Recently Jan Berestain, one of the the authors of the Berenstain Bears passed away. Her passing led me to reflect on the books she coauthored with her late husband. I could not part with my collection of their work this past summer as a packed up books to donate from my childhood. They were just to classic to let go. The Berenstain Bears represented the "ideal" "traditional" family - Papa Bear, Momma Bear, Brother Bear, and Sister Bear. I think baby bear came later on. The family arrangement reminds me of one of my favorite cartoon families - Arthur! Arthur's family consist of him, D.W. (the favorite of my mom and I), Mom, Dad and later baby Kate. It is interesting how this idea of family has been portrayed. I wonder if it has been the norm for cartoons of the past.
One of my new favorite cartoons is Martha Speaks. It is about a dog who ate alphabet soup and can now speak. Viewers learn vocabulary (very popular these days on PBS cartoons) throughout the show. Martha's family is not traditional at all. It is a blended family but not like the Brady Bunch. Martha's owner, Helen is white and her father is married to a Hispanic woman and they have a son. It recently caught my attention after watching the show for a few months. However, there hasn't been an episode discussing blended families and it really isn't necessary. Who has the right to say what is normal or abnormal.
Willa's Wild Life is another show I enjoy. Willa lives with her father and their many animals (that belong in the wildlife hence the name). So in other words, Willa lives in a single parent household and with her father nonetheless. Wow, cartoons are depicting the real lives of all children.
Lastly, Hey Arnold! is another show that depicts a non-traditional family. He lives with his grandparents. Grandparents raising children is a reality for many youth. It is great that there are show out there that children can relate to on a personal level even if they aren't conscious about it. There are some children who grow up to feel bad or inadequate because their home life was different from what the media shows. Hopefully cartoons like these will curtail those feelings and inspire children to appreciate who was in their life to guide them.
