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Confessions of a Thriller Author: Kids and Cop Shows

I know it’s been a while since I posted, and I’m sorry for that. I’ve been sweating bullets trying to finish GONE TO DIE (Lucy Kendall #3), and we’re on track for a May release.

Some of you may have seen my posts on my Facebook Author Page about how Grace loves watching Cops with me. JAIL: Las Vegas is another favorite. She’s nine, by the way. She also enjoys Bones, and she’d watch The First 48 and Hoarders if her father would allow it. I suppose some would say sitting with my daughter, watching a police officer chase down a drunk after a car chase, is bad parenting. But it’s not like they show any sort of real blood and guts, and it’s an inside look at the real world. It’s a way for her to understand how foolish people look–and how easily drugs and alcohol can pull a good kid right off track.

The First 48 is a different story, because even with the human remains blurred, she’s still hearing about murder and rape and everything bad. I think that’s probably too much at this point, but she’s very interested in why people do these bad things. Aren’t we all?

As a kid, I remember watching police shows with my dad, and it definitely paved the way for my interests today. Grace is smart and inquisitive, and if we can watch the bad things together and talk about why these things are happening and what we can do to keep ourselves safe, is that really a bad thing? If we can talk about the mental illness of hoarding with compassion and understanding, isn’t that teaching her vital skills for life? And at the end of the day, it’s really about communication. She and I are doing something together, and we’re both getting something out of it. We’re bonding, and as she gets older, that is probably going to happen less and less. So I suppose I cling to it, no matter the subject.

What about you? What shows do you watch with  your kids and why? Are there any you absolutely forbid?

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