Kipper, Bob the Builder, and the Hate of Children

We have got rid of our TV a while back. It was hard to do. I decided to get Netflix for the family so we could watch documentaries, kids shows and the occasional movie. Before we got rid of the TV it was hard sometimes to pinpoint what was the matter with a show. I am going to examine a couple of shows purely on moral grounds. I have no expectation that public television will produce Godly programming. First up was the BBC: Kipper the dog. I'll admit I haven't watched it much before. What I had seen in the past was a show about talking animals who played and had fun outside. Pretty harmless, right? I mean you should be able to trust a talking dog! In one segment the youngest, a pig named Arnold, lost his cup in the woods. He told his older brother about the loss. Arnold, the brother and Kipper all went to find the missing cup. Instead of showing patience and understanding, helping the little one find it, they complained. On and on they went about how much of a bother he was. They found the cup near the end of the show, but he lost it again in the last scene. The message was clear: children are a bother! In the next segment, Arnold got lost while playing. His brother had to stop swinging and look for his little brother. Instead of being concerned for his safety, he complained about having to go look. The message in this segment was clear: children ruin the fun! Next up was PBS: Bob the Builder. I have seen much more of Bob than Kipper and always liked him better. In this episode Bob and his crew of talking work vehicles had to do construction for winter games. One of the vehicles was made crew leader for the first time. He let it go to his head. He refused help. He gave other vehicles busy work so they would stay out of his way. He wanted to do it all and get all the credit! By the end of the show he was shown the error of his ways. He had received his rebuke and was going to change his ways. It's clear to me that Bob is the better choice for children. He has a good moral compass and works hard. He doesn't fritter his life away in foolish play. The bad guy gets it in the end. Psalms 144:12 says: "May our sons be like full-grown, young plants. May our daughters be like stately columns that adorn the corners of a palace." Kipper is a poor choice. Those with bad attitudes are celebrated. Children are taught very subtly to hate children, in complete opposition to scripture. Psalms 127:3 says: "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." We must be careful what we put in our children's minds. Children are highly pliable, they need good parents who will watch after their minds, teach them to guard their hearts, and set them on the straight path. Psalms 101:3 says: "I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me." Referenced episodes: Kipper: Pools, Parks & Picnics Bob The Builder - Snowed Under: Bogglesberg Winter Games Wall Street Journal Online: What Your TV Is Telling You to Do