(This blog post turned into more of a tirade than I had initially planned. You don't have to agree with me. I'll still love you!)
The other day my kids were watching an episode of Arthur on PBS. Buster the slobby rabbit suddenly became a germaphobe. It was cute and funny and rather educational.
It reminded me how much I have grown to LOVE PBS programming for kids.
In the nearly ten years I've been a mother I have come to depend on it. My kids have grown up with Elmo, Arthur, and (I hate to admit it) Barney. Now they're into the new Electric Company and Word Girl. I've even picked up a few favorites of my own that weren't around when I was little, like Between the Lions and Arthur. I even kind of miss Zoboomafoo.
Of course, that doesn't mean that I haven't had a few criticisms of PBS Kids shows through the years.
Like, what the heck was up with that show Boo-Bah? It was like Teletubbies on shrooms. And that kid Caillou was about as obnoxious as they come. I don't like some of the changes they've made to Sesame Street and I really could do without Sid the Science kid, I find the animation somewhat creepy. And Wishbone was well intended but really rather weird.
But I have very little to complain about when it comes to actual content and plot lines. Which I can rarely say for some of the "kids" programming I've seen elsewhere.
The other day my kids were watching Saturday Morning cartoons--well, it wasn't really cartoons it was Hannah Montana. (We don't have cable but a few Disney Channel shows are shown on ABC on Saturday.) It was AWFUL!!! Someone has lead that poor Miley Cyrus seriously astray when they told her she could act. And don't get me started on her singing. Uck! After that was this horrible show about some bratty kids living in a hotel. It was over-acted, over-indulgent and totally over-rated. I realized my kids aren't missing out on much by not having multiple "kid channels" to watch. Of course, that means we have to get our Dora and Spongebob from DVD's but we are spared the constant barrage of commercials for kid-centric stuff we don't need.
I'm sure there are wonderful shows out there for kids that we've never heard of on networks we don't have, but my kids probably spend more time than they should in front of the tube as it is. I don't feel like we're missing out on anything.
So for now anyway, PBS is all we need.
(Makes me think I should probably give them some money one of these days!)
