Jamie Lynn Spears and My Open Letter to Nickelodeon and The Disney Channel

Originally posted on The Huffington Post:

Today, when my kids arrive home from school, I predict the first thing they will want to talk about is the fact that Zoey 101 is going to have a baby.

And then the questions will start. "Mom, isn't she in like 9th grade?" "Mom, Jamie Lynn Spears isn't married." "Mom, how can a kid have a baby?"

Spears and her mother selling the news of the impending pregnancy to a magazine in the first place explains so much in terms of the whole family's excruciating emotional and psychological issues. And while the Spears family most definitely should crawl back to their trailer park and stay there, the broader implications of their public behavior does affect us, especially our young daughters and sons.

My children span from ages 10 to three, so we haven't had the birds and bees talk -- yet. But it feels like that time is quickly approaching, if not here.

Thanks, Nick.

The kids at our elementary school -- like kids everywhere -- soak up every piece of information they hear about Vanessa Hudgens, Jamie Lynn Spears and all the other characters that prance around on the Disney Channel and Nickelodeon. For starters, how can they miss the magazines in the check out lines? They are placed at kids' exact eye level.

Most of that information my kids hear about the shows' stars involves naked pictures on the internet, drugs, obnoxious behavior and now a very public pregnancy which will no doubt be plastered everywhere (just wait till they sell the baby pics.)

Nick and Disney Channel, what is going on? (Taking a look at Jamie Lynn Spears' website just now is so sad and laughable at the same time. Pure innocence. What a joke.)

The programming on Nickelodeon and Disney Channel often includes children and teens who are rude, disrespectful, untrustworthy and mean (just try to get through five minutes of Suite Life of Zack and Cody without being disgusted) -- and the off-air, public actions of many of the networks' stars is worse.

Our kids grow up so fast, it is painful that they learn so much about adult things in elementary school and you, Disney Channel and Nickelodeon (even if we don't watch you) are putting people and messages out there that are harmful. You own some responsibility here. The question is, what are you going to do about it?

Comments

[Cynthia Samuels]

You go girl! It looks to me like it just gets tougher and tougher - I know it's far worse that it was when my kids were little. Then programmers wonder why so many families stick with videos, or even cancel their cable.

I'm a big First Amendment girl, but every day TV seems to push the limit and make it easier to attack the precious Bill of Rights. Maybe this is the next job for the League of Maternal Justice!

[rjlight]

Thank you! I feel like I'm the only mother around who doesn't let her kids watch the brats on the suite life. I am so sick of the lousy examples on "kid's" shows!

[ann adams]

Agreed. We can't censor them but we can protest by changing the channel (although to what I'm not sure) and letting them know we've done it.

Hope you, Emily, and families are enjoying the holiday season, however you celebrate (or don't).

Hugs from California.

[BeachMama]

First I wanted to take Britney by the hand and give her a hug, hide her from society then give her a shake to open her eyes and see exactly what she is missing in her kids lives. Now, her sister too?! That family needs huge intervention, starting with the Mom and dwindling down to the kids. There must be someone out there that can get through to them.

And no, we don't watch those channels.

[Sue]

Well said. I get so fed up at some of the antics in so called children's shows.

With children of a similar age to you it's hard stopping any one of them from watching what the older one may be viewing even though they are levelled at children.

I could write a ream here about some of the things I'd like to complain about in the same vein as this. I know we can't protect our children from everything but society in general could help make parenting easier.

[Becki]

I thought after the initial news of the pregnancy broke that this story might go away for awhile, but alas, no. And I am getting a little tired of the people who say, "if you don't like it, don't let your kids watch the show." Well, okay. But then I have to explain to my eight year old WHY he's no longer allowed to watch. Either way, I'm going to have to explain something to him that I didn't want to have to explain just yet.