I have to put my plug in for the Rugrats too; every weeknight at 7:30, when I'm not on call, our whole family (My wife and I, our kids, 3 and 6 years old) sits down together and watches the show. It's a big part of our bedtime routine. we make a point of talking about what is happening, and explaining/laughing about the discrepencies between what the babies think is happening and what is really going on. I make sure that my kids see that Angelica (the bratty one) always has to pay a price for her misdeeds. Another benefit of this show for my family is religious, even though we aren't a very religious family. My daughter has a hard time understanding why all the other kids get to play with the easter bunny and santa claus, while we have matzo and channukah candles. The rugrats are the only mainstream TV show that does specials for both christian and jewish holidays and it helps her feel better about being jewish. Jack D. Guida M.D. Peds Resident PGY-3 DuPont Hospital for Children -----Original Message----- From: [mailto:]On Behalf Of Graham Barden The next time you see the Rug Rats, listen to the words! Their vocab is huge! That's the way children learn words - hearing them spoken - especially by a "role model". Think back to the Loony Toons. No where near the vocab of the Rug Rats. Don't forget "Doug" as another great show. g barden Harry L Gewanter wrote: > > I don't think there is much in there that is far from real life (or at > least mine) without some exaggeration and a child's perspective. > Besides, the double entendres (?spelling) are marvelous. My kids and I > can laugh together at the same jokes differently. > > Along the same line, I know of only one sitcom on the tube that > addresses issues of religion, politics, the environment, school, sex and > family value issues ---- the Simpsons. You may not agree, but at least > it's brought up and then you can discuss it at home. > > Harry Gewanter