Don't hate me because I let my kid watch The Simpsons

My son, Milos, is a seven-and-a-half year old second-grader. He's bright, a little on the mouthy-side, musically inclined, and the veritable cherry on top of our family tree's super fudge sundae. People can usually spot that he's an only child from a mile away; not because he is spoiled per se, but because he demands a certain attention from the rest of the world.

One (and I emphasize the number one here) way Milos gets the world to notice him is by invoking the creative genius of Matt Groening, the mastermind behind The Simpsons. My son is obsessed with everything related to the Simpsons. He hordes numerous publications from the local library on a monthly basis, collects DVDs and comic books, and even wears Simpson clothing (who knew it was still available?) What little tv he watches consists of what he casually refers to as "an episode." For instance, he'll negotiate with me: "Mom, I'm done with my homework, can I watch an episode?" We don't even have to determine what kind of episode it is...it's just assumed he means an episode of The Simpsons. Although it's teetering on the brink of obsessive-compulsion, we're not all that surprised by Milos' affection fo rthe show, given that his father and I have both relished The Simpsons since we were young.

As many things in families often do, Milos' Simpsonmania-esque behavior has become normalized in our household. There's no going back now, because he's had every episode, character, and catch-phrase memorized and indexed for years. We haven't discouraged his behavior because his enthusiam for the show reflects his joy for life: he skateboards, loves going to the library, reads at at least a fourth-grade level, doesn't park himself in front of the tv for more than a half an hour at a time, fashions comic books and cartoons out of various materials, and has a flair for theatrics and humor.

These are some of the postive aspects that his father and I focus on. Sometimes, as with all kids at some time or another, Milo slips up and he (dramatic gasp) might use his knowledge of All-Things-Simpson for bad. When this happens we gently remind him of Spiderman's Uncle Ben's sage advice: "with great power comes great responsibility." This usually is enough to remind him that it's a privilege not a given and he pipes down a bit.

So here's the thing: we let our kid watch The Simpsons and we watch The Simpsons with our kid. But even more importantly, we talk with our child about the good choices and the bad choices that each of the characters make and how those things impact their family and the rest of their community. I think this is what makes it okay to watch the Simpsons with our kid: we talk about what it means. It's not just a funny cartoon, it's social commentary, criticism, and witty satire. It's intellectual while making fun of the intellectual. It's an art form and a medium for both good and bad expressions of culture and society. Finally, it's representative of how we are all individually flawed but somehow find strength to persevere through unconditional love. So, don't hate me because I let my kid watch The Simpsons...even a seven-year old benefits from hearing how families stick together, make mistakes, get angry, and find happiness in the smallest details even in the midst of a wild and crazy world where just about anything can and does happen.