these shows at home.  Help!

I’d like to help, but unfortunately there are no absolute answers to this question.  The Bible doesn’t have a single word to say about Scooby Doo or Pokémon!  You are such a diligent parent.  More than that, you are the parent that God chose for your son.  God will give you the wisdom you need to make these decisions.  Let me give you a few thoughts.  It is the job of a parent to protect a child from frightening images, especially in the young years.  However, there comes a time when children will be exposed to images or ideas that you may not like.  Then it is the job of a parent to help the child process those images or ideas.  “Scooby Doo” is not necessarily evil.  It can be very funny, but your point that some elements are spooky is well-taken.  When your child sees an episode at school or at another home, it would be great to discuss it with him later, just as a discussion, not as a condemnation. You might even want to watch some episodes together.  If there are things that seem wrong to you, help him see why those things might not make God happy.  Your little guy will learn to make judgments on his own, which is what needs to happen.

You will not be totally able to protect him from being exposed to these things without really embarrassing him or alienating other people.  There may come a time when you need to take a stand, even if it does embarrass him and alienate other people.  You can see why it is important to ask God to give you direction so you will be sure of yourself when those times come.  Web sites such as pluggedinonline.com help parents discern what is and is not appropriate for children to see.