Sometimes a great notion – NOT

I have heard about this BabyFirstTV and I really have to wonder about the kind of minds inhabit the entertainment industry. Does the world really need TV for babies? I suppose I should be grateful it’s to be “commercial free” though for how long is the real question. I remember when the big plus of FM radio was its alleged “commercial free” content or when the cable specialty channels were billed as “commercial free”.

It never occurred to me to put a baby in front of the TV to “watch” television. The whole earth was their playground and we were too busy exploring it to sit still to watch television. By the time my youngest was about 3 years old and my oldest 6, I was working at a make-up school which taught make-up artists the art of film and television make-up – from your basic glamour makeup to bruises, bullet & stab wounds, monster make-up, creature suits, and animatronics.

All the teachers were professional make-up artists, so once a week one of “teacher” would give a demonstration to the staff, and we would critique it, in order that teachers could become more effective in communicating their expertise to their students. There were times when I had no one to watch the children so they came to work with me and play in the student lounge.

The first time they saw me fully made-up (bruised and bludgeoned) all three broke out in tears. I had always told my children that television was strictly make believe but there still remained a part of them which didn’t fully internalize how much fantasy television entailed until they watched me wipe the bruises off my face. After that, I took them regularly to staff meetings in order to de-sensitize them. I figured it worked just fine when I caught them watching a cop show and they were criticizing a murder victim’s make-up. Quite a heated debated ensured between the three of them in trying to determine what brand of fake blood which was used.

But television for babies – I think not. What babies really need instead is a turn on the kitchen floor with free access to the pots & pans cupboard. Want to make their day? Give them a few spoons and once in a while throw in a big empty box as well. Better than even Fisher-Price.