Red Pill Papa Signing In

Parenthood.  An enlightening pathway of firsts. Many of these firsts bring smiles to our faces and we beam with pride. But there are other firsts – ones that can turn a smile upside down. The first time a trip to the grocery store becomes a battle between you and your precious about boxes of cereal, containers of yogurt, boxes of juice and other items bearing the lovable characters that danced on your TV screen, were emblazoned on diapers, blankets and countless other accoutrements to child care.

The first time my 4 year old daughter argued with her mother/my wife over who the cutest Jonas Brother was, while reading their cover Story in ‘Time Out New York,’ was around the first time I glanced the ages of the actors on the screen of these ‘tween’ shows on various networks, and my bat senses tingled. Had my not-yet-five-year-old reached that age so soon? I could hardly stand to sit-through what she was watching with any semblance of interest, and for the first time felt an inkling of a generation gap. Was my girl ready to watch teenagers flirting, see them dressed in revealing clothing and assuming attitudes with authority figures (and to undoubtedly learn these behaviors)? There was maybe a period of four to six weeks during which the time before dinner was spent by my daughter in front of the tube.  During this period, there was a noticable transformation beginning, helped on by the themes, values and language featured on the shows on Children’s cable television that were being watched by many of her peers.

During this time, my girl regularly watched “Sponge Bob Square Pants,” “The Wizards of Waverly Place,” “Jonas,” “Hannah Montana,” and “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody.”

I hated walking into the room only to be completely ignored. I would ask her a question or tell her dinner was ready, but she would not fix her glance on me for even a second. My only choice was to grab the little silver tablet with buttons on it, a portal to another dimension, and press the ‘power’ button. The screen would darken, the sound would disappear, programming of her impressionable young brain was complete for the day, and my daughter was back.

Shortly thereafter, I spoke to Red Pill Mama on the phone about the perils of ‘tween’ shows for underage audiences, and her words gave validity to my thoughts. These shows were not appropriate for 5 year-olds, nor six, seven, eight, nine or ten-year-olds. However, many parents were letting their young boys and girls watch programs; probably without giving them a second thought.  Literally from that day, I learned how to use parental control on all of the cable boxes in my home, and many of the shows our daughter had a brief introduction to, she now knows that she can watch when she turns eleven!

Fast forward a couple of months – months without viewing the ‘tween’ shows – and I can honestly say that I have got my little girl back, acting and talking in the way that I would expect a five-year-old to girl to talk and behave – so glad to have taken the red pill, acted on my inklings and verbalized the thoughts that were bouncing around in my brain.

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I am excited that we will be  sharing experiences and discussing issues that pertain to today’s parents.  I hope that together we can explore ways to be more informed and proactive parents.