Every day, since my daughter was small, I have taught her to be nice. Nice to friends, teachers, nice to animals, nice to mom & dad, even nice to herself. Mostly, my message has focused on saying nice things, and doing nice things. And every day, television - cartoons, mostly, undermine my teaching. And it all happens on the Disney channel.
This week I sat with her, not really watching, but listening to the tv shows she likes so much. Can they not come up with anything other than the rich blonde girl that torments the smart girl at school? Or the stereotyped jock vs. weakling scenario - haven't we been teaching the opposite for the past twenty years? Don't we want kids to accept everyone and encourage differences? On one hand, we teach them that all of it doesn't matter, and to not be mean. And on the TV hand, it comes back around to slap us!
To be honest, it's not just Disney. It's lots of adult shows too (you know which ones I'm talking about). And they are popular shows. So what it tells me is that everyone talks about changing how kids treat each other in school, but outside in the "grown-up" real world, it's really just the same. So how do I keep my daughter on the right track? I take the upper hand, and consistently show her how to be, and tell her how I expect her to be, and reward her for doing it. Too bad we can't expect more from Disney.
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