Comments on: Rudolph and his Dad: Why Donner Would Never Be Allowed to Call his Son a Misfit Today

By: Jennifer Fink

Jennifer Fink — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 03:02:00 +0000

Al Bundy, Homer Simpson? What about the Mom in Malcolm in the Middle?

By: molly

molly — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:15:49 +0000

Good stories need tension. Something needs to be overcome. I think kids with basically decent parents aren’t freaked out or threatened by examples of a less unconditional style of parenting, especially when it serves an engaging narrative. But that would be the writer in me talking.

By: Christina

Christina — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 13:27:10 +0000

Very interesting post, Denise–and right on the mark. Just last night, I introduced my 13 year old daughter to the lunatic joy of Absolutely Fabulous, which I loved in the ’90s. We were both howling with laughter, watching Edina demonstrate absurdly awful parenting. I think my daughter–raised in the holier-than-thou parenting era, got a special thrill at the irreverence of it all.

By: Chris Le Beau

Chris Le Beau — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 17:56:52 +0000

Oh I don’t know. I don’t think it’s so bad to want to minimize kids’ exposure to crappy parental role models. Sure, plenty of parents are actually like that, but plenty of parents also molest their children, beat their spouses and live their lives in other ways that are dangerous to others. Does that mean our kids need to be exposed to that, too? Just because, you know, it’s reality? We own a DVD set of Christmas classics, including Rudolph, and we enjoy watching them, but I also have no problem discussing with my daughter why some of the behaviors in those movies aren’t acceptable.

The other thing we should remember is that, when we were kids, these movies were on once a year. It was an event to sit down in front of the TV and watch Rudolph or A Charlie Brown Christmas or the Wizard of Oz. And because we watched it only once a year, if it had any impact it was short-lived. But today we can watch anything we want whenever we want. That doesn’t mean we do, of course, but today’s kids have the potential to be exposed to so many more bad influences via media than we ever did. Over time, that has a cumulative effect, so if I can combat some of that with a little touchy-feely talk about respecting other’s feelings, well, I’m OK with that.

By: edj

edj — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 21:53:17 +0000

Today’s kids shows are so didactic that they’re hardly fun anymore! In my opinion anyway.

By: my whateva

my whateva — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 19:25:21 +0000

Well, my oldest calls me mean almost on a daily basis. i don’t even know if rudolph could hold her attention. it’s awfully slow compared to what’s on nick jr. i do think we should be real to and with our kids.
And yes, couches were mostly off limits when I was a kid. Don’t forget the TV was closer to the floor than it is these days. If you wanted a front seat, you had to be on the floor.

By: Emily Rogan

Emily Rogan — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:28:45 +0000

OK, Denise, you’re waaaay overthinking Rudolph We just watched it the other night (not Henry, he’s too cool for Christmas specials with the folks) and we laughed about Yukon Cornelius and Bumble (Bumbles Bounce!) but had no discussion about the parenting. I think Julia just said that she felt sorry for Rudolph in the beginning, but was pretty psyched that he saves the day in the end. We screw up a lot in this house when it comes to parenting; but we always do the repair work in the end, so our kids know we’re human and don’t get it right all the time. Have you ever watched the Fairly Odd Parents? World’s worst parents(and lousy show), but in the end, they love their kid and try to do their best and he knows it.

By: class factotum

class factotum — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:06:59 +0000

I don’t watch much TV (although I did just get season one of “Big Love” from the library so I won’t be hanging out here for very long today), so I don’t know what the prevailing philosophy is, but 20 years ago, it made my dad nuts that the kids sassed and bossed the idiot parents (behavior that was not acceptable in our house for sure). The only show he liked was “Cosby” because the mom and dad were not complete morons.

By: Denise

Denise — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:34:34 +0000

Good example, Lauren! It’s a hard-knock life indeed, even as some parents today try to smooth out their kids’ world to deny that fact! Now, when do my kids get home from the factory, again? I have to mix them up some gruel.

Denise

By: Lauren

Lauren — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 17:28:09 +0000

My favorite “grown-ups activing badly” video that the kids LOVE is “Annie”, the version with Carol Bernette as Miss Hannigan. Most of the adults are criminally horrible… and to orphans!! It’s a hard knock life, you know. We have had a couple of funny conversations about stereotypes – “old maids” in particular. And then there’s the drunkenness….