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Programs for children are beginning to lean towards the shallow, rebellious, and the simple minded.

Television for the youngest of children (two-six years old) has become too simple; the programs feature problems and puzzles that are at such a low level they offer little or no challenge to children. Shows like Dora the Explorer may introduce another language, but after watching it for a little while my three, four, and five-year-old nephews were bored. It wasn't that they don't enjoy the show, but they had figured out the point of the show in the first couple of minutes.

The older kids (six-ten years old) are subjected to the same simple concepts, mindlessness, and irrefutably negative moral actions. When children are subjected to the more mature program they often see other children disrespecting their parents, environment, teachers, and religious leaders. Children are expected to have a certain degree of rebelliousness and disobedience, as well as independence that will be valuable when they grow older.

These programs have taken those three behaviors and magnified them to a point where it is unhealthy. Independence in children is great, it fosters creativity and imagination, but in a world of hierarchy, when children learn and condition to anti-authority behaviors, they're being set up for hard times in the future. It's a matter of unconsciously learned behaviors.

Shows like old-school Sesame Street need more following and airtime in today's television. This particular show broadened its educational focus to include numbers, letters, basic grammar, puzzles, imagination, common sense, and moral/value promotion.

I'm not promoting Hitleresque programming, just programming that is healthy for children, educational, fun, and morally positive. Mr. Roger's, Big Bird, and LeVar Burton deserve rerun time, and a little more credit for shaping the current generations positive morals, high education standards, and creativity.

Children's programs today are too narrow in their focus. Rarely is there anything outside of math and science. Morals are severely lacking in the cartoons especially. Let's make a change for the sake of the next generation.

Learn more about this author, Chey.
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