GAIL WHITE Generation battles intensify with changing times, new dangers

When I was little and wanted to watch television, I had three channels to choose from. After-school specials were on when I got off the bus. "Little House on the Prairie" and "The Dukes of Hazard" were my evening viewing. And Saturday morning was spent flipping through the three stations to find my favorite cartoons.
Between 6 and 7 in the evening, our one television was off-limits while Dad watched the news. It was torture when the president addressed the nation -- he was on all three channels. The constant coverage of Watergate nearly killed me.
Today, when my children want to watch television, the options are nearly unlimited. Much of after-school viewing consists of merely flipping through channels. (Something I always had to get out of my chair to do.) Cartoons are no longer just a Saturday morning treat; they can be found 24/7 on several channels.
'No, no, no'
When they do find a show they think they will like, the chances that it will be appropriate viewing material for young minds are somewhere between slim and none. Today's programming has absolutely no semblance to "Little House" and the Dukes.
Today's "Halfpint' doesn't wear many clothes. She is generally defiant to her parents, filthy-mouthed, sexually active and confused. The "Dukes" of today have guns, ignore laws and have no respect for themselves or others.
It seems the minute the television is turned on, "no's" pour from my mouth. Sometimes, I say "no" until we simply turn the television off.
Some days, I feel like all I say to my children is "no."
Simpler times
As a child, I used to hate it when my parents would tell us how wonderful and simple life was in "the good ol' days."
Now, as an adult, I would do anything to take my children back to the simple, good ol' days of my childhood when parents didn't have so many influences to say "no" to.
When I was young, Atari had just hit the market. My first exposure to this concept of playing games on the television was at my cousin's house. I watched in awe as a little white dot blipped from one side of the black screen to the other, hitting the little white bars that moved by remote hand controls. We played for hours, though it seemed liked minutes, until we were told to "go outside!"
I am sure the propensity to become addicted to these games was the same when I was a child as it is today. Just as my parents insisted on turning off the Atari when we were visiting (We did not own an Atari), I find myself saying, "no more" to my children.
But my challenge is enhanced. The little white dot and bars have evolved into multidimensional animations and video. To my horror, I have found even the most seemingly innocent games can have disgusting characteristics, language and themes. Once again, I find myself saying "no" to my children as I throw a game away or return it to the store.
Internet dangers
The computer is another source of "no" for me.
When I was a child, I had a pen pal in Arizona. I remember waiting for the mail to come, hoping to receive a letter from my distant friend.
There is no waiting today. My children send and receive mail everyday from friends using Internet instant messaging on the computer. While it is similar to talking on the phone, with the added bonus of enhancing keyboarding skills and talking with several people at the same time, the hazards are overwhelming.
I never met my pen pal in Arizona, but I knew I was writing to one person at a certain location. Internet chatting is random and vague.
My children know not to correspond with a user ID they do not recognize. Yet the opportunity for contact with an unfamiliar messenger is so great, I find myself saying "no" to much of the computer activities.
In this age-old battle of one generation fighting the advances of the generation that follows, I am willing to make a compromise.
I would not say "no" to a "Halfpint," Atari Web site online.
gwhite@vindy.com