American Idol and other TV issues

This week's question on The Patch(if you don't know what that is, comment and I'll fill you in) was, "Is it hard to find quality television programming to watch with your kids and how do you regulate what they are watching?" This is a great question that lends itself to a lot of different answers. I really do believe that there is no right answer here. I will tell you where I stand but I, by no means, think it is the "right" way. Unless it is rated R or TV14 for sexual content or nudity, I am okay with them watching and I do have blocks on the tv. If it is questionable, Leo or I will watch it with them or before them. We are lucky because we have three kids who ask questions and talk a lot so if they see something that confuses them or scares them or causes them to want to talk about it, they do. The only rule I have is that I will always answer them honestly but it is for their ears only. If they are asking, it is because they are ready to hear the answer. Their brother or sister might not be. It is their friends' parents' job to answer their friends' questions. Not theirs. ER and Grey's Anatomy have led to discussions about gang violence and illnesses that are worse than CF. I will say, since I am comfortable in the land of denial, that I don't watch those shows anymore. Teen Mom, as you know from previous posts, have led to discussions of a path I do not want them to go down. Intervention is a great one to use as a learning tool. Let's just say I don't think my kids will be huffing any computer cleaner after being freaked out by that episode.

Restricting the shows they watch went out the window when the twins were watching their shows on Disney and the kids on there were so disrespectful to their parents that it didn't seem like King of Queens or Everybody Loves Raymond was so bad. Then when Nico was younger, he'd look forward to watching the football games on tv with Leo. Every other commercial showed barely dressed women or men fighting over beer. Don't even get me started on the "Viva Viagra" commercial. Nothing says father/son bonding than when your 7 year old son asks his dad, "What's a 5 hour erection?"


American Idol is the one show that we all watch together. We look forward to it every season and it lends itself to lessons learned as well. One lesson is that the sky is the limit for them to fulfilling their dreams and that even if you are told no, you should keep trying. They each have their favorites...Tommy usually likes the rocker, Belle usually likes the sweet, quiet girl and Nico likes whatever girl is deemed the "hot" one.

Thursday night's lesson was what a jerk Ryan Seacrest has turned out to be. I get that his job is so useless that he has to create a need for him to be there so he tries to drum up drama but the whole, "You are all safe...(uncomfortable pause)...(contestants cheering)except for Karen" was just mean. Then when they pulled the other three. I don't remember which three except that Haley and Ashton were two of them. When he made Haley think she was safe by saying Ashton wasn't and then said she wasn't either, it looked like it was solely to make Haley look stupid. Even Tommy said, "That was mean." I get that it is just a show but still...there are other ways to create drama and let's face it, the people that are watching now are still going to watch with all the drama or without. I will continue to watch because we do it as a family and it is fun to root for our favorites but now it will be with the message that what Ryan is doing is mean and that is not how you should treat people that are trying to make their dreams come true.

Like I said, it's doesn't work for every family...but for now, it works for ours.