For the most part, kids are tough and resilient. And as much as we hate to admit it and try to avoid it, they go through a lot of difficult things.
However, when I look at the average non-Don-Bluth kids' show or film, those things are not addressed.
I know if I saw some of these topics discussed in the shows I watch, I might not have felt so alone when I was a kid.
Nobody can go through life without suffering, and not teaching children how to cope with suffering will only set them up for many issues down the road.
So here are a few things kids shows should not avoid.
Disclaimer: Of course I’m not saying every kid's show should be dark and serious.
Some of these topics can be dealt with in a lighthearted way, and if not, there’s always going to be a wide variety of shows, some of which are just silly fun, and that’s okay.
1. Disability
I don’t know why this is such a controversial topic for people.
Disabled people exist and it’s not like we’re rare. What is rare, however, is children’s shows with disabled main characters.
There’s something special about seeing someone on the screen who reminds you of you, and seeing disabled characters could also help nondisabled kids learn empathy.
2. Divorce
About half of all marriages end in divorce so this is not a small issue. It affects almost half of all kids. Yet it’s rarely mentioned in children’s media outside of “special episodes.”
Divorce is scary and confusing and comes with a wide variety of feelings that nobody talks about. Seeing a character go through the same struggles could help kids see the light at the end of the tunnel.
3. Death
Any children who have pets will learn about death from an early age, and many lose grandparents at an early age too, and I haven’t seen any recent children’s media handle the topic.
As much as we all hate to admit it, death is a fact of life for the foreseeable future. Children should be taught this as well so they learn important coping mechanisms as well as the value of life.
Financial Troubles
Kids are not going to understand bills and taxes and debt, but they do know how that kind of stuff affects daily life.
With the economy the way it is, it would be nice to see a kid’s show about a protagonist who deals with these issues in their daily lives.
4. LGBT+
LGBT+ people exist, and they exist in much higher numbers than some people care to acknowledge.
If you allow your child to watch a Disney movie where the boy and girl kiss, then there should be no issue with letting them watch two boys or two girls kiss.
Romance doesn’t automatically become perverted just because of a gender change. And children should learn this lesson too.
The world is not as simple as many children’s shows would have kids believe. Many kids learn about this from an early age regardless of what they see on TV.
Children deserve honesty. Children deserve to feel like they are not alone. Children deserve to have their concerns taken seriously, not swept under a rug and saved for “when they are older.”
