So now our son can say hello in Chinese, and all my smugness about my plans to keep him away from the TV have evaporated.  TV is a tool.  Example:  Daddy had to go to class tonight, and goodbyes are tough.  The answer?  Latest Ni Ho Kai Lan episode.  And a couple animal cookies.  Totally eases the pain.

Sure, you can judge me, but ask yourself:  wouldn’t that ease your pain?  Cookies and TV.  Does it get any better?  No!  Don’t even try to lie.

So here’s a study (found via Stats.org) that shows what the negative effects of TV on toddlers.  We try to limit it to thirty minutes.  But who am I kidding?  We fail.  Often.  This study has shown up in a few places, including the LA Times:

A large-scale, long-running Canadian study of children found that for every extra hour of TV time a toddler watches weekly, she is likely in fourth grade to have lower levels of classroom engagement and poorer performance in math, is more likely to be the victim of bullying, to be sedentary and to have a higher body-mass index.

Dangit.  How do I rectify this with my firm belief that TV is awesome?

We’re not really sedentary people.  We get the boy to the park daily.  Twice a day on weekends.  We play with him.  We build Duplo stuff with him.  And we also hang out with him while he watches his shows, and we chat.  I feel like somehow, we must be the exception here.  We’re just so amazing that TV can’t hurt our giant brains, right?

But I guess I’ll scale it back a bit.  Thirty minutes a day.  Fine.  I mean for the kid, not me.

So I don’t want to disrespect the Mamas, or the Industry, but today this appeared on the online bulletin board, and I’m a bit shocked by it:

DEALING WITH THE TERRIBLE TWOS/(THREES?)
If your baby/ toddler is about to send you completely over the edge — maybe we can help! Have you tried everything but can’t seem get your child’s totally out-of control behavior under control? We are seeking parents with children (between the ages 8 months to 48 months) who have extreme behavioral problems to participate in a one to one-and-a-half day video shoot with a noted pediatrician/child behavior expert. This is for a major cable network presentation.

Your child must have a specific behavior issue that will almost surely manifest while we are shooting – for example: tantrums, food issues, sleep issues, or hitting and biting.

The shoot will take place in June. Please note, this is presentation tape and not guaranteed for broadcast, therefore there is no monetary compensation involved. However, you will be given the free guidance of a fantastic child expert.

If you are interested, please email your name, contact info, age of your child, specific “problem” behavior you’re dealing with and a photo of you and your child. Put the name “Toddler!” in the subject line of your email. Email your submission to: immediatetvcasting@gmail.com

I’m not a snob about reality TV.  I love it.  And maybe this expert can actually help your kids, and maybe someone out there reading this is thinking, “Wow!  What a great opportunity to help my toddler stop throwing tantrums and biting us all!”  And more than anything else, I really do understand what it’s like to work in the entertainment industry and to need ideas that appeal to a wide audience.  Sure, okay.

But I just can’t help thinking this is a bit exploitative.  So they need the kid to demonstrate his or her awful behavior on the show?   I mean, the kid’s first date is gonna be awkward enough, when you pull out all the baby pictures and videos, but then there comes the awful moment when you also drag out the evidence that he or she was out of control enough to be on a show about out of control kids.

Who takes their kid on a show like this?  ”Oh yes, River will definitely bite someone on camera.  I’ll make sure of it!”

The cartoon network is currently testing out three new live action shows. One of the shows is called The Othersiders which is best explained as Teen Ghosthunters and is aimed at kids.

I’ve seen the first episode and some of the promotional material online and my main issues with this show are 1) that it assumes the existence of the paranormal as fact and 2) passes off sloppy thinking, “weird feelings”, and logical fallacies as critical thinking and true investigation.

This show claims to be “skeptical”, “scientific” and to conduct “thorough” investigations but in reality is credulous and obviously pro paranormal. Critical thinking is practically non existent. It wouldn’t bother me so much if they didn’t claim to be skeptical critical thinkers. If kids are watching this as an example of critical thinking they will be misinformed.

They say they do extensive research on the internet to find the most “credible” locations to investigate. KC, the team’s case manager, explains their decision to investigate the Lincoln Heights Jail in Los Angeles on their first episode, “The jail seemed credible because, so much stuff went on in that place there has to be paranormal stuff left over.”

Sam, the web master, explains why they use thermal cameras, “Paranormal energy is heat and our thermal detectors will pick that up.”

In the research they did about the location the kids read that when people entered a particular part of the jail they started to feel claustrophobic and dizzy. When two members of the team enter that part of the jail, surprise surprise, they also start to feel claustrophobic and dizzy. They consider this evidence of the paranormal. There is no mention that they may have fallen prey to the power of suggestion, that there may be a gas leak or that there may be any other explanation.

Check out the show and see what you think. If you, like me are not happy about this sort of stuff being marketed to kids, please write to the Cartoon Network and let them know what you think.  

Because this show is so new and they are still testing is out we can make a difference. 

Rational parents of the world unite!