Adventures in Parenting on Honey Boo Boo

Honey Boo Boo…it’s time I weigh in and believe me this is a complex one!  It is never easy to weigh in on someone else’s parenting, especially when all you see is what is on TV (which I fully understand!).

There are many things that can be said about this show (like what a horrible idea it is to dip a baby’s pacifier into a  Mountain Dew energy drink…), most of which I won’t go into here.  But there is one thing that struck me and seems particularly relevant to what I do: it seems as though Honey Boo Boo and her sisters are loved, but think I would be remiss if I didn’t say how misguided the adult figures in her life appear to be.

Love is without a doubt the most important thing a child needs.  But, children also need role models and it is a parent’s responsibility to be as well educated about parenting as they can possibly be.  One could argue that Honey Boo Boo’s mom probably feels as though the example she puts forth is perfect, and that she would like her daughter to follow in her footsteps.  After all, she has seemingly managed to get the little girl a career and potentially a brand (pageant dresses anyone?) that could perhaps pay for a college fund (if I’m not being too optimistic). But on the flip-side, I think it important as a parent to be adult enough to recognize the things about ourselves we do not want our children to repeat.   And it wasn’t clear to me from watching the show that that is the case here.

Even if Honey Boo Boo’s adults are not setting the examples she needs, Honey Boo Boo is now a celebrity and perhaps (as bizarre as this may sound) her new-found celebrity may in fact be her savior. She will be exposed to people and things she would never have been exposed to if TV had not found her.  Let’s only hope this can guide her to something better so that she can perhaps be a better role model for her children.

I can’t believe I just said TV might be her savior…what are your thoughts?

Tags: honey boo boo, reality tv, television