Speakeasy forum: Sesame street to teach kids about divorce

.....and see how they handle the subject. In the past they've tackled difficult issues very well.

The Sesame Street writing process

The Sesame Street writing process seems so simple compared to what you're used to. We have a team of 10 writers, which includes our head writer. The entire group meets a couple of times for some general brainstorming. Then, the producers decide how many of the 26 episodes will be assigned to each writer. Then, to each writer, I assign a show number (we use show numbers instead of titles), a letter of the day, a number of the day, and an assortment of muppet and human cast (per script).

Each writer takes their assignments and brainstorms on ideas for their episodes, then meets individually with the head writer to talk it out. From there, the writer goes off and writes their first draft. The head writer reviews the first draft and speaks with the writer about any changes he would like to see made. A second draft might be turned in, a third, etc.

Eventually, the head writer signs off on it, and the script gets typed up into our script template by our script coordinator. Then I proofread it, and clean copies are distributed to our Research department. The folks in Research all have Master's degrees and PhD's in education, child psychology, etc. Research will review each script and give their comments to our head writer, who has the ultimate power to veto anything (of course, if Research feels very strongly, they'll push hard.) I'll put those research comments that were approved into the script and then the producers will meet on the script.

Sesame Street: D is for Divorce

The segment itself won't air on TV — it's among Sesame Street's "targeted" programming aimed at specific populations — but it will tackle divorce directly, in a way producers hope is accessible, understandable and, well, not quite so scary.

Sesame Street writer Christine Ferraro wrote the script for the video materials starring Abby Cadabby, Elmo and Rosita, and spoke about the difficulties of writing stories about such a sensitive topic.

"We never want to go too into detail with any of these," Ferraro said, "because every kid's situation is different. Every divorce is different and every family's situation is different. We want to keep it a little bit ambiguous so it's applicable to all children, but it's also Abby's story. Abby is talking about the fact that her parents are divorced. She's already at a place where she has accepted it, and that made a big difference emotionally."

AND that's what the purpose of Sesame Street? ...GIVE kids ammo to use against other kids?

From the little l've seen of Sesame Street up NORTH, we must get a different version that you guys down SOUTH.

I guess you guys really are sick...teaching kids that sort of stuff. No wonder you want to spend so much on Defense.

...spout off about things before actually doing a little digging about a topic. At least get a more educated viewpoint from someone who specializes in child therapy, or perhaps a counselor. They can fill you in on what you are missing here. It's so painfully obvious you were educated in horse and buggy days or something.

Schoolgirl 'bullied over parents' divorce' dies on rail track after texting her brother: I'll miss you

A public schoolgirl is believed to have killed herself under the wheels of a train after being tormented by bullies.

Natasha MacBryde, 15, was said to have been left devastated when her parents, Andrew and Catherine, separated and friends said she had been hoping for a reconciliation.

The mother of a friend at her £10,000-a-year school yesterday claimed that the popular athlete, who had qualified for the county championships, had been teased by 'snobby' fellow pupils at Royal Grammar School Worcester over her parents' marital breakdown.

The mother, who asked not to be identified, said: 'The split was hard on the children and other kids teased Natasha about it.

'Lots of the children at the school are wealthy and a few of the kids can be quite snobby.

Since you won't "give it up"

Lastly, society as a whole does not always help the children out in the instance of a divorce. Many times in a parental divorce there are negative reactions from those in the community. Although the fairly high occurrence of divorce has reduced the negativity from days past, some of it is still there(Kurdek 196). Children still recovering from the effects of divorce are teased and picked on because their parents do not follow the normal nuclear family. "Children feel intense loneliness. Divorce is an acute, painful, long-remebered experience that children must often negotiate with the sense that they are alone in the world"(Wallerstein 1989). Their situation is only worse if they were children regularly teased before the divorce.

•]Children can be bullied about their families, for
example, if they live in foster care or having an
over-protective parent.

Why not make these moments of opportunity for character building rather than sheltering?

THAT'S a good idea...Sesame Street could do a program on it.

OR their parents could talk to them

and teach them an important life lesson, and feel better all at the same time.

Maybe parents who aren't getting divorced should stop their kids from watching Sesame Street to keep their own children from fears the parents will get divorced? One can always turn off the TV when the shows quit being an escape for children and become reality propaganda shows increasing their fears.

No, children don't need to know everything beyond what affects them personally.

You said "everything".........I didn't.

You know what affects them because.....

you're with them 24 hours a day, and/or they tell you everything they do, you know this because you ARE with them 24 hours a day?

You don't want to keep them in a bubble...but you'll keep them in the dark.

Or your approach would be?

I know it wouldn't be your approach.

Actually, it is a very important subject for Sesame Street to address and, like any social topic, they handle it from a well-thought-out, age appropriate perspective, backed by specialists in child psychology. Far too many children in this world are dealing with the tragic destruction of divorce and they desperately need help in dealing with these issues. Mr. Rogers dealt with it too. Kids tend to think that they are the cause of the divorce and that if they were only better then mom and dad could get back together. It is extremely damaging to their self-esteem and self-image. And rarely are mom and dad the best sources of information and counsel in such situations, given the human tendency to shift the blame off themselves and onto the spouse or the children rather than facing up to their own failings. Truth be told, the Muppets probably DO know better than the parents on how to deal with the divorce from the child's perspective. It would take a pretty exceptional parent to be able to fully empathize with their children and help them deal with the trauma that this very set of parents is inflicting upon the child.

...the 'dark ages' when you & James were apparently enrolled somewhere.

I won't even get into how your above expressed opinions are misinformed and place you somewhere between the stone age and Abraham Lincoln's time.

That's the bottom line. I suggest you get some thicker skin if you plan on spending any decent amount of time in a public forum such as this one. Believe me, you will know it if you are receiving a personal attack from me.

Read tumbleweed's excellent post above (again) on this issue that sums it up quite nicely. Hint- Ask yourself if the puppets (etc.) are intended to be therapeutic/informative or entertainment in this particular case. It's not rocket science. If that doesn't work, it's time to pull your head out of your posterior region.

if you can look around you and be happy with where we're going. You complain about older people. Any interest in eventually becoming one? Your attacks don't anger me but they do make me sad that such nasty people are around and growing in numbers. If you want to have any effect other than to annoy, you might try a different approach to how you post. It's easy to be heard but takes a little effort if you want to be listened to.