Sorry, but I won't stoop to watching "Kid Nation." The idea of it goes against every fiber in my being. You see, I'm still from the old school of thought that believes that kids are supposed to have a guide in life, a wise sage to help them navigate life's waters. But that's me, not Hollywood.
Kids are not meant to be entertainment. Just like it nauseates me to see a parent belittle a child to get people to laugh, it makes me sick thinking that our nation has stooped to putting children in a setting without supervision to get television ratings. Children are a gift to be cared for and nurtured. They are sweet spirits, meant to be protected and gaurded. What would make anyone believe that it was right or good, or for that fact, entertaining, to take away supervision? And who are these parents that would go along with it?? I won't even let my teenager go to the mall alone!
Actually, unsupervised kids is not a new concept. I see little kids alone at the bus stop when I go out in the morning to exercise. They come home to empty houses after school. Tweens and teens are constantly hanging out together without any adults in sight. Personally, I have had to be the "bad guy" on several occasions when I refused to let my older kids be dropped off someplace with friends. Why is this nation obsessed with pushing our kids out of the nest?
We are parents for a reason, and having children is a huge responsibility--not just when they are tiny babies, but through the whole childhood process, going into the tween and teen years. Actually, this is often a chapter of life when they need parental supervision the most. Just because we live in a society that condones a nation of unsupervised kids, doesn't mean that we need to go along with the deception.
Children need us. That's why we are the parents and they are the kids. And it's not always to keep them out of trouble. Think bigger and broader. Children need us to help them make wise choices. They need us to talk with them about everything, and about nothing. They need our voice and, even more importantly, our ears. And every now and then, a window will open in their hearts, just wide enough to let in a moral truth. We need to be there when this happens.
Forget about a television show. We're already becoming a nation without adult supervision! And if anything is ever going to change, it's going to start in the home.
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9 comments:
That is a crazy idea. I knew it didn't feel right, but you articulated it so well.
BTW: I blogged today about your amazing book. Just thought you might be interested to see how much we love your book. Thanks for the sacrifice to write it.
Amen! When I saw the pre-view for the show, I thought the same thing about the parents of these poor kids.
Hi Hannah,
Would you believe we don't have TV? I know, how weird is that. So, I've never seen the show.
But I say hooray to your views. It's high time parents started acting like parents.
Carole
CommonSenseLiving.com
Didn't any of those TV producers read "The Lord of the Flies"??? Or, maybe they did!!!
AMEN!! Thank you, Hannah, for saying what needed to be said! The whole show gives me the creeps!
I hate to go against the majority here, but I look at this show in a different light. Althought I believe media has gone way out of moral control, this is one show I enjoy sitting down to watch with my kids! When I first saw the previews I had my concerns, but if you actually watched an episode you may see the positive effects this opportunity has a the kids. Yes, their parents aren't there but there are adults nearby for the children's protection. It's amazing to see the kids work together and prove to themselves what they're truly capable of. These kids ranging in age from 6-15 are running the town, including cooking they're own meals and cleaning up their own mess! What's not great about that! It shows them and my children about responsibility. And at the end of every show, they ask if anyone wants to go home, so the children are making the decision to be there. I believe this is one show that is actually doing good not just for the ones that are there but for the ones who watch.
The fix is in, and nobody realizes it. This is not the Kid Nation show, this is the Taylor show.
I noticed that she seemed to get a lot more camera time than the others, and I also noticed that she seemed to be a very pretty girl, and this made me suspicious. I pulled up the CBS web site where they have a link to each kid, and then I checked out Taylor.
Taylor is a beauty queen, with trophies up the rear, and is a musician and singer too. I am absolutely sure she has an agent, and I am likewise sure that agent pulled strings to get her on the show. I am also confident that the producers took one look at her and figured they needed the eye candy factor to ensure viewership. People tune in to check out what is happening with Taylor, and have no interest in what the other kids are doing.
The $20,000 gold stars they give out are actually consolation prizes. The real prize is the career that develops over the next ten years as a result of this. Do you really think that any of the other kids will wind up in the same place? Take Taylor's pic and post it next to any of the other kids, and what do you have? Nobody holds a candle to her, and she will wind up with the big show biz contract that the others will only dream about.
So, you've never watched the show yet feel compelled to share your insight on it?
And I have a feeling that, you too, see the opportunity to benefit from the show because as long as its running, you will have fodder for this ridiculous blog...
Just saying...
I agree with "Rachael".....we do not allow our daughter to watch TV but, Kid Nation looked like something we all could enjoy. It was nice to see the relationship building and the forced responsibility of fending for themselves. These children had to rely on teamwork to get themm through certain aspects of the game. There was a lot of support between the children, encouragement, and overall genuine kindness...not only between friends in the show but, kindness and support to the ones who weren't so strong. it was refreshing to see these wonderful kids acting so civily in what could of been a very uncivil situation. Don't bash something that you haven't given a chance of, it's ignorant and close-minded....yeah I agree, society and media can be pretty money driven and superficial many of the times but, I think Kid Nation breaks that streak and was produced in a way to maintain innocense on every level...kudos to CBS....Well Done!!!!
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