Twinkle: Children's Programming

First, Dibbs, I want to offer my condolences about your grandmother. You and your family are in my thoughts and prayers--I hope you're doing well and are spending time remembering her with your family.

I hopped on here to talk about children's tv. Two years of protecting Twinklette from licensed characters and commercial marketing came to a screeching halt today, in the Immediate Care Center of all places. (Don't worry...everyone's fine. My mom slammed her thumb in the car door but didn't break it, and is now taking a Demarol-induced nap).

Anyway, the staff at the emergency room was trying to be helpful and turned on Nick Jr. for Twinklette, who has never watched television and until today didn't know children's programming existed. She calls all television programs "the news," because that's all we watch (when it's on at all). She wouldn't know Elmo from Dumbo, and that's the way I prefer it. But today, she was transfixed with a cute little Asian-inspired cartoon in which the characters were growing a community garden and teaching Chinese phrases to viewers. It seemed pretty innocuous, and I told her that kind of show was only on at the hospital. (I know I'm hardcore...but I read the book Buy Buy Baby, about marketing to children, and I vowed to protect my child from it. And until today I have).

I called Mr. Twinkle to tell him how annoying the show was, and how all our efforts were being destroyed by one unfortunate afternoon of Nick Jr. He said, "Oh yeah. My parents asked me if it was OK for her to watch Sesame Street, and I said I didn't care."

Now, I have not had a chance to address this with Mr. Twinkle yet, but I am just shocked and appalled by the subterfuge going on with this family. I skip one Friday night dinner to cook for the Juaree with Lola, and suddenly they're outfitting her in tacky shoes and pushing commercialized children's characters down our throats. (Is that my punishment? Probably).

Will my MIL stop at nothing to make Twinklette into the image of childhood that she expects? All I'm trying to do is let Twinklette make educated decisions about what she likes (if she likes a Disney Princess sippy cup for its own intrinsic value, that's fine with me...I just don't want her to like it because some corporate executives tell her she's supposed to). You'd think MIL would admire my efforts and try to cooperate, but all she does is try to undermine me. You'd think she'd say "thank you for doing what you think is best for your child", but instead she goes behind my back and pushes her own agenda.

The woman is as dangerous as SpongeBob...at least I'm onto her.