Kids

Spongebob Is Just Fine, Thank You

Spongebob Squarepants

There has been a lot of press over the past two days about a study regarding Spongebob Squarepants that psychologists Angeline Lillard and Jennifer Peterson from UVA ran. In the study, they examined three groups of twenty 4-year-olds (not to be confused with 24 year olds who watch Spongebob :) one that watched SpongeBob for nine minutes, one that watched Caillou, and one that drew with crayons and they determined that SpongeBob’s “fast-paced” format harmed the children’s memory, attention, and self-regulation.

The present study found that 9 minutes of viewing a popular fast-paced fantastical television show immediately impaired 4-year-olds [executive function], a result about which parents of young children should be aware.

This study is completely bogus for the simple fact that they did not test against the core audience that Spongebob is targeted towards – which is any kid over 6 (or stoned college students). Plus, the burden of knowing what is right and wrong for your kid to watch needs to be decided by the parent, not some study from UVA.

My son loves Spongebob. He takes a Spongebob view of the world – in that he sometimes relates things he sees or experiences in real life to Spongebob’s world. For example, from a post of mine a few years ago:

My son is a big fan of Spongebob Squarepants and all his cronies from the Krusty Krab (OK, Daddy watches it here and there too :). So a couple of weeks ago he was watching the “Who Bob, What Pant” episode, in which Spongebob suffers amnesia and somehow finds his way to a town unknown to him called New Kelp City. In his visit to New Kelp City, he is referred to as a “jobless deadbeat”.

So with this context, I take you to my son’s Kindergarten class. His teacher is talking to the class about the poor Economy and specifically discusses how people are losing their jobs and are unemployed. So as any good teacher would do, she reviews the discussion with the class to see who was paying attention. And during this review, she asks the class “So class, what is the word for people who are not working?” And without missing a beat, my son raises his hand and blurts out “Jobless deadbeats!”.

I would have paid money to have seen his teacher’s face when he said this.

Ah, the wonderful world of Spongebob.

A Spongebob View of the Economy

My son is a big fan of Spongebob Squarepants and all his cronies from the Krusty Krab (OK, Daddy watches it here and there too :). So a couple of weeks ago he was watching the “Who Bob, What Pants” episode, in which Spongebob suffers amnesia and somehow finds his way to a town unknown to him called New Kelp City. In his visit to New Kelp City, he is referred to as a “jobless deadbeat”.

So with this context, I take you to my son’s Kindergarten class. His teacher is talking to the class about the poor Economy and specifically discusses how people are losing their jobs and are unemployed. So as any good teacher would do, she reviews the discussion with the class to see who was paying attention. And during this review, she asks the class “So class, what is the word for people who are not working?”. And without missing a beat, my son raises his hand and blurts out “Jobless deadbeats!”.

I would have paid money to have seen his teacher’s face when he said this. Ah, the wonderful world of Spongebob!

PS – I am in no way making light of the economic situation or those who have been impacted. I’ve been on the other side of that sort of decision and it’s no fun.

Five Second Rule

Saw this great research factoid in a newsletter I receive from Iconculture:

37% of women say they’ll eat food within 5 seconds of its being dropped on the ground. 57% of men say they will.

Source: Electrolux Homecare Products – December, 2005

Cat In the Hat

My daughter Rebecca celebrated the 100th Birthday of Dr. Seuss at school today. In honor of the day, all the students were assigned to read books and document the book that they read. In addition, each student brought in goodies related to the Dr. Seuss theme. I think they even had green eggs and ham. We gave Rebecca a cake which I decorated with The Cat In The Hat. As you can see, my handy work came out pretty well, if I do say so myself. The cake was a big hit at Rebecca’s school, with many parents and teachers commenting on it. And, of course, every morsel was eaten!!

Kids

This week, my son Ian turned one year old. It is quite humbling when I step back and consider that I am now the proud daddy of a one year old boy and a two-and-a-half year old daughter (No worries, we have no plans for any more additions to the brood). The past 2.5 years have obviously been amazingly crazy with the addition of Rebecca and Ian to our family, but it has also been the most wonderful and humbling experience. Rebecca just never ceases to amaze with her own personal interpretations of the English language and the joy that she brings to everyone she comes in contact with. Ian is quietly coming into his own. The hardest part is to come to grips with the fact that he is now a year old and no longer that 3 month old munchkin. Now if I can only get my career and job situation back in order so we can get back to reality, that would be the most wonderful New Year’s gift!