The glowing babysitter is equal parts savior and burden.
With the stress of safety and security being very real in this Pandemic, I would have imagined that I would have retreated into my long-time solace, journals. Not the case this time.
On the real, I’ve also been unable to watch grown-up programming aside from episodic content. I’m on drama overload just by opening Twitter. My bandwidth is limited these days. With my little one’s need for engagement, I can confess that I’ve consumed hours of content for kids – usually a multiplicity of the same episodes.
My daughter has not yet started school, so the big interruption of the Pandemic for her was being distant from her playmates for 3 months. Even when they could reconnect at the parks or playground, her playgroup shrunk – some moved away. During that 12 weeks with me and her Poppa, she eventually visited parks with us to run around and dig in the dirt.
But when indoors, which was the majority of the time, a screen or many were shining content for her amusement and education. A cycle was created with both parents working from home. The TV was usually on for 12 hours with a few periods of being off.
More structure was needed for us all. Sadly, I admit that day-parting our navigation between televised and streaming content would play a major role.
Usually, the morning started with breakfast with one of five PBS channels. In NYC, we have WNET Thirteeteen which has a cluster of connected splinter stations including one that plays nothing but kids content. Even with the options, at some point it seemed as if there was always an episode of Wild Kratts, Pinkalicious & Peterific, or Dinosaur Train running on air.
One program that emerged as a Saturday morning show in the spring and then as a daily in the summer, was Esme and Roy. Seeing a cute little girl and her monster colleague run a monster-sitting agency was unique. Aside from Doc McStuffins, Black female leads in animation have limited visibility, so it was a major hook for me! Plus, the protagonist has a unique name, like my daughter. Super rare: each episode is built around managing emotions, “monster meltdowns.”
Just like with Daniel Tiger’s teachable moments, my daughter and I will sing songs from Esme and Roy to reduce any acrimony. The following lyrics are a song we sing from the show when she gets particularly flustered.
“Take a deep breath.
Put your hand on your tummy.
Watch your stomach rise and fall.
In through your nose.
Out through your mouth.
It’s not hard at all.”
Esme & Roy is a Sesame Workshop production, which hints at an understanding of teaching, fun and sensitivity. The roots however, of this meditative-approach to managing emotions can really be attributed to Fred Rogers. His lessons of civility, compassion and community are timeless. With the shrill and hostile state of discourse on the national level, planting seeds of kindness and sensitivity early is extremely worthwhile.
Skeptically Viewing Mom 