The Parent Test

I rarely watch reality TV shows because of their often scripted and formulaic structure, but this show had me hooked from episode one! While it does incorporate some of the annoying reality TV elements - conversely, the participants, situations, and discussions feel refreshingly genuine and candid. I love how they've included a very diverse cross-section of American families of different races and ethnicities, lifestyles, marital status, faith traditions, economic status, and of course, parenting styles. I also love how the show and participants are generally balanced and respectful in discussing the positive and negative aspects of different parenting approaches. I think the main design flaw was making the show a competition. This just feels awkward and unrealistic most of the time. We all know there is no one perfect parenting style that works in every situation with every kid. The show itself has already demonstrated that. Why not just compare and discuss how different strategies play out in different situations between different parents and kids? Also, despite their individual styles, all of these parents seem to be some of the best America has to offer, so why artificially pit them against each other? Imagine what our nation would be like if every child grew up in a family like these!

The idea of this show is really clever and could be a seriously helpful tool for future or current parents to bounce ideas and learn possible better child caring practices. HOWEVER, the fault in this show is that not only are the parental styles competing, (even though some are SO similar) but they have the parents judging one another.

Some of these parents are downright abusive and delusional- and they are getting equal chance to pick the "best" parenting style. As you can guess, most parents favor styles similar to their own and reject styles that don't meet THEIR needs as adults and parents. It's frankly gross to see no interjection or actual child wellness professionals in this show. Who is there for the kids? The answer you soon find out is no one.

I was hoping for more learning from this show- but unfortunately it just kept validating my worst fears of parents and their own egos. Deeply disappointing, and I will only remember the few episodes I watched because of the disturbing parents that were allowed to abuse their kids for other's entertainment.

The show is great and shows you a mixture of parenting styles, good and bad. Parents cannot shield thier kids from everything but they can give them the proper tools to succeed and this is what the show does. I like the fact that they are letting the parents give one another open criticism and challenging each person to become better parents and think about thier choices. I can help add some of the skills off of the show. Some people are real sensitve and don't like to see thier kids struggle and let them quit, watching some of of these parents push thier kids and encouraging them to keep going is something I enjoy watching.

It feels exploitive for the kids. I'm all for these parents and/or families going on a parenting retreat together or having a group session. But to make it a game show on national tv just feels like cheap voyeurism. Oh ok, not enough characters for this review. There were so many opportunities for candid parental critiques which got passed over to seemingly protect the feelings of the parent. Thankfully the bullying scene was a reenactment. One benefit I could see, maybe it helps some parents realize that reflecting on your parenting style is a good thing. If it hadn't been sold as a game show...I guess it'd be a different show.

How can you conduct a study/ test when all families are not conducting the same test. There is a huge difference between jump off a high dive with no safety harness vs climbing a rock wall with safety gear. The test has no control to accurately compare. Both tests has a fear of heights but one has to do more with physical ability vs taking a leap of trust. I feel the producers did different test for half the parents because they were afraid to lose ratings then actually conduct a test to compare the different parent techniques. So how can viewers see / difference in talking a kid to jump versus talking a kid to climb a wall?