To Glee Or Not To Glee? That Is The Question.

With apologies to William Shakespeare, that's the question that's floating around my house right now, because the new season is upon us.

My girls (and, yes, me, too) got hooked on the show mid-season last year at the urging of some friends--all of whom kept telling me how much we'd love it because we're all fans of old-fashioned musicals.

They were right. It's a fun show and the music gives me hope that muscials will eventually make a come back to the big screen. (Think: Oklahoma! and Gypsy.)

So what's the issue?

Have you ever watched that show with a couple of pre-teen girls sitting by you on the couch?!?

Some of the messages coming across in the show are not acceptable viewing for my girls.

For example: Did you see the Madonna episode last season? We're 42 minutes into a show that is just fine, then we get to the 3-way scene where everyone is grinding to "Like a Virgin"... including a couple high school girls who have boys in their bedrooms. Did we really need that visual?

I thought, based on the descriptions of this show by friends (who, by the way, are either kid-less or have tots) was this was a fun kid-friendly show. Well, let me tell you, if you haven't experienced it, internal alarm bells will go off in your head as you watch by simply adding the presence of a young, impressionable minor.

This isn't the first time I've experienced this...

Case in point: When was the last time you watched Grease? Have you watched it with a 9-year-old next to you? How do you respond when she asks you to clarify the words to "Greased Lightnin'"??? Have YOU heard the words? It was a real shocker to me! Of course, I remember seeing it (and checking out the--WARNING: About to show my age here--LP {that's a vinyl record for you whipper-snappers} out of the library a dozen times until I could sing the entire score) when I was only about 12 myself without any lasting mental damage. (Ok, that might be debatable.) Admittedly, much of the detail slipped through the cracks in my kid-brain.

But, things are different when YOU are the MOM!! Trust me!!

Oh for the days when I worried if the girls had normal diaper habits or would ever learn to count correctly...

Now, fast-forward to 2010 and I'm trying to figure out if I'm being hyper-sensitive, and if I don't make a big deal, the randy ways of the cast of Glee will pass right over the heads of my daughters. Or, if I'm passively endorsing early, risky sexual behaviors by allowing it to be watched at home, then I'll have no one to blame but myself if I end up a grandma before I'm 50!! We are a Christian home and I want to make sure my girls are getting the right perspective on high school life.

So, after much thought, here's The Compromise I came up with (don't laugh, because my kid did!): Since I need to be using teachable moments to impart our family's values on my children, (I should blog about the realization I had this summer of just what I haven't taught my daughters yet!) I announced that the girls may watch it with me, but only if we discuss any inappropriate behaviors and what the correct choices would be a the nearest commerical break.

Yeah, that went over like a lead balloon.

Little D actually gave me the Pre-Teen Sigh-Eye Roll (you know the one that makes you want to take her head off with one swift swipe of the hand). That's when she announced, "never mind, I don't like it that much anyway."

Baby D wasn't so easy. So, we may be trying out this interactive TV viewing for a week or two and see how it goes. My other option is: Record the shows until I can view it and decide if it's appropriate or not for kid TV. We've done this on one particular crime show Baby D likes, but is not always kid-friendly.

If the makers of Glee would be more consistent in their content--some of their episodes are just fine--it would make my life easier. I just don't understand why we need the extra crap-ola in a show that's marketed directly to teens and tweens!

Maybe we should stick to reruns of Mayberry...