Keep ‘Sesame Street’ for kids

“Sesame Street” is certainly the most famous and most accomplished children’s show to ever originate on PBS.

It’s far from the only jewel in their kid TV crown. The Public Broadcasting System has produced or successfully promoted landmark after landmark in children’s educational programming. Among their greatest hits:

• “Barney & Friends.” The iconic purple dinosaur was and is still the butt of jokes, but children adored the 1990s show. The earworm song “I Love You” was inescapable — so much so it has been used as a psychological coercion device to mess with the minds of terror suspects.
• “Lamb Chop’s Play Along.” The late, incomparable Shari Lewis earned legions of young fans with what was essentially a sock puppet.
• “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.” The legendary, kind, understanding Fred Rogers remains a touchstone for kids of all ages since PBS gave him a wide platform in the 1960s and beyond. When Tom Hanks plays you in a movie, that’s evidence of impact.
• “Teletubbies.” They’re weird — but only to adults. If you don’t understand how these strange, rotund beings created an oddly soothing environment that fascinated toddlers — ask a parent.
• “Wishbone.” Because what’s not to love about a Jack Russell Terrier dressed as a Civil War soldier to act out “The Red Badge of Courage?”

“Sesame Street” surpassed all of those. Since its introduction in 1969 it has won a record 189 Emmy Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, many other smaller honors, it’s been translated into countless languages and seen in over 140 countries. It gave the world the Muppets, for cryin’ out loud. Kermit, Miss Piggy, Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster …

It is, in a word, iconic.

But now, the show has made a choice that some people think may be a little too “street” — showing a Muppet named Karli who has a parent grappling with substance abuse.

In the midst of a national opioid crisis, the story is timely.

It’s just not something that preschool-age children learning what number comes after three are sure to understand, no matter how well-intentioned or presented.

The Herald’s Jessica Heslam succinctly summed up the problem: “This isn’t Sesame Street’s job. Let’s be clear. The show’s audience are 2-, 3- and 4-year-old kids. These are preschoolers. Let toddlers be toddlers.”

She’s right. Too many parents turn to TV programs to give themselves a break. Parenting is hard. Dealing with sensitive topics with kids whose minds are too young to comprehend those difficult subjects is also hard — and part of the deal.

Parents should raise their kids — not “Sesame Street,” which is a useful educational tool to learn basics like the alphabet and counting, but the wrong place for imparting values and explaining things like drug addiction.

And in a world where drug addiction does unfortunately touch some children’s lives, what’s wrong with keeping a cozy, lively “Street” on TV where Snuffleupagusses roam a safe space for them to be kids?

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/33nOfZm