“I think Dr. Smith should have a reality TV show.”
Really, why?
“Because she’s so smart and people could learn some of the stuff she knows.”
What kind of reality show would it be?
“Well, she could have pretend customers (Rose, some people call them health care consumers), “and they could come in and share their symptoms, and people could see like… what it’s really like inside a pediatrician’s office.”
(Interesting idea, let’s see where this is going…)
“Don’t you think people go to the doctor’s already and know how it works?” Rose’s mother wonders.
“Oh,no…they’ve never seen it like it is at her office. She’s the real thing.”
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Ah, shucks, Rose…you’re the real thing too! And I am so grateful that you and your mom are allowing me to tell this wonderful story.
It’s true that parents and children come into their pediatrician’s office all the time, but I never really thought that the individual visits might serve to make a wider audience healthier. I should tell you that I have been waiting patiently for the world to get tired of reality TV, but maybe I should keep my mind open until that day. Karina Kinick, who writes for GreatSchools.com thinks you can find some worthwhile examples of reality TV programing if you look hard. If my show never comes to production, she has some suggestions your family might enjoy in her article about reality TV.
Back to my story. What if pediatricians and patients all agreed to share the some of their illness and wellness visits. The common threads in raising healthy and well adjusted children would certainly offer a wider audience instant parenting ideas in a visual format. Not to mention the comic relief that comes with some of the things the kids say.
Parents spend a lot of money at the bookstore when we are befuddled by potty training or teenage angst. A whole series of reality pediatrician visits might not only help parents to work through similar health issues but also to share multiple approaches to similar illness topics. Parents who watched the “Throw-ups Show” might be better versed on options for treating gastroenteritis and when to make a trip into the doctor’s office.
Of course, I’d have to have all the lawyerly disclaimers that my show isn’t a substitute for your own doctor’s care. We’re just trying to learn from one another’s experience and enjoy learning at the same time. And isn’t that what a parent’s day-to-day reality show is? Learning and enjoying the little people who are directing our reality TV show… Pass the popcorn!
Your TV Star Wanna Be,
Dr. Gayle Schrier Smith