Home
It blows our minds — really — when parents accuse television of ruining their children. It’s one thing to request better programming (like, of course, we at the STA do) but to demonize the small screen because it’s not parenting for you? That’s just lazy.
And because we’re feeling a little sleep-deprived and cranky today, we’ll spell out why.
A new AP article discusses the disturbing new phenomenon (anecdotal, not statistical, of course) of toddlers who are way, way into High School Musical. One little three-year-old featured in the piece even requested a HSM-themed birthday party. (Please note that her parents said yes.)
Says the mom of a Sharpay-obsessed toddler:
It really is insipid and Disney starts early and has some clever ways to get to the kids who don’t even watch movies, listen to the radio, or read.
We don’t even know where to start. Maybe by asking why this woman isn’t reading to her child?
Another mother, this one of a five-year-old, said her daughter got hooked on the movie after her husband bought tickets to High School Musical: The Ice Tour.
Sayeth the bewildered mother:
She went straight from Disney princesses to High School Musical…It just got to a point where it’s everywhere.
Yes. Like the ice rink. Which you paid to visit.
Come on. This is too easy. Really?
Naturally, experts warn that toddlers are much too young to watch HSM. The humor will go over their wee little heads, and the themes — “pressure to succeed, materialism, emphasis on outer beauty, narcissism, and romance trouble” — are meant for older kids. (When contacted for the AP article, a Disney spokeswoman said the movie’s themes are most relevant for kids between the ages of 6-14.)
So why do parents allow their kids to watch the movie, buy the CD, have an HSM birthday party, buy HSM merchandise and then complain that it’s Disney’s fault? Surely Disney isn’t piping “Fabulous” into preschools across the country.
If you don’t like the programs your kids are watching on TV, change the channel. If an older sister or brother is an HSM fanatic, take your younger offspring into the other room to read. Or play with blocks. Or draw.
We’re not saying Disney doesn’t aggressively market HSM. Of course they do. It’s a product, after all. But it’s a parent’s job to say no to programs which don’t jibe with your own values and your child’s maturity level. It’s not Disney’s responsibility.
A tip for parents who feel their toddlers are growing up too fast due to what they’re watching on TV: That button you use to turn the TV on and off? It’s usually marked “Power.”
Filed under Spit Take
