Good Night Moon

You may have heard about this:

PBS Kid's Shows Host fired over video

I think the story is missing the real shocker of this whole affair...read carefully:

Airing for three hours each evening, The Good Night Show airs soothing stories and cartoons designed to get an audience of 2-to-5-year-olds ready for bed.

Remember when we used to have these things called "mommies" and "daddies"? They used to AT LEAST find the time to get their own kids ready for bed.

UNSTINKING BELIEVABLE! Do you suppose these 2-5 year olds actually have TV's in their rooms? I am truly astounded....what will they come up with next. I wonder if the host can change diapers. THREE HOURS for all love!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know what to say...Surely one of the Four Horseman of the Apocalpyse is named "PBS shall put your kids to bed for you."

Comments

Mimi said…
I have a hard time getting my dander up over this, James, I got to tell you.

Do I think TVs in bedrooms are a good idea? No, but I am well aware that people do it.
Susan Sophia said…
Unfortunately it is all too common to see a 2-5 year old with a TV in their room. I personally know a few. But one doesn't need a tv in their bedroom to park themselves in front of it for hours every evening. Or use it as I babysitter more often than not.

Guilty far too often right here!

ashamedly,
your wife


Ps....I've been wondering why I never hear the sounds of children playing and yelling through the neighborhood in the evenings.
Hmmmm
Anonymous said…
James, of course the parents need the tv to read their children a story before bed. Why? Because the parents are so tired from their day at the spa and lunching with friends. C'mon. What's wrong with you?! Get with the modern picture here.

(tongue firmly in cheek!)
fdj said…
Really Mimi? I mean, I'm not losing sleep over it or anything, but the notion strikes me as profoundly odd that we'd have a nightly THREE HOUR show designed to get our kids to sleep.

I've no wish to be judgemental, for I am well aware of my many parental failures, but man this just seems to be over the top crazy. I'm not a "no TV ever" kinda guy (as my wife notes), but man, bedtime used to be a precious time in the family.

I would love to have heard the PBS programming design meeting that brainstormed this one.
Mimi said…
Well, admittedly, not having children of that age, I may be out of the loop, but it doesn't seem like it's a huge thing, I've never heard anyone say "I have to rush the kids home, it's time for them to watch PBS before bed", so I don't know how big of a thing it is.

Also, I'd like to think that it exposes some kids who don't have that interaction to things like reading before bedtime and the like. Obviously, it's not how I tuck my kids into bed, but it's hardly *to me* outrageous. And, there are plenty of things out there that are.

Having said that, while our TV isn't in the bedroom, sometimes I turn it on sleep and lay in bed and fall asleep to the end of the Mariners' game.

I'm glad you aren't losing sleep, though. What I'm losing sleep over is how I managed to look pasted into a photo I was at ;)
Anonymous said…
I wondered about "why 3 hours" after reading your post, in the course of my quick search I was reminded that Sprout, the network that airs 'The Goodnight Show' program in our area, is a 24 hour network geared towards the young set.

As to why is there a network geared to this age set that is on for 24 hours a day, I found this explaination: "If kids wake up at 3 in the morning and are sick, they can snuggle into mom's bed and watch their favorite show," said Andrew Beecham, senior vice president of programming for PBS Kids Sprout." Right or wrong, that is their reasoning.

So why is this show on for 3 hours? The optimist in me would like to explain the 3 hour program in this way... Different kids have different bedtimes and so a 3 hour program allows kids to tune in and watch some quick cartoons geared toward their young audience before their bedtime. Whether that is the networks reasoning behind it or not, I do not know.



As a parent I do appreciate PBS' approach in this situation, they felt that one of their personalities did something that was inconsistent with what they were going for, even if 'said event' happened 7 years ago. Instead of sugar coating it, or playing it off they made a decision "PBS KIDS Sprout has determined that the dialogue in this video is inappropriate for her role as a preschool program host and may undermine her character’s credibility with our audience."

source: http://www.sproutletsgrow.com/good_night/index.html
Anonymous said…
mimi, losing sleep over a photo? I think it was a conspiracy. Someone in the government messed with the photo, it didn't look like that when i downloaded it from the camera.
this is all crazy, but, my youngest sister grew up with a tv in her room at a young age. She's actually a normal, healthy, and intelligent adult now. maybe despite the tv. who knows.
fdj said…
I would just add that it IS a big enough thing for them to create the show. If it wasn't succesful - ratings wise - it wouldn't be there.

I'll throw caution to the wind and label it another sign of how we "moderners" are getting out of raising our own kids. Perhaps in the future we will find a way to hold our kids in a state of suspended animation (picture big green liquid tubes in your garage) until such a time they aren't as much of a burden to us.

Like big people aquariums...and hey, we can even kill them if it gets to be too expensive to continue buying nutrient fluids.
Mimi said…
But, it's not on regular PBS, right? It's on the Sprout all kids' programming all day cable show, right?

I don't know, we only have basic cable, so I don't get any of those stations.
fdj said…
Well that's a good point...I've never seen the show either and given the unbelievable numbers of channels I suppose it might not have a very big following.

Though, you do have to kinda laugh about entertainment that is actually INTENDED to make you sleepy.
Munkee said…
"Though, you do have to kinda laugh about entertainment that is actually INTENDED to make you sleepy."

They must have been inspired by Paradosis.
fdj said…
ouch, Aaron.
Munkee said…
sorry, you were wide open.
Susan Sophia said…
He was?
Munkee said…
ok, that was mean. Sorry. I read the comment and couldn't help it, but it wasn't very nice, I agree. See why I don't blog anymore?
Anonymous said…
He he. James, I have the same general reaction regarding school-lunch programs. Who could argue with school lunch? Well, I didn't, until they added school breakfast. I thought it was kind of lame for the school to be taking over the making of toast. But recently, I read a story of a school district that sends food home on the weekends with kids: a whole backpack full of canned goods and such. Come on, parents, the schools are feeding your kids, and the tv is putting them to bed.

Seve K
fdj said…
Tell you what, "village"...I'll feed my kids, I'll even put them to bed...in exchange, you take care of their diapering.
fdj said…
No worries Aaron...I'll see if I can't liven things up. Maybe I'll talk about burning free range, pasture grazed, organic, all natural, free trade coffee beans in my garage or something terribly exciting like that.

:)~
(all my luv brutha)

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