My Family

    How Media Has Changed Over The Years In My Home 

Married Glenn Welker October 19, 2017

The media that I allow in my home is now much different than what I allowed in my younger years. As a mom, I always wanted to set an example to our children and so my standards for what media was allowed in my home was very high. I monitored what was turned on the tv, what music we listen to and what we watched as movies. This was before the advent of hand held devices and computers so there was not the all encompassing exposure to media as there is now. Additionally, my husband and I agreed on what we watched together and was also appropriate for the children. As the years passed, I continued to want only "church standard" media in the home. When my husband died, I moved out of state to be nearer some children and grandchildren in Utah. I now had complete freedom of all media choices and found myself watching more romantic movies due to my being single, I suppose. Then I began attending single activities, dated, and met someone special to marry.

Since I no longer have children in the home and I am remarried, my new husband's media choices also affect me. His t.v. and movie choices are very different than what my late husband and I watched in the home. I was actually shocked that he entertained himself with media that I thought was shallow and worldly. I have had to make sacrifices, compromises, and evaluate what is important for the both of us.  We make decisions together and sometimes I am spending my time watching the t.v. with him when I might prefer to be doing something else. However, I have to decide what is more important and realize that spending time at his side is the better choice sometimes. I have learned that I don't need to always have my way and that compromise is part of a happy relationship.

Additionally, I have become way more "addicted" to my smart phone than I would like. Having had more free time than I would have liked, I started playing games on my phone. Now they have become my "go-to" when I am relaxing or I will spend time on Facebook when it clearly is not the best choice for my time.

The Lewis Family 2016

I am looking forward this Sunday to taking a "media fast"and really take stock of the best use of my time. I hope to be able to wean myself from some of the media choices I make, because I know that we are what we think about.

American Idol

 The year was 2004 and American Idol was in its 3rd season. My son, Jon Peter Lewis had made all the audition cuts and had made it to Hollywood! We were so thrilled and excited for him and immediately were descended upon by film crews from the show into our home for a family interview. It was a whirlwind time and little did we know the effects this would have upon our family and friends.

Who doesn't want success, recognition, and fame from such an opportunity? Names like Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and and Ryan Seacrest were now common stars in our conversations, and what their opinions of our son would be. Some of their comments were welcoming and others were defeating. The emotional toll upon me was beginning to have an effect.

From January until May we left work early once a week to travel to the show's recording, appear in the audience on the show, and become involved the American Idol family. It was really fun and exciting to meet other parents, contestants on the show, and the judges. We were able to see what goes on backstage, how the show is filmed, enjoy the commercials that our son was in and totally be immersed in the American Idol culture. Each week, as our son was advanced to another round, the excitement grew and our extended family and friends wanted one of the coveted spots available in the audience. It began to require my time to schedule which family and friends were attending on which weeks as well as after the show time for eating out and visiting. All of a sudden we were semi-famous parents. Complete strangers would stop as at the gas station and claim that they recognized us and were rooting for our son. Of course, we were caught up in  the frenzy of the show, however, it had different outcomes on my husband and I. He loved the opportunity to meet  and shake hands with Simon Cowell, tell his students each week of the experiences our family had on the show. As the months progressed, I began noticing that I was getting tired and a little stressed. By the time our son was eliminated from the show on May 5, 2004, the mixture of emotions were swirling around me. Not only was a not able to recover the sleep I had been lacking, but one day while  driving in the car, noticed some physical  symptoms that were very concerning. My husband immediately drove me to the hospital to have me checked out and after 3 hours of tests, was told by the doctor that I just had the effects of stress. It was so bad that I need to quit work and be on bedrest for several months. This was not any reflection on the show, but just an example of how media can have an effect upon us, depending on our physical makeup and how we process the experience.
Our son still maintained a foot in the door of entertainment and media and went on the produce several music C.D.'s, perform for many venues, and is still involved in the film industry. I am happy for his experiences and opportunities in the media and have learned that I am most definitely content to stay in my corner.