Come to Life

We try to limit our 3-year-old’s television viewing, sticking with Blue’s Clues before daycare, American Idol and The Middle (since she has a crush on Brick **whispering** Brick). Sometimes, things like COPS and Entertainment Tonight accidentally slip through the cracks. I know, I know, take my mommy badge away from me now.

So when Discovery Channel’s gorgeous documentary series Life premiered on March 21, we were ecstatic to find an educational show we could all enjoy together. In fact, we were only three of the 11.8 million viewers nationwide who caught the premiere on Sunday.

Life is visually stunning, grabbing viewers from their sofas and plopping them in the middle of the rainforest or the Dead Sea. The tales of survival are particularly thrilling. Watching a baby ibex try to flee from a ravenous fox had me on the edge of my seat more than Paranormal Activity did.

Challenges of Life was the first episode, and true to its name, it spotlighted hunting and breeding, which worried me since there was a 3-year-old sitting with me on the couch. She’s heard Elton John sing about the circle of life a million times, but seeing it up close and personal – eek! Though we chose to flip the channel when three cheetahs took down an ostrich, we let her experience other worlds she may never see in person.

Too heavy for a toddler? Perhaps, but she was enthralled the entire episode.

The Discovery Channel runs two episodes of Life on Sunday evenings beginning at 7 p.m. Upcoming episodes include:

• March 28 – Mammals and Fish
• April 4 – Birds and Creatures of the Deep
• April 11 – Hunters and Hunted and Insects
• April 18 – Plants, Primates and Making of Life

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting