Welcome to another edition of Kay's Korner.
Sometimes, the strangest things happen that become the subject of my wrestling columns. This particular column involves my godson, Cody. He is three years old and loves wrestling. He loves professional wrestling so much that he has got a broken arm to prove it. (Seriously folks, I am so not kidding.) Now granted, in order to defend Cody's actions a bit, you have to remember that Jeff Hardy is becoming one of his favorites. (This kid is three years old and he can tell you 95% of the wrestlers that are on TV right now.) While this godmother is all proud that he loves wrestling, the sensible adult that I am, wonders if we are doing a good enough job explaining how wrestling 'really' works.
Then I look back onto my own childhood memories of wrestling and I believed everything that I saw back then. I just knew that wrestling was 'real' and didn't have a bit of problem (as you can tell by the constant ramblings in various columns on the subject) arguing that it was 'real' until I was literally blue in the face. I have a hard time not letting him believe that wrestling is 'real'. I know how much I loved wrestling at a young age and it's something that is hard to describe in a lot of ways. It's exhilarating, thought-provoking, and just awe inspiring when the ring psychology is there. Now, of course, at a young age, I didn't really understand the 'psychology' part. I just knew that I could sit there spellbound, without blinking, at wrestling matches. Cody is the exact same way and I'm feeling mixed emotions about it.
On the one hand, I'm excited that my godson loves wrestling just as much I do. Say what you will, but when you talk wrestling with somebody else who loves it as much as you do, it's just an amazing experience. I look forward to the day when he gets a little bit bigger and being with him (and his mom) at his first WWE live show. I am looking forward to watching those big brown eyes light up at watching his favorite wrestlers perform in the ring right there in front of him, live and in person. I look forward to doing a lot of firsts with Cody when it comes to the world of professional wrestling.
On the other hand, I feel a lot emotions right now and I have to be honest with you, guilt is one of those. You see the commercials on the television saying, "Please don't try this at home" all the time. There is a reason for that people; it's for us to leave professional wrestling to the professionals. It's what they have been trained to do and it's what they risk their lives for each and every time that they step into the ring.
Cody is only three years old so it's really hard to explain how wrestling really works to him right now. He knows that his mom has been telling him that he was going to get hurt if he kept on trying to imitate his favorite wrestlers. (Cody is just like every other kid in America in that if you tell him that he shouldn't do something because he is going to get hurt; well, he is just going to find that out on his own.) We all have to learn our lessons the hard way in life so why should this be any different?
While I am concerned about Cody and his health, watching wrestling is a choice that one makes in life. The parents have quite a job on their hands with this decision. Kids have always been 'easy' fans of wrestling and I know; I was one! However, wrestling was different when I was growing up (just like other things in this world) so parents today have a lot more 'explaining' to do. Parents also have the responsibility to explain to their children that professional wrestling is dangerous and should never be tried at home.
Now, that last statement is easier said than done. I can remember my brother, my sister, and I all 'rassling' around the house at one point or another. We never hurt each other but to be honest, I have to look at the time frame in which that was done and how wrestling has changed over the years. Back then, there weren't tables and ladders; there were more chairs than anything and there really wasn't a lot of that either because a wrestler taking a shot with a chair in professional wrestling meant something back in the day. Chairs were used to further a feud more than just for the sake of making a loud noise on somebody's head!
Now, before I go any further with this column, let me just say that I am not a parent at this time in my life. (Good Lord willing, one day I will be a parent.) While some people will take offense to what I am about to say, I ask that you continue reading before passing judgment. I just might give you a few things to think about.
The parents who allow their children to watch wrestling in this day and time have a responsibility to the child to explain how dangerous wrestling really can be. They also have to monitor their children to stop them from mimicking the wrestlers that they watch & not allow them to do this at home. (I know for a fact that this is easier said than done. We had to do the same thing with my nephew Timmy because he would eventually lose his temper and then we had a heck of a time calming him down.)
You also have to look at which wrestling programs that you are watching. Raw is more suited for adults while Smackdown is a bit more family-oriented. Why? To be honest with you, it's due to the channels that each one is playing on and their timeslots. Raw is on the USA cable channel which allows a bit more racy subjects and bit more violence than the CW channel that is technically on regular television. The rules of television are different for regular television as opposed to cable channels. TNA could be considered racy at times but nowhere near where Raw has been in its lifetime.
I realize that in today's world things are not like they were when I was growing up. There are so many words now that are said on regular television today that if you would have told me that one day, these words would be allowed on regular television, I would have called you a liar. Today's television is absolutely nothing like it was when I was growing up in the 70's so I can understand how hard it is for today's parents to try and figure out what they should let their child watch versus what to not let them watch.
Either way, wrestling is geared towards the male demographic of 18-34. Now, I realize that myself being a woman and a wrestling fan is a bit strange to some, I am a demographic of my own. The thing is wrestling is not written with children in mind. It is written by adults for adults. So the age old question is should children be watching wrestling?
I honestly have mixed feelings on the subject. On one hand, I remember how much I loved it growing up and on the other hand, I realize how much it has changed and it's not geared anywhere for children. You see children on television each week at the wrestling shows. You see parents with their children at wrestling shows. I honestly believe the answer is the parent. Only they can decide what is appropriate for their child to watch.
I can only imagine the arguments that are going to occur when my husband and I have kids because I love wrestling. I've loved wrestling for as long as I can remember. It's been a constant in my life that I don't ever want to give up. Of course, I will be a responsible adult and explain things as best I can about the dangers of wrestling. However, I can tell you that I'm going to be in for the fight of my life with my husband over my kids watching wrestling and in a lot of ways, he's going to have some very good arguments that I am not going to be able to dispute.
Therefore, the question of this column is should children watch professional wrestling? I do not have the answer to this question. I'm not sure that anybody does because watching professional wrestling is a choice. Now, should the parent offer the choice of watching wrestling? I can't answer that one either because all parents have the right to decide what choices their children have in their own home.
Hopefully Cody has learned his lesson. He doesn't like having the cast on his arm. He doesn't like how it still hurts at times. Here's hoping that Cody learned a very valuable lesson; wrestling should be left to the professionals. It should not be attempted at home. Let's all hope that the Codys in the world learn the lesson at a young age and that it sticks with them throughout their childhood.
That is all for this column folks. I hope I didn't step on too many toes out there. It really wasn't my intention. I just wanted to bring a 'sore' subject to light and offer a few thoughts and ideas. All feedback is welcome (good or bad) and should be sent to lilwrestlegrl@yahoo.com. If you would please, put Column Feedback in the subject line and I'll be sure to read it! Until then, may God bless all of you with a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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