Anonymous wrote:We do teach tolerance. A lot. Big part or our religious tradition. Just want to minimize exposure.

Tolerance =/= zero exposure. Appreciation of diversity =/= shielding your kid from other points of view.

Sorry, a lot of what you write doesn't make sense, including the statement above. You use the word "minimize" but what you're actually saying is, "I don't want my kid exposed to another religion, period."

If you really value diversity, you will use this as a teaching opportunity, to explain "we believe something different, for X, Y and Z reasons." As your kid gets older it's going to be harder and harder to keep him in your bubble, so you might as well start explaining now.

We do teach tolerance. A lot. Big part or our religious tradition. Just want to minimize exposure.

Why don't you use this opportunity to teach him about tolerance? I'd sure rather do that than to explain some of the language in the rap songs.

Last year he had to sit up front and this year he does not (yet). We do not believe in or talk about the devil or hell. I do know he also had a classmate at school who talked about it, so that may have contributed.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:OP here- wow, I kind of feel sorry for people who feel the need to be bitchy or snarky anonymously. Maybe my six-year-old is a little confused, but he has been exposed to almost 200 hours of doctrine that our family does not believe in. I am not trying to protect him from the world or other beliefs systems, but I find that that much time with anything is likely to be a little confusing for a young child. Hence the nightmares, which are being dealt with but I was hoping to diminish. Luckily he has been allowed to sit in the back of the bus, which should limit that exposure.

If your kid is having nightmares about hell, it is not the bus driver's music that is for sure.

You need to look elsewhere for what is causing the nightmares. Start at home and work out from there.

+1 It's normal for 6 yr olds to have nightmares. Mine has been having them about robbers even though DC has never been exposed to one, and we don't talk about them at home. DC probably picked it up at school or something.

Anonymous wrote:OP here- wow, I kind of feel sorry for people who feel the need to be bitchy or snarky anonymously. Maybe my six-year-old is a little confused, but he has been exposed to almost 200 hours of doctrine that our family does not believe in. I am not trying to protect him from the world or other beliefs systems, but I find that that much time with anything is likely to be a little confusing for a young child. Hence the nightmares, which are being dealt with but I was hoping to diminish. Luckily he has been allowed to sit in the back of the bus, which should limit that exposure.

Wait...I thought you said that the problem was he was being forced to sit in the front of the bus? Now you are saying the exact opposite.

Don't go borrowing trouble where there is none.

Anonymous wrote:OP here- wow, I kind of feel sorry for people who feel the need to be bitchy or snarky anonymously. Maybe my six-year-old is a little confused, but he has been exposed to almost 200 hours of doctrine that our family does not believe in. I am not trying to protect him from the world or other beliefs systems, but I find that that much time with anything is likely to be a little confusing for a young child. Hence the nightmares, which are being dealt with but I was hoping to diminish. Luckily he has been allowed to sit in the back of the bus, which should limit that exposure.

If your kid is having nightmares about hell, it is not the bus driver's music that is for sure.

You need to look elsewhere for what is causing the nightmares. Start at home and work out from there.

OP here- wow, I kind of feel sorry for people who feel the need to be bitchy or snarky anonymously. Maybe my six-year-old is a little confused, but he has been exposed to almost 200 hours of doctrine that our family does not believe in. I am not trying to protect him from the world or other beliefs systems, but I find that that much time with anything is likely to be a little confusing for a young child. Hence the nightmares, which are being dealt with but I was hoping to diminish. Luckily he has been allowed to sit in the back of the bus, which should limit that exposure.

Poor snowflake. He is "confused."

Anonymous wrote:Who gives a shit. Does it really matter? I'm agnostic but really couldn't care less if someone if playing any type of religious music.

Better that than explaining the erectile dysfunction commercials to my kids or turning up the music when the car that pulls up next to us is blasting music with the "F" bomb or "N" bomb or that god awful death metal....

Really, who cares, move on and worry about something important.

Shorter PP: I don't think it's a problem, so you shouldn't either.

Dear lord. Do you seriously plan on sheltering your child from every culture, religion, belief, or custom that is different from yours? That's pretty narrow minded and frankly, scary. What kind of parent does that to their kid?

Who gives a shit. Does it really matter? I'm agnostic but really couldn't care less if someone if playing any type of religious music.

Better that than explaining the erectile dysfunction commercials to my kids or turning up the music when the car that pulls up next to us is blasting music with the "F" bomb or "N" bomb or that god awful death metal....

Really, who cares, move on and worry about something important.

OMG, imagine that! A teacher playing O Come All Ye Faithful or Oh Little Town of Bethlehem during the Christmas season! Imagine! Oh wait, I don't have to.

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Anonymous wrote:Ask about the iPods. I would not ask if the driver can be forced to stop playing his or her music as long as it didn't contain explicit language.

Driver should not be playing religious music.

Technically, this poster is correct. You could make a stink about it from a 1st Amendment perspective, since the bus company is employed by the state, yadda, yadda, yadda.

From a practical perspective, however, antagonizing a person like a bus driver who has the power to make your child's life more difficult for a principle is probably not worth it.

If it's really an issue for your kid, get him/her an iPod and move on.

Employment lawyer. This is not correct at all.

The First Amendment does the exact opposite of what you are implying. It guarantees us the right to express our religious beliefs in our workplace. In fact, even federal employees can play "Christian Music" and put up Christmas Trees.

The bus driver can't proselytize to the kids, tell them about Jesus, pray with them, or insult their faiths. But she/he can certainly enjoy her Christian music.

And I highly doubt there is anything whatsoever in this music that speaks to devils, Satan, etc.

Your analogy to playing Christian Music in an office doesn't quite work here, counselor. The bus in this case is more akin to a classroom. And the bus driver, in a position of authority over the children on the bus, is more like a teacher. The argument would then follow that the bus driver playing any music that arguably espouses religious doctrine - "God is good" "Praise the Lord" - would violate the child's 1st Amendment rights.

That being said, I would favor going with an iPod and pick a different battle.

You are flat wrong.

Really? That's all you have as a counter argument? So, if a teacher in a public school started playing Christian music during class (there are probably some narrow exceptions here), that wouldn't violate the 1st Amendment?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ask about the iPods. I would not ask if the driver can be forced to stop playing his or her music as long as it didn't contain explicit language.

Driver should not be playing religious music.

Technically, this poster is correct. You could make a stink about it from a 1st Amendment perspective, since the bus company is employed by the state, yadda, yadda, yadda.

From a practical perspective, however, antagonizing a person like a bus driver who has the power to make your child's life more difficult for a principle is probably not worth it.

If it's really an issue for your kid, get him/her an iPod and move on.

Employment lawyer. This is not correct at all.

The First Amendment does the exact opposite of what you are implying. It guarantees us the right to express our religious beliefs in our workplace. In fact, even federal employees can play "Christian Music" and put up Christmas Trees.

The bus driver can't proselytize to the kids, tell them about Jesus, pray with them, or insult their faiths. But she/he can certainly enjoy her Christian music.

And I highly doubt there is anything whatsoever in this music that speaks to devils, Satan, etc.

Your analogy to playing Christian Music in an office doesn't quite work here, counselor. The bus in this case is more akin to a classroom. And the bus driver, in a position of authority over the children on the bus, is more like a teacher. The argument would then follow that the bus driver playing any music that arguably espouses religious doctrine - "God is good" "Praise the Lord" - would violate the child's 1st Amendment rights.

That being said, I would favor going with an iPod and pick a different battle.

You are flat wrong.