Doctor Who: When Kids Find Their Way to the Show
By David Hill
Every so often, children can surprise you. That was the case when the twins put on Doctor Who while I was away running errands.
I have seven-year-old twins. This means that their screen-watching habits do not exactly run towards the more interesting shows (at least to adults) out there. Programs like SpongeBob Squarepants are on constantly, and they may have watched the movie Big Hero Six four times in a row this morning. Needless to say, one learns to tune out the television pretty quickly.
So, imagine my surprise when, after running errands, I came home to hear the familiar sound of the TARDIS. Curious, I entered the living room, where the twins were watching the first DVD of Series One featuring Christopher Eccleston as the Ninth Doctor. They sat there and watched through his adventures, asking questions about Cassandra and being entertained by Charles Dickens.
Over the years, they have shown passing interest in the show. They like playing with a couple of the plush toys we have, especially the TARDIS. Every so often with a new episode, they have tried to stay awake to watch. More often than not, the attempt fails, and they wander off, or head to sleep.
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But this time, they actually sat there, paying attention while the Doctor and Rose were going forth on their adventures. And, instead of meandering away after a few minutes, they actually stayed for a couple of hours, watching the DVD. As most people with seven-year-olds can attest, getting them to pay attention to anything for that long is a minor miracle.
One of the main concerns for Whovian parents involves trying to find the right time to introduce our children to the show. While the spin-offs The Sarah Jane Adventures and K9 may be particularly kid friendly, there comes a time to introduce them to Doctor Who itself. But that answer may simply depend on the child themself. When they are ready for Doctor Who, they will know and seek it out if they know that it is available to them.
Next: David Tennant to Voice Scrooge McDuck on the DuckTales Reboot
