DR. WALLACE: My 11-year-old wants to watch "Squid Game" on Netflix. I did not really know much about it even though I had heard about it, so I read the reviews, and then saw just how gory it is! My first reaction is to think it's not appropriate for him. What do you think? — Concerned mother, via email

CONCERNED MOTHER: I also did not know what this series was about, so I also had to look it up, and it's indeed quite gory, bloody and violent for a preteen in my humble opinion!

Your question also brings into focus the overall question of parental guidance and limits to what a preteen may be allowed to watch. Setting limits and having advance discussions along these lines is important, and fully explaining why you are making the decision you are making is a huge factor in seeing that your decision is enforced.

However, in today's streaming and video-centric world, it's quite hard to enforce your rules 24 hours a day, 7 days a week when your child may be visiting the homes of friends and offered to look at videos that other children have on their cellphones. This is why setting the boundaries and explaining why they are important is the key first step.

WHAT IS THE WINTER SOLSTICE?

DR. WALLACE: I'm in sixth grade and a group of us kids all walk home together after school because we all live on the same street. This one girl who is pretty smart always seems to have some tidbit of knowledge she likes to tell us about. I think she does this to show off, but what do I know?

Anyhow, she told us that the winter solstice is Dec. 21, which is the shortest day of the year, and that on June 21, 2022, it will be the longest day of the year. I don't get it because I thought all days had exactly 24 hours.

I wanted to say this to her, but I held back saying anything because I felt she would have a snippy answer that would make me look bad in front of the other kids. What's the truth about all of this? — Curious boy, via email

CURIOUS BOY: Today, Dec. 21, is the first day of winter and the shortest day of the year, not in terms of hours of the day but in terms of sunlight!

Dec. 21 is the winter solstice, and the point at which the path of the sun in the sky is farthest south. This means the sun travels its shortest path across the sky, which results in this day being the one with the least amount of sunlight out of the whole year.

In summertime, the exact opposite occurs, and June 21, the summer solstice, is the day whereby we have the most hours and minutes of sunlight. You can also think about it this way: From Dec. 21 onward, each day will have a little more time of daily sunlight than the previous day, up until June 21, when things reverse and each day from June 21 until Dec. 21 has a little bit less time of sunlight than the day before.

Dr. Robert Wallace welcomes questions from readers. Although he is unable to reply to all of them individually, he will answer as many as possible in this column. Email him at [email protected]. To find out more about Dr. Robert Wallace and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Jade87 at Pixabay