During the pandemic, the world’s television-watching statistics reached new heights. People got hooked on riveting documentaries like Tiger King, period sagas like The Crown, and heartwarming dramas like Ted Lasso. More people tuned in to their comfort shows, like Friends, Big Bang Theory, or the Great British Bake Off.
Business Insider reports that rewatching favorites eases anxiety due to the mere-exposure effect. We find comfort in the familiarity of knowing all the punchlines, twists, and turns.
There’s little doubt about television’s therapeutic benefits during stressful times. Your favorite Netflix series before bedtime may be what you look forward to most when teenagers are wrecking your living room. Did you know you can also enjoy these advantages from some children’s and young adult shows?
Thanks to creative geniuses, there are some excellent shows that children and adults can enjoy together. While you will take home valuable parenting reaffirmation and support, the kids can enjoy the more obvious entertainment.
We have collected some tips on stress-free parenting exclusively from television shows aimed at children and young adults.
#1. People You Have Lost are Still Within You
Possibly, the harshest part of growing up is losing loved ones. Could we imagine not having our guardian angels around when we were little? Raising children without hugs and empathetic phone calls from your parents can feel unbearably hard.
Check out the “Dragon” episode of Bluey, the Australian animated TV series about a dog family. The show has developed cult status for its superb relatability and handling of sensitive issues in a format everyone can enjoy and learn from.
In this episode, Bluey is trying hard to draw a dragon. But the little dog she is, the drawing isn’t great. The scene flashes back to when her mum, Chilli, was a pup and frustrated with her artwork.
When Chilli gets upset that her drawing is awful, her mum says, “It’s pretty good for a seven-year-old. Keep practicing. You’ll get better. Just don’t ever give up, Chilli.”
In the present day, Chilli’s mum is not with her. But her gentleness and confidence guide her parenting style with Bluey. She’s in her heart and memories. She’s not going anywhere.
#2. You Get to Decide Your Parenting Choices
When a baby enters your household, the world around appoints itself in an advisory role. You get tons of unsolicited advice on feeding, naptime, managing tantrums, screen time…it never ends.
As a first-time mum, choosing between breastfeeding and formula feeding is a high-stakes decision. Have you watched Sesame Street, that colorful live-action and puppetry show with the birds that possibly was the first to conceptualize educational entertainment?
In an old episode, Big Bird sees a cast member, Buffy Sainte-Marie, breastfeeding her son. “What are you doing?” he asks. “I’m feeding the baby. Lots of mothers feed their babies this way,” she responds. “Not all mothers,” she adds.
The show has received praise for normalizing nursing in public. But it is also praiseworthy for reinstating that it is the mother’s choice. In recent years, some formula milk manufacturers have faced an NEC lawsuit. Parents claim that cow’s milk formula can cause intestinal damage – a condition called necrotizing enterocolitis – in premature and low-birth-weight babies.
However, TorHoerman Law notes that these formula products are only available in hospitals. If your pediatrician has approved a baby formula, there’s no reason to feel guilty about your choice. It is you who understands your personal challenges, so it’s only natural that you get to decide. Moreover, if the doctor recommends it, you can choose human milk fortifiers.
#3. Seeking Love as a Single Parent Does Not Make You Less
Dating can be a tumultuous territory for single parents. Few teenage children will get along with a potential romantic partner for a parent, even if the person is perfection personified.
The funny and insightful “Never Have I Ever” deals with a layered relationship between Nalini, a single immigrant mother, and Devi, her teenage daughter. After Nalini’s husband, Mohan, passes away in a freak incident, she struggles to move on.
The thought of being ready for romance ever again seems implausible. It doesn’t help that children can get really judgy when they are in the thick of hormonal, confusing teenagehood.
However, by the show’s end, Nalini finally opens up to the idea of a relationship again – with Devi’s friend’s father. She isn’t even hesitant to be public about her new standing. It is a monumental step for a character who has always been conscious of her public image.
Never Have I Ever also puts the spotlight on Nirmala, Devi’s grandmother. “Respectable widows aren’t supposed to move on,” she complains to her granddaughter, Kamala, Devi’s cousin. “Wanting companionship is not shameful,” Kamala reassures her grandmother. In the beautiful finale, Nirmala and her boyfriend, Len, get married in a colorful wedding ceremony.
The show lovingly reminds us that we all need companionship and affection. Becoming parents doesn’t automatically fill all the emotional voids in life.
Considering how stressful life can be, parenting or not, it’s great we have television shows that offer reassurance and support. Relatable storylines with protagonists trying to make sense of chaos can equip you with the confidence to do the same.
What’s more, these shows won’t require you to cover your ears when Baby Shark’s entire family hums “doo doo doo doo doo doo” for the hundredth time. And family TV time with adult children can be a thing again.
Top Image: photo credit