The Parent Test

Parents and their children are put into scenarios strictly designed for the greatest TV shock value that have little to nothing to do with actual parenting. They're not even real life scenarios that would ever actually happen and don't shown anything except kids acting like kids. Big surprise, they do stupid things and make bad decisions because... they're kids.

But that's not even the bad part. It's the overly judgmental panel of other parents they put together, who sit there taking notes on the absurd videos as they're shown, and then cast judgement on the other parents for how their kids acted in these stupid situations that don't actually mean anything. It's just horrible, judgmental, hypercritical, nosy, degrading, toxic, disgusting human behavior put on display. The show has nothing to do with kids or parenting. It's all about making people feel like they're in a position of authority and then watching them rip into other people and cut emotional holes in them until they cry, to the tune of dramatic music and editing. I couldn't even finish two episodes because it just made me feel dirty. What kind of psychopaths find that entertaining?

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.

I truly enjoy this show. It highlights different parenting styles and how each may have negative and positive aspects. This show brings up really important conversations as well.

This show is a must watch in my eyes. I appreciate everyone's raw discussions after participating in the challenges. I learn a lot with each episode.

I want to say a huge thank you to the parents and kids for being involved in the show. As a young woman with no kids yet, I'm glad I'm watching this and seeing the variety of parenting styles, and what each has to offer.

I look forward to watching the rest of the season.

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.