Yesterday my kids were watching the I Love Lucy where Lucy and Ethel decide to raise chickens and end up with 500 baby chicks in their living room. A few days ago they watched the Leave It To Beaver where Beaver sells water to the neighborhood kids after the water gets turned off for the whole neighborhood. Anybody remember these? How about The Brady Bunch or Gilligan's Island? Looney Toons? Tom and Jerry? I asked myself, after watching my 3 kids howling with laughter through these shows, why do my kids prefer to watch these shows instead of new cartoons and kids' shows? Perhaps they feel safer watching these shows because the newer shows portray concepts that they get enough of in the world. They need a break from all the excess you see in current "kids' programming." I'm talking about excessive rudeness among the characters, excessive disrespect for others, excessive violence, and for the "tween" set, excessive sexual innuendo. Years ago, when my oldest still thought cartoons were cool, he watched one episode of The Fairly Odd Parents. He told me he would never watch one again. When asked why he replied, "They're mean to each other." Now, not every kid is going to monitor his own viewing and stay away from the shows that aren't right for him. We just got lucky (read blessed) with that one. It is our job as parents to monitor our children's viewing to protect them from the excess. Just because the language is alright doesn't mean the content is alright. I'm not indicating that there are not some worthwhile shows out there. I'm asking, do you know what your children are "into"? It's time to sit down, prop your feet up, have a good laugh, and see what your children are really watching. Happy viewing!
"Be careful little eyes what you see...."
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