Monday, January 10, 2011

Things I have learned from watching arguably too much Super Nanny

  1. Super Nanny's advice is approximately the same for every family. It's good advice, but I do not know who submits tapes to be on that show, since you could just do what you know Super Nanny would tell you to do, without being on TV as a bad parent.
  2. Super Nanny is clearly not a mandated reporter, because there are many families on this show who are just struggling, but there are more than you'd think where there's clear abuse or neglect going on. On television.
  3. Many of the children featured on this show have really stupid names. I will not give you examples, because your kids may also have these same stupid names, and I don't want to offend you, but you should watch a couple of episodes, because even if the kids in one episode have the same stupid names you gave your own kids, the kids in the other one will have different ones, and you'll see what I mean. I am unclear whether there is a correlation between being a bad parent and giving your kids stupid names, or a correlation between wanting to be on reality TV and giving your kids stupid names, or both.
  4. Gay parents do not go on Super Nanny. I am unclear whether there is an inverse correlation between being a bad parent and being a gay parent, or an inverse correlation between wanting to be on reality TV and being a gay parent, or both.
  5. Nonetheless, this show is like Pringles to me.
  6. HuluPlus, though awful and obnoxious, is still dangerous.

6 comments:

Joe said...

Hey CMC,

I have heard of the show but have never seen it. What's the gist of her advice that she gives every family?
I don't think we need an intervention like that at our house, but I am curious 'cause I'm a Dad.
Does she come flying in on a broom and scare the crap out of the kids who misbehave?
Maybe that WOULD be kinda fun to witness.

bzzzzgrrrl said...

Sorry, buddy. Much of it is common sense: Be kind, firm, and consistent. She has a "system" for time-outs and one for bedtimes. If you're having discipline or bedtime issues, let me know. Everyone who contacts her has bedtime issues, or discipline issues, or both — except the ones who only think they do, when really what they have is an abusive parent issue.

bzzzzgrrrl said...

Oh, one more thing I have learned that didn't make the list: People who call Super Nanny and have a pool do not ever have a fence or pool alarm. Usually, children are allowed to bike or scooter around the pool at breakneck speed, unsupervised.

Genny said...

I used to watch that show and it made me SO MAD!!! I'm not a perfect parent by any means, but most of these parents are neglectful/abusive to some extent.

But you are correct - the show does have a very "Pringle" type addiction ...

Joe said...

Yeah, based on these comments, it sounds like the producers scrape the bottom of the barrel to find their subjects for the show.
And why wouldn't they, 'cause good parents wouldn't have any TV appeal.
No major bedtime or discipline issues to report at this time, CMC (well, there are sleep issues with the 8-month-old and "listening" issues with the 3-year-old, but it's typical stuff for their ages).

Mike said...

I would find all of this hard to believe if I didn't work in a pediatric ER.