Sunday, May 30, 2010

Say What??

Summer Holidays. Always meant cold coffee, mangoes, no studies, lotsa masti time and of course the visit to the grandparents home for close to two months. A four day train journey, with changing trains along the way, hoping & praying that the tickets booked, would actually be utilized.

The train journey would be eventful by itself. A bunch of us start together, till we reach our respective destinations. We'd raid the pantry, bug our fellow travelers, generally having a whole lotta fun and creating awesome memories along the way. Being a part of a large joint family had(has) its perks. Never missed friends esp during hols, there was this guarantee that someone would always be there giving you company. The parents had no clue what the children were up to, yet we survived and managed and those fun years have resulted in some great relationships, even if the elders don't have.

And now summers holidays are all about summer camps, short short trips, shorter journeys and of course the video games. Joint families have given way to nuclear families, and most double income households and single children left with maids, the new age nannies. And in most households, grand parents have been relegated the nanny status and not necessarily during the hols only.

Another new thing or fad as I would like to call it, that has started is the singing & dancing Reality Show's for kids. This has taken parents ambition to new heights. Holidays are definitely not meant for stressful activities for children. Exams are enough stress already. They are supposed to be fun & carefree & definitely not to be spent waiting in the blazing heat for their turn in the audition. And not to mention the stress of the practice sessions, the performance and the pain of rejection/failure. I'm not sure though if one of the parents stays with the child during the competition. Are the children equipped enough to handle all this? Their parents certainly can't, they break down, insult & misbehave. All this for 2 min of fame!? Agreed the reality shows have opened new gates, but there needs to be a change in the law (child labor law perhaps). And where does one draw the line? Does the impressionable young, yet to develop mind of a child not matter at all?

Yes, the kids have talent, can it not be honed in dance schools and smaller competition's? Yes, these days summer hols are meant for singing and dancing auditions in reality shows for which they prepare through out the year.

Yes, they dance well. Yes, its a great platform. And yes, Imp loves Boogie Woogie and Dance India Dance esp the little master's and wants to participate too. But that does not mean I forget being sensible. One of us has got to be an adult sometime.

And the lesser said about the provocative costumes and lewd vulgar dance moves and songs which the parents have no problem with, the better.


25 comments:

Razzer said...

lol....Reality shows ki maar di. Sahi hai. Lekin whr should one draw the line?
Everyone is thinking about this...rite frm us common folks to the censor boards.
hey but this post invokes the real issues. Well written.

Anonymous said...

i agree with you on the concept of reality shows featuring small children is abs rubbish. they are tortured enough in school, on national TV, its ridiculous. but its good to know that Imp has and interest in them and you would like to nurture that but at the right time :)

Imp's Mom said...

nahi Anand, reality shows ki nahin, nanhe munne bacche ke parents ki...difference hai ya..the reality shows are just cashing in on the business...and it is good business.

and hey thanks :)

Imp's Mom said...

Absolutely true Warren! Thanks and welcome to my space :)

Iya said...

absolutely. what more disturbing is the attitude of parents.

Aarti said...

had left your blog page open and then opened Iya's blog too... similar posts!!!

Sad that kids these days are forced into so many things.. its all about PARENTS n their attitude!!! they need to leave kids be and let them enjoy their childhood.... or DONT have kids!! bah!! :)

Monika said...

i was nodding to every point u made in the post

how very true I wonder where are we going towards

Imp's Mom said...

Yup ladies, its all about the parents and their attitude. PIL's banning reality shows, wont help much if the parents themselves don't see anything wrong in what they are doing.

Its a sad pathetic reality.

हितेष said...

Just saw your blog.. ! Interesting points about reality shows (Kids).Sometime I feel when I see the auditions - Not kids their parents are giving the audition... Kids need their childhood. They are already in trouble by heavy school bags, pressure of grading, comparison with neighbor's children etc. Now they have a got a new torture statement "You are a duffer, can not dance properly. Don't you see Dance India Dance, their 5 year boy dances better then you Grrrrrrrrrr.. ! Now there should no mistake in next ..."

Ankita Mehta said...

ekdum sahi!! I agree with you 200 percent!! These reality shows are taking childhood away from children. And parents,omg!!! Ask them if they were able to even tie their shoe laces at the age of 5!!!!! Right said Fred!! How are you Impsmom and hoz your cutiepie?? and yeah I am fine, wanting to get rid of dust storms and waiting for some rain!!

Lijna said...

Nice post...Very true about reality shows !

Anonymous said...

Good post, thought provoking. There definitely is tremendous pressure on kids who compete on such platforms. Its all in the attitude of parents. I have seen some parents pressurizing their kids to even climb up the slide saying "See THAT kid can do it, why can't you??" Its truly pathetic!

ani_aset said...

Couldn't agree more yaar. Too much pressure on the kids these days and TRP hungry TV channels dont give a damn

Imp's Mom said...

Hi Hitesh! Welcome to my space :)Simple na..but when will the parents understand?

Imp's Mom said...

hiya winky :) so true. my baby is abs fine :)) u must have some rains now...

Hey LR, Welcome to my space! :)

Imp's Mom said...

Thnx Priyanka and Ani! Its this very same pressure and comparisons which leads to suicides in children. Its very very sad. Parents should take note of this.

Unknown said...

Nice post. I had written a post on my blog about the kids' reality show sometime back. Please do read for my views on this.

http://sihi.wordpress.com/2010/02/15/child%E2%80%99s-play-%E2%80%93getting-it-real/

Imp's Mom said...

Thanks Satya! and Welcome to my space :) will head over and read ur link now :)

Anonymous said...

I won't blame the reality shows, it's the competitive parents who can make everything a competition. Weddings, Board exam results, birth day parties, even the rank, in class 1.

When my kids were young, one parent got this kid to take out
and show his English note book (on the school bus stop), to see where this other child was scoring extra stars!

I think the parents should be involved and should always know where a child is, no matter how many adults are around (like in journeys, weddings, large families). In most crimes against children, the offender is known to the child.

Anonymous said...

You've been tagged!

Imp's Mom said...

Blabberblah!! What a great way to make your presence felt in my space! :) Welcome!

And Thank you for the tag..will get right to it :)

Imp's Mom said...

I agree IHM, its the parents who need the attitude adjustment and reality shows ..well they are just feeding a demand.

Reema said...

i agree...these reality shows are really disgusting..how do people watch small kids doing such vulgar dances?

Anonymous said...

i actually smiled to see ur view..for thts wat it is important..if we new age moms realize so much..i hope better moments can b built for our children..wish the rush would end...

SM said...

good point
solution is in our hand
stop watching, we got the remote and right not to watch, they got right to dance.
Just wanted to add still India is my beloved India is beggar nation, today also people just wait 12 hours to see the helicopter.
after seeing that they think wow what a magic.