What I learned from children’s TV

We only let Sam watch a few TV shows, mostly on Noggin or PBS (no commercials!). This being 2006, they’re all disgustingly politically correct and generally benign.

Or so I thought. Once I looked more carefully, though, I realized the kinds of dangerous lessons some of them are teaching.

Some things I learned from watching kids shows:

From Blue’s Clues: If a man asks you to help him look for his puppy, it’s OK to go into his house.

From Dora the Explorer: There’s nothing wrong with a young girl going out into the world, far from home, with only a monkey for companionship.

From Bob the Builder: While it’s important to wear your helmet while riding an ATV, it’s also OK to ride on a truck by simply hanging on the outside of the door.

From Jack’s Big Music Show: If someone knocks on the door, it’s just fine to shout “Come in!” without looking to see who it is.

From LazyTown: There’s nothing wrong with a 40-something year-old man hanging out — a lot — with a pre-teen girl.

From 64 Zoo Lane: It’s OK to sneak out of your second-story bedroom at night when your parents think you’re asleep.

I say this all tongue-in-cheek, but heck, there’s something to it. I mean, back in the ’70s we were told not to go anywhere with strangers, and the “Come help me find my puppy” story was always the example of how the bad guy would try to lure us. Yet that’s how Blue’s Clues starts!