The other day I was babysitting for this little girl named Danielle and her older Brother John. After two hours of playing with Barbies that had their hair chopped off by an 8-year-old hairdresser, and smashing toy trucks into the couch, we took a break to watch some TV. We set up a picnic on the living room floor and dipped our Oreos in milk until they were soggy enough to eat. I looked through the list that their mother made of the TV shows that they're allowed to watch. Little Danielle’s favorite show “Dora The Explorer” happened to be on. For those who are unfamiliar with Dora, let me introduce you to her. Dora is an adorable little Hispanic girl who wears a backpack, plays a wooden flute, and her best friend is a monkey named Boots. Each episode, Dora and her monkey best friend rarely spend any time inside because they’re too busy going on new adventures, which usually involves finding people or helping someone find a certain place. She asks her tiny viewers to join her on her expeditions and participate in tasks, such as using a map. I forgot to mention that Dora also teaches her young viewers how to speak Spanish. I thought “Dora the Explorer” was a good educational experience, but there’s only so much exploring you can do in a day, plus Dora kind of scared me with how exceptionally patient and nice she was. I don’t know if Dora is on Prozac or what, but this girl never showed a sign of anger or fear- even towards the villains on the show. Her limited and unrealistic displays of emotions would probably even make the Teletubbies cringe. Unfortunately the other shows on the list weren’t much better: “Bob the Builder” and some other show with dancing animals that solved mysteries.
This list of only educational shows made me kind of upset and it really got me thinking: Is there such thing as “too educational”? Or, are parents too restrictive in what they let their children watch, hear, or do? I’m all for educational kid shows, and I understand they are appropriate for children with young developing minds, but maybe these shows are too educationally aggressive and they might be somewhat of a learning overload. When I was a kid, there was a balance of educational and mindless entertainment. I remember everyday after school, my brother and I would watch Rocko’s Modern Life, Rugrats, Hey Arnold, Aaahh!!! Real Monsters, and other shows that contained hysterical anecdotes about farts, burps, armpits, and other grotesque bodily functions. Personally, I believe kids should be allowed to laugh at an inappropriate fart joke because it can help kids develop a sense of humor.
That night, I went home and watched some TV before I went to bed. There was a commercial that came on selling one of the most disturbing gimmicks I have ever heard of called “Your Baby Can Read”. Limiting your children to only educational shows is one thing, but to speed up your baby’s learning development is a whole other messed up thing. According to the commercial, the people from “Your Baby Can Read” will send you a kit that contains flashcards, videos, and a book of techniques that will teach your 3 month old baby how to read. That’s right, 3 months old! So basically your baby will be reading Harry Potter books before he/she is potty-trained or able to walk! I don’t get it. What’s the rush? What happens when they reach the second grade and the whole class is reading Dr. Seuss books, while the kid who used “Your Baby Can Read” is finishing his leisure reading selection, “The Catcher in the Rye”. That kid is going to be so damn bored. What will that prove? Again, what is the rush? Einstein never used “Your Baby Can Read” and he turned out just fine.
My fondest memories are of my childhood. Long summer days, playing in the mud, playing with creatures we found in the neighborhood pond. I remember chasing the ice cream truck down the street to get our hands on a Hershey’s ice cream swirl. Playing kickball in our bare feet, treasuring every grass-stain we got on our white clothes. Loving our awesome and rebellious babysitter for letting us watch scary movies and watch late night shows. There’s something beautiful about being a kid; not knowing everything and living in a world of innocence and fantasy. Life is too short and we need to slow things down in this fast-pace society. Let your kids enjoy being kids because they only have one chance to do so.
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