TV Wars: What's Wrong with Zach and Cody? (Part Two)

Family Friday at Mom Spa

by Jenny Douglas Vidas

It seemed like a good idea at the time...

When making decisions, we rely on the information at hand.  If we discover later that our information was faulty, we need to recognize and admit the mistake, then change course.  This lesson applies at the macrolevel (for instance, certain conflicts in the Middle East) and the microlevel (parenting). 

I will now confess that allowing my seven-year-old son to watch The Suite Life of Zach and Cody was a Bad Idea.  When last I blogged, my son was guffawing in front of the TV, basking in the semi-illicit thrill of a previously forbidden show.  

I really did try to watch the show with my son, as the experts suggest.  I pointed out that the actor portraying one of the adult characters went to elementary school with Daddy.  While I found this mildly interesting, my son did not.  For him, it's all about the kids.  I guess this makes sense - when I was his age, I never found Mr. and Mrs. Brady particularly appealing. 

After a few more minutes of Zach and Cody, I suddenly yearned to scrub floors, scrape dishes, clean the litter box - anything to get away from the TV.  I slunk out of the room, feeling at once guilty and ecstatic.  My son did not notice.

The next day, my mother had the extreme misfortune of babysitting during a Zach and Cody marathon.  That evening, she mentioned disapprovingly that Zach and Cody had discussed "cruising chicks."   That piece of dialogue sounded lifted from Happy Days, but I took her word for it.  And, she added, the kids on the show are very disrespectful, to other children and to adults. 

And you know what - Mom was right. Thirty-six hours after the Zach and Cody ban was lifted, I noticed an immediate and startling change in the backtalk my son produced.  Not only did the volume increase, but the backtalk also acquired a level of sophistication and creativity that had not been previously present.  

One morning, I asked my son to put on some pants before answering the front door, a request I deemed quite reasonable.  He responded by asking if I could please find someone else to annoy.

And that, my friends, spelled the end of Zach and Cody in the Vidas household.  Correlation does not necessarily prove causation, but I do know that once Zach and Cody was revoked, my son's backtalk receded to normal levels.

Although I expected nuclear meltdown when I reinstated the Zach and Cody ban, my son's protests were fairly desultory.  Oddly, he is now clamoring to watch such tame fare as Dragon Tales and The Tigger Movie, which his younger siblings love.  Perhaps he was relieved to have that boundary drawn, allowing him to hold onto his childhood for just a bit longer. 

In a few short years, my son will likely refuse to admit that he ever watched that show.  And I will long for the days when The Suite Life of Zach and Cody was the most noxious influence in my son's life.  

 

Comments

[Michael Douglas]

Jenny - hooray for you! Monitoring J's TV fare and for noticing the difference in behaviors when you justly banned that insipid (among other things) program. Is this a verbal ban or the 'V Chip' method?

[Jacob garcia]

Why dont you just let him watch the show but whenever he talks back slap him across the face.
Ill tell you my mom hit me when i acted out and i dont swear, i dont get into trouble, and i have never done drugs. Just because when im going to do something wrong i feel like she'll jump out of nowhere and hit me.
You'll probably think its wrong to hit ur kid, but im sure ur white. Im from a mexican family and thats how we get punished.

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