Big Troubles On The Prairie

This day and age I feel hard pressed to find a decent "family" television show that I can watch with my kids. In fact, with Tivo, my husband and I can record "grown-up" shows that we watch after the kids go to bed, and "kid" shows that mainly consist of Handy Manny and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. But rarely do we watch anything as a family because there just isn't much that appeals to both demographics.

The Cosby Show is one thing we all can agree on, and boy do I miss the way sitcoms used to be. Cosby was clean, moral and hilarious. I honestly can't think of a current show that has that magic combination.

So, as my daughter gets home from school in the mid-afternoon, I have looked for a show that we can watch together. I settled on Little House on the Prairie because I recall watching that as a kid. I associate that show with good, wholesome entertainment but I have found it to be more troubling than I remember. I don't know if it is the season that is airing now or what, but I find myself faced with having to explain all kinds of tragedies to my daughter. Just last week there was an outbreak of Anthrax in Walnut Grove and adults as well as children were dying horrible deaths. Explaining Mary's blindness was a challenge. And I am happy to have skipped the episode when The Blind School burns down, taking Mary's baby and Alice Garvey with it. Sheesh ... they had it rough on the prairie!

I certainly expect some hardships, that's what makes the show appealing - but to have major loss and heartbreak nearly every episode is just getting way too depressing. I'm thinking that I'll have to screen each episode carefully if I wish to continue.

The good thing about it is that my daughter has learned to appreciate the age in which we live in. And so have I. I especially appreciate Tivo, so that I can fast forward through all of the misfortune and disasters during a time before televisions.