Did you experience growing up in a family where the parents are strict? Not like there wasn't love in the family. There was an excess of it but at some point, it felt like the love was becoming too overwhelming. Why? Because they wanted you around them all the time. They want to know everything about your whereabouts, life, and the friends you make and sometimes during those days we rent movies (you know they tiny movie shops filled with different posters of movies and CDs until Netflix took over) you have to show them the movie first before watching. It went on even as a teenager.
Don't get me wrong. It's not like that's a bad gesture,it isn't.. Not like I didn't like it But at a point, it felt so much that you begin to wonder if you'll ever survive life alone without your parents. If your life has to just revolve around them.
The above leads me to answer the question of this week's prompt.
I never got to see many movies growing up because my parents were strict. You only get to watch movies only when they're around so they can monitor what you watch and what you consume.
It was so real to the extent that Dad monitored the number of hours we spent behind the TV. At some point, he did lock the door that led to the sitting room. All this was just to limit us from not consuming much TV time. According to him, "TV wouldn't benefit you much the way reading your books will" he'll always say to us.
But as a typical Nigerian kid, we had our ways. He always made the mistake of leaving the sitting room key at home. And we as kid detectives found out. So when he's gone we would sneak into the sitting room and watch our movies. Praying that NEPA doesn't disappoint leaving the compact disc stuck in the DVD player.
Well now I'm all grown up and I've come to realise that he only meant well for us because the contents in our screens these days are not worthy of children's consumption. Sometimes when I rewatch old movies I discover that as kids we consume a lot of ills on screen which we actually didn't know we were doing.
So not even my kids will be allowed to watch TV without my guidance.I'll try my best to be guiding my kids in what they watch. Call me old, I don't care.
Because the level of nudity on our screens today is alarming and not encouraging at all. The so-called rated 13 TV shows and movies still have vulgar words, violence and nudity in them so tell me exactly the need?.
To be clear, I'm not in any way putting all the TV shows and movies in one basket. There are still other nice movies suitable for the kids and family too. But to me, as a movie freak, I feel the difference is there.