You may recall awhile back when I told you about my Curious Gemma, who imitated Curious George’s method of ee-ing, ooo-ing, and aaa-ing in order to get a message across.
Lately, she will only respond to my requests and queries if I call her by the name-of-the-moment, whether it’s Tigger, Princess Pea, or Minnie Mouse (I can always tell that one on account of the high heels she insists on wearing).
I feel like I’m pretty picky about what I let her watch, and try to be discerning and watch with her regularly in order to make sure shows aren’t slipping in anything subliminal or encouraging rebellion or something. However, there are always things they pick up that you would never expect, since an adult mind is simply not capable of looking at things in the same way a kid does.
We recently watched a riveting episode of “The Cat in the Hat” together, and had this conversation later in the day:
G: Mom, you know how spiders build webs?
Me: Yes, thanks for asking. I know everything you might learn for at least the next 15 years. Would you like a cookie?
Ok, actually I didn’t say that. Let’s try again.
G: Mom, you know how spiders build webs?
Me: (wide-eyed and wondering) No, HOW do they DO it??
G: They shoot string out of their bum! (Giggles uncontrollably)
Me: That’s RIGHT, just like we saw on “Cat in the Hat”, right? THEN what does the spider do?
(Correct answer: They catch bugs in the web to eat)
G: The spider sings a song!
Me: Hmm. I’m going to have to pay closer attention to nature!
G: What?
Me: Never mind. Let’s have that cookie.
What have your kids misunderstood from TV? Are there certain shows I should be on the lookout for, shows that teach inaccurate information as carelessly as that hatted cat?
Have you seen the show on Treehouse called Waybuloo? Basically, these little characters do yoga and chanting and it’s really almost hypnotic when you watch the show. We don’t let our kids watch it…