I am a little ashamed to admit it, but I’m slightly obsessed with Supernanny. Not so obsessed that it’s made it onto the DVR recording list, but I find myself watching it every single week. For those of you unfamiliar with the premise, Supernanny, aka Jo Frost, goes to a home where the children are out of control. On her first visit, she, in full British nanny getup (skirt suit, glasses, hair tightly pulled back), observes the family in all of their wild ways. Then she returns with ideas and suggestions of how to help the family. She assists for a while, leaves, and then returns to see how things are holding up.
I am continually amazed at how poorly the children on this show are behaved and how the parents let them behave. Of course, as I have no kids, how am I to judge. But it amazes me when kids throw temper tantrums and the parents just give in and let the kids do whatever they want, even when it means things like letting the kids stay up all night and talk back.
I think it’s one of those things I watch because it’s a bit of a train wreck. Tonight’s episode involved mostly older kids and then a 2-year-old who the parents practically ignored – the kid was never read to, was allowed to just wander the house, and was clearly attention starved. But I guess there is a lesson to be learned from all of it.
Or I can just stare in amazement at how ridiculous people can be. Which is why reality tv exists in the first place.
I love Supernanny and all those shows too. Mostly because it makes me more confident in my future parenting abilities. Surely I can do better than all those people, right?
Kim loves Supernanny and watches it every week. She gets so disappointed when it is not on, it’s funny. I haven’t really watched it, so it’s major impact on my life is that I amuse myself by saying “asseptable” whenever possible. 🙂
I can’t believe the kids on that show, though. I truly hoping they are playing it up to get on TV, in the tradition of reality shows everywhere, but I really worry that is not true. You seem enough parenting at restaurants and stores to realize that there are some people who really do just find it easier to let the kid do whatever the heck he or she wants to. 🙁