At The BlogHer Conference in August, I had the opportunity to meet Abbie and Samantha, the mothers behind “The Mother Company”. I actually ended up a rather delicious dinner with them. We had a great discussion about our kids, our school, and everything else that involves being a mother, and a smart business woman, of course. They told us all about their company, and what the company’s core values are.
The Mother Company is on a mission, to redefine screen time. They have found through studies that children ages 2-11 watch an average of 32 hours of television a week. They are redefining children’s TV by offering:
- Programming that offers helpful solutions to everyday challenges for both kids and parents.
- Programs that model good behavior.
- Entertainment that is fun, stylish, and educational all at the same time.
- Content and pacing that doesn’t make kids – or parents – freak out.
I had the pleasure of reviewing a copy of “Ruby’s Studio-The Feelings Show”, which I was given during the BlogHer Conference. Honestly, I knew that this would be a hard sell for my son. I knew that he was at the top of the age range for the video series, and might not want to watch the DVD. I popped in the DVD one day and just let it play. When it came on, my son wanted nothing to do with it, as I expected. But then a few minutes later, I could hear him behind me. He was standing behind the couch, watching the show. I think the way that the show incorporates a friendly main character, Ruby, along with real kids, and animation is the perfect combination.
It could also be the place where Ruby’s Studio, The Feelings Show was filmed. They were in a natural lit art studio. It was a wide open space with brilliant decorating and bright colors. I’m sure that my son was in awe of that, because he loves arts and crafts.
My son watched the whole DVD and interacted with it while it was on. As a six-year old, I think he had a great understanding of what the message was. He understood that it was ok to have “feelings” and that we could talk about them. More than a few times in my parenting career, I have asked him, “Why are you so mad? What made you angry?” I’ve learned to be more direct with my questioning as he has become a bit evasive with his answers. Having tools like Ruby’s Studio makes parenting a whole lot easier, when you are given indicators, or topics for parenting discussions with your children.
This DVD is the first one in the Ruby’s Studio series. I think it is awesome. As I said prior, as a first grader, my son is at the top of the age range for Ruby’s Studio, but the pre-school age (3-6) is the perfect age.
Ruby’s Studio can be found at Whole Foods, The Mother Company, and Amazon. Retail price is $19.99.
Disclosure: I was given a copy of Ruby’s Studio, The Feelings Show free during The BlogHer Conference in August. All photographs/graphics in this post are courtesy of The Mother Company. All opinions in this review are mine and are not influenced in any way.
