If you’re a parent to a child ages four – seven years of age, you probably have watched a family vlog or two. And, if your child is anything like mine, you may even watch it several times a day…EVERY day.
Kids are OBSESSED with family vlogs. Watching families with children live their lives — from vacations, to shopping trips, even birthday parties — is mesmerizing.
My daughter knows more about a family living across the country than she does about most of our family members. She knows the mother, the father, the kids, the dogs, and their family friends. She knows when it’s their birthdays, she knows when they are sick, and when they move houses. She can’t remember her own address, but she knows the name of every dog and cat some family in Utah has.
It’s incredible how kids are so into watching a vlog about a family living everyday life. We go shopping, we go on vacation, and we have birthday parties. What is so special about this family?!
But she doesn’t stop at the vlogs, oh no. She downloads their games, she begs (and sometimes gets!) their merchandise, and her biggest wish is to make it to a meet-and-greet one day. She is obsessed, and so are her friends.
To better understand the family blog obsession, I have interviewed my very own expert, my daughter:
- Me: Why do you like to watch your shows (family vlogs)?
- Daughter: Because they are so funny!
- Me: What is your favorite thing to watch them do?
- Daughter: I like when they go to Hawaii. (Side note: While we do take an annual vacation, we have not, nor do we have future plans, to go to Hawaii.)
- Me: Do you think their family is different from our family? How?
- Daughter: Yes, because they go to Hawaii, and we don’t.
- Me: Why do you keep watching?
- Daughter: Because I want to see all their videos.
- Me: Why do you want their games and t-shirts and stuff?
- Daughter: Because they look so cool!
- Me: Do you think you’ll always like that show?
- Daughter: Not always, but sometimes.
- Me: Isn’t it boring just to watch a family?
- Daughter: No! Because they are funny and do funny stuff.
- Me: What do you learn from watching shows?
- Daughter: I learned about Pokémons.
There, you have it. Experts say family blogs are funny and the families go to Hawaii. Apparently, my family is boring and does not go to Hawaii. There has to be more to it because every holiday and every event I have to hear, “That’s not how the family show does it!” Or, “This year, on my birthday, I want you to hide my presents and wake me up in bed just like the parents on my show do!” My daughter was very disappointed on Saint Patrick’s Day when the leprechaun that visited our house did not turn the milk green like it did on her show.
I am constantly fighting back expectations set because of this family vlog. Now, my daughter does pick up some educational tidbits like what an orca is, how to do hopscotch and so on. It really isn’t a bad show; it is just funny to me that kids now like watching other kids and families live their everyday lives.
