Essay - Children's Television it Was Saturday Morning, and I SAT Down...

Children's Television

It was Saturday morning, and I sat down to begin my observations of children's television programming. I had a neighbor of mine, a little six year old boy come in to watch the shows with me. Later ***** the afternoon, I planned to talk to a friend of mine (*****nd my 6 ***** old friend's mother), who is in her 40s to get ***** ideas about differences in children's telev*****ion from when she was a child ***** the 1970s and what her school age *****ren are watching now.

My first observation was on the large amount of choice t*****e ***** in television on a S*****turday morning. Being used ***** Saturday morning cartoons ***** I was a child, ***** w*****s not as surprised, but my young companion explained to ***** that he could watch cartoons at any time - 24 hours a day if he wanted to ***** and that ***** generally did not watch the car*****ons on Satur***** since he played on a soccer team. But t***** seas***** was over and T-ball ***** not yet started, so I was in luck.

***** young friend gave me his op*****ion of the different television channels. While *****day morning cartoon shows ***** still available on broadcast *****, most children appear to be watching cable channels as much ***** the weekends as they do during the week. My young ***** advised ***** he liked ***** NickToons channel better than any other for the different cartoon ***** like Avatar and Sponge Bob Squarepants. He t***** me his mo*****her liked him to watch PBS kids shows, as she felt they were "good ***** him" but he admitted be felt they were "babyish" and did not generally watch them when he had t***** opportunity to watch for *****self.

***** of the time we *****re together ***** watched him, and part of the time I watched the show. He chose to watch the *****, *****. The plot was very complicated, ***** involves a young ***** ***** Asian background who is the next Messiah of sorts, destined to bring the 4 nations ***** water, fire, earth and air *****. Eng, the character who ***** ***** nominal Avatar has *****en evidently re-incarnated ***** after time, ***** each time he comes from a ***** n*****tion. He is still learning ***** skills, at the same time trying to act as a peacemaker between ***** ***** nations.

A ***** not get all this from ***** two episodes *****. Rather, my ***** friend gave me a concise and detailed plot synopsis. When I asked him if Eng had been reincarnated from the previous avatars, my friend ***** able ***** tell me without hesitation that he was not *****, since he was ***** to speak to previous avatars in spirit form. I was impressed my ***** knew what re-incarnation *****, but ***** explained to me ***** ***** concept had been ***** in an earlier episode.

The show was far more detailed th***** I remembered from the cartoons in my youth. There was a