Moms & pop culture

US mothers are worried about popular culture and its impact on their children, according to recent survey of 2,000 moms by the University of Minnesota. They're concerned about "what feels like a tsunami of forces threatening parents' ability to impart positive values to their children ... a cultural onslaught that goes far beyond Hollywood movies and TV, and into the world of the Internet, electronic games, and advertising," the Christian Science Monitor reports. The study's lead researcher, Martha Farrell Erickson, said the mothers surveyed were "a huge and diverse sample," from "full-time homemakers to full-fledged workaholics, all income levels, all racial background," citing hypersexuality, violence, disrespect, and body image among their concerns. Interestingly, "politics did not come up naturally in these mothers' group conversations; they see the solutions more through the avenue of personal and community action, rather than dumping these problems on the doorstep of government. Here's the study, "The Motherhood Study: Fresh Insights on Mothers' Attitudes and Concerns" and its sponsor, the New York-based Institute for American Values. For another perspective, see "Our Kids Are Not Doomed," a commentary in the Los Angeles Times by Stephanie Coontz, author of "Marriage, a History" (Viking, 2005) and teacher of family history at Evergreen State College.