By referencing the anti-fairy tale, I don’t mean that I am against those happy, little girl fairy-tale endings. I am all for those and I wish real life was a fairy tale, (now more than ever) but that’s not how the world works. What I am referring to is the little kid shows that my children slowly but surely have gotten away from watching. My kids are no longer interested in Princess movies and have moved on to more complex entertainment. I don’t know how or when that happened. So how do you know when children are ready to move on?
Is it time to ditch the Fairy Tale?
There are a few ways to tell that it’s time to move on to the next phase of streaming….big kid shows!
- Are they clearly not paying attention to what is on tv?
- Are kid easily distracted?
- Is the tv on just for the white noise effect?
- What is their body language telling you?
- Are they asking you to watch other content?
You can start to include some shows that have more complex, yet age appropriate content. You can watch the show first to get a good idea of what it is all about. By watching first, you will know what to expect and if it is right for your child. Keep in mind that each child is different. You know your child better than anyone else, go easy on yourself and take cues from your child.
Netflix is reinventing family TV with shows like Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events that premiered on January 13. The show serves up dark comedy that your big kids are probably ready for, whether you realize it or not. The reality is, kids today are gravitating towards more grown-up type stories. And, most do not include a princess OR a fairy tale ending!
Here are some great shows to watch if you want to go all Anti-Fairy Tale this month!
