http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:27:33 EDT http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/archives/2008/06/20/225901.php#comment-727874 Dear Maddy, "Coming Home" is in no way an "anti-war" show, nor was it ever meant to be. In fact, it breaks my heart when one girl (in the show) says she can't share her fears or troubles with some friends because they're against the war. How terrible. It shames us all if we let politics stand between us when one of us is hurting. Although there can be disagreements about the war, there can be no questioning the genuine bravery and sacrifices of the American soldiers -- and their FAMILIES. We wanted to acknowledge that. Because "Nick News" is a documentary series for kids, we chose to honor soldiers' kids, and in the end counted ourselves honored to get to know them. Their honesty, integrity, courage, hope -- and most especially their pride -- were (are) inspiring. We wanted to communicate this, and when you watch the show (and I hope you will) I hope you'll see that pride come shining through. I love the expression on the face of the child, the soldier's daughter, when she says "My Dad is awesome!" And he is. And so's his daughter. You're right. This show is not for little kiddies, but it's not meant to be. However, there are no graphic war scenes, and every parent must decide what is age-appropriate for their own child. I'm not suggesting anyone prop up their toddler in front of the TV a half hour on how kids stand up to war. But over the almost 18 years we've been on the air, we've discovered that sometimes what's surprisingly too much for a particular 12-year-old is actually okay for a particular 6-year-old. It all depends on the child. And only the parent can know about their own child. Pre-watching the show is one option. And we always suggest (I think I even say it on the air at the top of the show) that kids bring a parent or other grownup they trust to watch the show with them. It is our hope that our shows might be a starting point for families to engage in conversation about what they're just seen, to question, to express their own views, and see what comes up. We know (because they've told us so) that in more than one instance these shows have been an important starting point for conversations inside families about some of the stuff that can be tough to talk about: divorce, AIDS, bullying, racism, genocide, immigration, stress, body-image, to name a few. The behavior of nations would be another. But forgive me. I've ranted enough here. Thanks for mentioning the show. I hope it doesn't disappoint you. Regards, Linda Ellerbee 727874@blogcritics.org Sun, 22 Jun 2008 08:27:33 EDT