Often times when we turn on the TV, we find ourselves going to Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon, or any other channel with kid shows. If we do not binge watch our favorite dramas like "Gossip Girl" or "The Walking Dead," we will be watching shows like "Victorious" or "Adventure Time."
A lot of college kids feel no shame in admitting some of their favorite shows are kid shows. In fact, some people I know prefer them over adult shows. I personally prefer cartoon antics or shows for preteens over seeing vampires in a love triangle and young people/adults hopping into bed with someone almost every episode.
Why is this so? Are we immature or dumb? This is not the case at all. There are a lot of reasons why children's shows are sometimes better than adult ones.
As I mentioned above, there is less sappy drama in children's shows. There is still drama but there is less likely to be stereotypical love triangles, one night stands, constant switching of love interests, etc. In fact, sometimes the characters on kids' shows make better choices than the people in "90210," "Secret Life," and other shows notorious for indecisive, horny characters. Children's shows also provide a release from sexual problems and frustrations that often plague adults and young adults. Kid shows often remind us that there is more to life than romance and sex.
Cable networks for kids and preteens provide temporary release from more than just romantic and sexual drama. Kids' shows also take our focus away from real, adult problems like drugs, jail, mental illnesses, infertility and other harrowing, depressing issues and struggles. If you want a break from thinking about issues like finding a job after graduation or recovering from an addiction, you're unlikely to find an episode about those problems on "Spongebob Squarepants."
Even when these shows do address or reference serious issues or situations, they make light of it so that we can laugh and, hopefully, feel better about those things, especially if we are going through them. For example, on "iCarly," one of the characters, Sam, has a mother who is often not around, gets into lots of trouble, and is more immature than her own daughter. Too many girls have mothers that have questionable mothering capabilities but the show exacts a lot of laughs from the audience and it helps to have a hilarious actress like Jane Lynch appear for one episode to portray such a character, who grows in the end.
Finally, children's shows often remind us that kids are not as dumb as people believe. Oftentimes the young protagonists of "iCarly" and other similar shows prove themselves smarter and more competent than the adults. "Victorious" is another show that proves that adults can be more immature than their kids or students, such as Sikowitz.
In the end, though, the reason we love kid shows so much is because they are awesome. Never be ashamed of your inner child.
