High Maintenance Mom

We watched The Backyardigans "Race to the Tower of Power" this evening where Yucky Man Pablo and Dr. Shrinky Tyrone raced to steal the key to the world from superheroes Weather Woman Uniqua and Captain Hammer Austin. It was one of our first superhero themed shows with B (3 yrs old). He was scared for part of it but immediately wanted to see it again and talk about it. We are just starting to discover superhero play so I was interested to see how the theme was handled in our favorite show...

There was a lot of good versus "bad" play, which is interesting to watch. From what I understand, during superhero play kids test different types of behaviors and the concept of power in order to increase their understanding of these issues and feel safe. What does it mean to be good or bad? What does it feel like to have power? While this sounds fine, it's often scary to other kids and safety can be an issue. It's suggested that parents or teachers supervise power play (see resources below for more information) and set limits on when and where it can occur. Many childcare centers have policies on power play. We have a two-page sheet describing power play at GeoKids and how to handle it.

One of the sites I've been reading mentions that kids who act out some of the violent play the most are the ones who see it most often in their daily lives (that includes tv, magazine covers, etc.). None of the sites suggest that you let your kids watch more violent shows or play with more violent toys.

The Backyardigans presented the superhero play by having the "kids" make up characters instead of copying them from other shows, which is mentioned in many of the articles as a more enriching experience for kids. At one point last week, I felt guilty about suggesting this episode because I do not want to promote violence. However, we've been happy with other themes presented by The Backyardigans. It's likely that the power play theme will continue in our house as our boys already wrestle, chase, and tease so I'm happy to have a show we can watch and discuss. B was curious about the show and we talked a little bit about why the characters behaved how they did, how they felt, and how it made B feel. I'm sure B and I will be talking about the show for a long time and I'm sure I will continue to wrestle with how to handle power play.

The music and dancing was also fun. One of the songs is on The Backyardigans CD.

Resources

• When Good Kids Play the Bad Guy - How power play helps kids feel in control of their world - An overview of power play. Includes information for 3-6 year olds.
• Managing Superhero Play from Canada's Media Awareness Network - Includes advice for parents on how to facilitate superhero play and suggestions for not purchasing every toy, limiting superhero television shows, and giving children power over certain decisions in the rest of their day.
• Beyond Banning War and Superhero Play - Meeting Children's Needs in Violent Times a pdf article about power play.
• Superhero Play In The Early Childhood Classroom: Issues In Banning Play From The Classroom - A paper presented on how Superhero play can present learning opportunities.
• TRUCE - Teachers Resisting Unhealthy Children's Entertainment - How to talk with your kids about tv and movies, information about power play toys, and contact information.
• Recommended Book: Magic Capes, Amazing Powers : Transforming Superhero Play in the Classroom