“The House of Tiny Tearaways”
Posted on Thu, 22nd December 2005 at 01:17 under PoliticsI find it interesting but a little disturbing, more so than most reality TV shows. Do these children know they are on public display? Is a TV show an appropiate setting in which to effect professional family therapy? Does anyone else who watches this programme wish to talk about it?
In this show, the mum is clearly creating disciplinary problems for herself and the show expert seems to be in agreement if her stern look is anything to go by. It is a problem of black and white, of the mum switching instantly and, to the children, arbitrarily between two modal extremes; namely guardian and disciplinarian. For instance, the children were playing what seemed to be a delightfully messy game of indoor snowballs. Mum, arbitrarily it appeared, decided that the game was over, much to the chagrin of the children, one of whom proceeded to playact a bit. The expected communal clean-up effort then escalated into a presumably oft-repeated power struggle between mum and children. The show expert immediately nails mum for having expectations of bad behavior and responding disproportionately.
Parents are shown that their child’s eating problems are, in part, down to them.
Top stuff!
But!! Discussing strategy about dealing with the children in front of the children is a big no-no. It unnecessarily shatters the illusion than mum is in control. The expert could have used a headset and provided instructions by remote to mum’s earpiece.
Ali said: December 23rd, 2005 at 00:07
I’ve not seen it but I suspect that like the other “reality” shows I have seen, it is another pitiful atempt by the media to embarass people on television because that is what the viewing public like to see. On the whole, their sad little lives are so empty that they must fill them by watching other people suffer. It’s sick and degrading all round. Come on people, there is life out there.
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