As winter break nears, many parents are faced with a difficult decision: How much TV should I let my kid watch?
They should be outside playing or reading a book, right? Our next guest thinks that a little TV might not be such a bad idea.
Michael Petrilli is the executive vice president of the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, and he recently wrote a piece in The Atlantic, titled, "I refuse to feel bad about letting my children watch TV."
He argues that pop culture is just as important as the classics in making children well-rounded and educated people.
These programs offer something valuable nonetheless. Many of them portray valor, heroism, and bravery, all within story lines akin to the world’s great epics. I’m particularly smitten with 'Star Wars'—a child of the ‘70s am I—which, I think, deserves its place in the panoply of great epics right along with the 'Iliad' and 'The Odyssey', or more recent creations such as 'The Lord of the Rings.'
Petrilli joins the show to explain why he'll be letting his kids watch plenty of television this holiday season.