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Strollerderby
Jon Hamm as he's drawn in an upcoming episode of Martha Speaks.
Who doesn’t love Mad Men? (If you don’t, please stop reading this right now. I have nothing to say to you. Unless you’ve just never seen the show, in which case you can borrow my DVDs.) I love Mad Men like every other Mad Men freak out there, except I love it more because I missed it when it first came out and then watched the entire first three seasons on DVD all at once, back to back for weeks in a row like an obsessed, drunken, pregnant-but-chain-smoking ’60s housewife. It was such an engrossing way to get to know these characters, revolving around one Don Draper, played by the dashing and funny Jon Hamm.
The long-awaited season 5 of Mad Men premieres March 25, but the season 4 DVDs don’t come out til March 29. WHY?! I haven’t seen season 4! What is wrong with your planning skills, executives involved in this decision? I guess I’ll have to join Netflix now so I can watch season 4 online. In the meantime, I can watch Hamm in his first appearance on children’s television. Continue reading »
When the American Academy of Pediatrics originally advised against TV for kids under 2 in 1999, they were doing so based on the Precautionary Principle: the idea that this might cause harm and had no known benefits. Their policy was met with what pediatrician Ari Brown describes as “a lot of screaming”. The resistance came from the industry— people who were creating media for babies and toddlers—but it also came from parents, who were dependent on the TV to give them a break from active parenting so they could take care of other things.
People complained, where’s the harm? People also didn’t take the recommendations very seriously, as it’s now estimated that 90% of kids under 2 watch 1 to 2 hours of television a day.
Those early recommendations were based on limited research. But by now, the AAP has had more than a decade to review over 50 studies on the effects of television on small children. And the results have only strengthened their original position. Their new policy, released today, unequivocally advises against ANY screen time for babies and toddlers under age 2.
What’s so bad about screens?
We all know Thomas the Tank Engine, right? Cute little train with a smiley face? If you have kids under five, he’s probably been zooming around your living room for a couple of years as a character on TV, in books, printed on your kids’ pyjamas and, oh yeah, an actual toy train set.
Kids love trains. Thomas is a train. Ergo, kids love Thomas. That’s pretty straightforward.
But how well do parents really know Thomas and his friends? Not well enough, says Jessica Roake on Slate. Underneath their perky exterior lies a spooky Imperialist agenda.
Citing recent studies, Swinson points to the fact that the number of female characters on TV lags far behind the number of actual girls who watch the shows, and the fact that the girls who are represented tend to show a narrow and limiting view of what females can be.
This isn’t a minor problem, says Swinson. This kind of poor representation can have drastic results. “It can start the socialisation of inequality. It can restrict girls’ views of themselves and boys’ perceptions of girls too.” UK Minsters are being called upon to demand more girl friendly programming from British Broadcasters.When challenged with this observation, the head of children’s programming for the BBC had this to say:
Katy Perry and Elmo on Sesame Street
If you want to see Katy Perry’s appearance on Sesame Street, you’ll have to watch it on You Tube. After receiving complaints from parents about her cleavage-baring dress, a PBS spokesman confirms that the episode has been pulled.
Max and Ruby…dododododoDOOdodo, Ruby and Max (dooDOO!) Max and Ruby …DoDOOdoo … Ruby and Max!
Oh, I could go on. Need I go on? No, I’m sure I’ve wedged Max and Ruby in your head for the rest of the day. You can thank me later.
Do I love Max and Ruby? I do…I love some of the first books, like Bunny Cakes (I adore Bunny Cakes, I could recite it to you right now) and Max’s Dragon Shirt. I love the first board books, in particular Max’s First Word. And then came the TV show, largely charming, mostly harmless. I could plant my three-year-old son in front of it all day. And then came my daughter.
Suddenly I found myself looking at Ruby in a new light. Why did she always have to get a beauty kit, when Max got a toy plane? Why was she learning to twirl a baton while Max learned to throw a football? Why was she trying on dresses while Max explored the store?
I couldn’t put it all down to a throwback in time. Ruby and Louise were romping around Bunny Scouts today; someone, even as we speak, is trying to come up with another way to celebrate Halloween with Grandma. But wait–maybe Grandma saves it. She’s just as mischievous as Max when she’s around–witness her vampire teeth and ice cream breakfasts! Can I cling to Grandma, and write Ruby off as an example of a girly girl? After all, I don’t want all of children’s television and books to adhere to some PC requirements. Some girls (plenty of girls) would in fact rather twirl a baton. So would some boys, but then, this is supposedly only one boy. And One girl. Plus, they’re bunnies. I’m getting worked up about bunnies.
Am I, perhaps, over-thinking Max and Ruby just a tad? Continue reading »
Parents of train fans, rejoice – you may get a half hour break from Thomas the Tank Engine. Playhouse Disney will begin airing a new train show next week.
Like Charlie and Lola before it, Chuggington has been plucked straight from the Brits and brought stateside by Disney. Continue reading »
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