We parents are faced with complex decisions from the minute our children are born. It’s especially tough for first-time parents, who sometimes feel buried under an avalanche of questions.
What is the latest in baby equipment? What are the differences in baby formulas? What are appropriate pastimes, videos or books for a toddler?
You can reach for a monthly issue of Parent or Parenting magazine for information, but CNBC’s new show “Parenting in the ’90s,” with a very matronly Cindy (“Laverne & Shirley”) Williams as host, is equally valuable, offering an abundance of quick tips, advice and guides to consumer decisions.
The show airs during CNBC’s “American Medical Television Program,” two hours of useful consumer health and lifestyle programming broadcast on Saturdays and Sundays: “Living Well in America!” (noon to 12:30 p.m.), “Parenting in the ’90s” (12:30 to 1 p.m.), “Ask the Doctor” (1 to 1:15 p.m.), “Heart Healthy Cooking!” (1:15 to 1:30 p.m.) and “Living Well in America!” (1:30 to 2 p.m.).
Topics in this two-hour block range from the latest in cholesterol research to great recipes for the entire family.
“Parenting in the ’90s” is the latest addition to the lineup, and if you can look beyond its artless production values and over-commercialization, you’ll be able to come away with a lot of useful facts.
A recent show discussed buying a car seat, an act almost as mind-boggling as buying a car. Co-host Tricia Lee explained the many options available, plus the various stages of car seats that children go through. Such information could save a consumer lots of money.
A segment on hand washing, which described the reality behind spreading germs, and a bit about looking for the perfect pacifier may sound elementary to the seasoned parent, but to a novice, such information would be welcome.
Williams is a staid host, miles away from the animated goofball she played in her earlier years as “Shirley.” Perhaps that’s understandable. She’s the parent of two children herself-9 and 6-and we know how that can make a person act more mature and responsible.
– Until I spoke to him on the telephone last week, Mr. Rogers of “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” struck me as a tedious type.
But after a few minutes of inspiring conversation, I believe Rogers genuinely is, sorry to use the word, special. So does the Ronald McDonald Children’s Charities, which awarded Rogers its $100,000 Award of Excellence, to be given to Rogers’ choice of not-for-profit organizations.
Rogers is donating the money to Family Communications Inc., his not-for-profit company, which produces a variety of materials that encourage the healthy emotional growth of children and their families.
Not only does Family Communications produce “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” but it recently has launched the Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Childcare Partnership, which offers a supportive resource for people working in childcare.
Providers are encouraged to watch the show with children and follow up the program’s themes with activities from the accompanying Mister Rogers’ Plan and Play Book, which contains over 600 activities, a broadcast calendar and a brief discussion of ideas.
During our interview, which seemed more like a chat with a close relative, Rogers talked a lot about his 5-year-old and 9-month-old grandsons.
“This is another chance to grow,” said Rogers. “I have tried all my life to learn to listen better. As I listen to kids and my grandchildren, I realize . . . I’m going to get all choked up . . . I realize what a gift they are to us. And while parenthood can be very stressful, there is nothing like being a parent.”
– This week on the Disney Channel there are a few movies that make great viewing for the family. “Jack and the Beanstalk” (6 p.m. Wednesday) stars Gene Kelly as an 1890 Yankee peddler who trades his magic beans for Jack’s cow. “Rock-a-Doodle” (7 p.m. Wednesday) is a cartoon about a boy who turns into a kitten and a rooster who sings like Elvis; a lot of celebrities provide the cartoon voices. And “Honey I Blew Up the Kid” (3:30 p.m. Sunday) is about the eccentric inventor who learns to expand molecules.
