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When it comes to choosing TV shows for your kids, who should you trust?
Ashley Fenwick-Naditch is a kid’s media producer and editor of the blog www.childrensmediaconsultant.com. Here, she explains what to make of parental ratings. Keep your salt shaker handy.
People have a lot to tell you when you’re raising children. Even when you’re pregnant and have yet to decide on a name for your baby, you’re informed of the name of everybody’s ex-boyfriend, the stinky kid from 6th grade, or a horrible boss. When you’re a new parent, anyone will tell you how to solve diaper rash, cure hiccups, and when to stop passing the pacifier. But when it comes to watching TV, whom should you trust?
I’ll admit it: TV ratings are difficult to understand. They’re not intuitive, and you may just not agree with some programs tagged with a specific rating. On top of that, it’s up to the network to choose which of their shows get which rating, so let’s just say they want to appeal to the biggest audiences in order to get the most advertisers.
What’s a parent to do? How do you choose what’s right for your child?
Each rating functions as a guideline; that’s right — it’s a guide, not a mandate. So take every rating with a grain of salt, and choose a quality program for your child, not the neighbors, your niece, or kid’s classmates. Here are some guiding “LIGHT” tips to get you started:
Listen
You, more than any one, knows how your child is different from other kids, so find programs your daughter or son will engage and interact with. Start with a network you trust. If you like one program on a network, listen to what the programs on it are telling you. If education outside the classroom is important to you, PBS Kids or Noggin might be a good place to start. If your child is slightly older and their social conversations skew more about Troy and Gabriella or Nat and Alex, then Disney or Nickelodeon could be a good choice.
Insist
We all know there are more choices out there compared to when we were kids. But that doesn’t mean they’re all better for your child. Insist on the best, and limit their choices to programs you’ve already approved of by gathering those shows in one central place.
Guide
Consider the content or pace of a program. Read reviews, and ask other parents or trusted friends (such as Children’s Media Consultant Online) before you let your child watch a particular show. As they said in High School Musical, we’re all in this together. So ask around for sources of quality programming.
Hunt
Remember when you bought that first brand of diapers and it wasn’t up to snuff? Finding a good children’s television show works in the same way. You might have to do your homework and look around until you land on something that fits your preferences. There is a lot of stuff out there not worth watching, and there are many programs that will surprise you. Look at what is tagged as “for kids” on the TV listing grids and poke around a little. If it makes you smile, you probably have a winner.
Talk
The last tip (but certainly not least) is talk with your child about what he or she sees on screen. Children’s television works best when it is interactive. Ask your son or daughter what they watched, or talk with them about the program as they watch it. The best kid’s shows are ones that ask the viewer to participate, and you can add your own educational elements by repeating the key aspects of the plot. By asking your child open-ended questions like “What did the super heroes find that started with the letter ‘B’?” or “Did you ever feel like Sarah when her friends played on the swings without her?” you’re already taking television to the next level.
