I'm part of that school of thought that thinks every day at school is important. You never know when there is a pop quiz, an important study class, or even something that teaches your child social manners. Taking your child out teaches the kid that you're allowed to get away from school when you're not actually sick or have an appointment. Pulling your daughter out on a Tuesday is also bad because it throws off her attention for the rest of the week. She'll be thinking about the aquarium until Friday and not about her school work.
Clearly the daughter didn't look sick and the father was happy to take her. I'm just hoping that he talked to her teacher first so either the daughter has to write a small story or have a presentation about the aquarium or she has all the exact information that the rest of the class had.
I don't believe that the parent also brought his daughter to the aquarium in the afternoon as the song suggests either. Many aquariums close at five or six. The parent would have to pick up the kid at three and drive to the aquarium. By the time they get there, they only have an hour and a half left. At that point, they should have just gone to the IMAX movie.
I don't care what Morgan Freeman voices over or the trippy music of the Moody Blues playing in the background. Also, does this mean that Visa can only do rewards on Tuesdays? That doesn't influence me to become a member at all. Any parents out there please post your opinions about this commercial.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 4)
6-24-2009 @ 3:32PM
msheky said...
Just a thought...it could be summer time. The kid would be out of school. I think the point is that the dad is taking a day off of work to be with his daughter.
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6-24-2009 @ 5:57PM
Karen said...
Get a life.....It's just a commerical. The little girl didn't look old enough to be in school. Hats off to dad for taking off a Tuesday afternoon and spending with his daughter. Look around you see other children there too. And if he pulled her out of school. So what? Kids miss school for a lot less..Great commerical btw. Looks great in hi def on a big screen.
6-24-2009 @ 3:33PM
Michael Pascua said...
One has to remember, this commercial debuted in March.
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6-24-2009 @ 3:50PM
Master Cylinder said...
Spring break, then.
6-25-2009 @ 8:55AM
jt1970 said...
You're obviously not a parent. You are always the most important teacher that your children will ever have. A "hookey day" every once in a while is important for everyone. I have three kids and have done this on rare occasions (for art galleries, aquariums, museums of all types). All learning doesn't need to take place in school.
Also, you're jumping to a conclusion. How do you know that the dad didn't take a day off from work when the kids were on spring or summer break or for parent teacher conferences? How do you know that the schools weren't closed for a snowstorm? Or are parents not supposed to use their time off to take their kids someplace on days like that.
I guess it's better to send them to the babysitter or afterschool program instead of surprising them with something that they would enjoy and learn from.
School is important but the connections that you have with your kids are even more so.
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6-24-2009 @ 3:43PM
cathy said...
As you point out, you are not a parent so you should have refrained from commenting on this commercial. It actually brought tears to my ears. My husband and I both worked full time and between our work, kids school, and other activities we didnt have a lot of spare time together. Add in sick parents and frequent trips to the hospital and it was tough. On occassion, not often but when we felt we needed it, and even more importantly that our children needed it, we would play hooky. We always told our bosses we were taking a personnal day and checked with teachers prior to picking a day. no phones, no chores, no homework, no activities but us. I dont think we ever did this more than once a year. but the benefits far out way a missed school day. family is first and unfortunatley with the way life is now that is not always the case.
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6-24-2009 @ 3:48PM
Michael Pascua said...
My parents are both full time Registered Nurses and they never sent me out of class because they believed that education was the most important thing out there. Possibly an Asian thing. They often worked five days a week and every other weekendsbut managed to still be very personal and warm, providing meals, personal time, and time for studies.
We did do special events, often in the summer, but never had to pull a kid out. As nurses they both knew that my lingering cough wouldn't get other kids sick, nor be worthy to be pulled out.
If I was pulled out, my parents would fully contact not only the teacher, but one of my classmate's parents to check up. Since one knows that teaching plans can either go really fast or slow.
My parents were also a little afraid of things like Standardized Tests and the whole "no child left behind." If your state doesn't have that, then go ahead.
6-24-2009 @ 3:46PM
Gordy said...
In my opinion, any productive time that a parent spends with a child is worth more than another day at school.
Besides, last I heard, the aquarium was educational.
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6-24-2009 @ 3:47PM
EbonyDad said...
I wonder which aquarium it was filmed in. It looked like the Georgia Aquarium with that supertank that they have.
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6-24-2009 @ 3:54PM
Howey said...
Isn't that child, like, kindergarden age?
Chill, Michael. Like everyone said, a trip to the aquarium is educational.
I seem to have noticed lately a certain amount of cynicism in TV Squad writers.
Summertime blues?
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6-24-2009 @ 4:03PM
EbonyDad said...
I was about to say that my son has a January birthday, so he will be 5 this winter.
So it is possible to have a 5 year old who is not in school at an aquarium during the weekday.
Actually, watching that video again, at :38 seconds, I see a bunch of kids around them. So for all we know, dad took off to spend time with his daughter during spring break, or maybe on a field trip.
I guess I don't see a bad parent. Maybe if dad took the kid out of school because he went to play golf, and she was sitting in the golf cart.
6-24-2009 @ 3:55PM
Paul K said...
Oh, for goodness sake! Taking your child out of school for one day to show them they are more important to you than anything else and to create memories that will last for the rest of their lives hardly qualifies as bad parenting. A father took his child to an aquarium? Lock him up! Since when was a day at an aquarium uneducational?
I agree that parents should teach their children that school is important, but we should not rely on schools to teach our children everything. A parent is a far more important force in a child's life than schools are.
I can only imagine what you would say if a parent took a child COMPLETELY out of school and home schooled them! What bad parents! This is one of the silliest posts I've seen on this site...well, ever.
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6-24-2009 @ 4:00PM
Michael Pascua said...
Well, pulling a kid out in Kindergarten is one thing, but then it may start a trend that would continue for years.
I think developing a child's judgment is more important than than a parent being a good parent. If the parent can explain that they pulled out the kid to teach them about sea life, that's one thing. Who knows that the one day that the Aquarium trip in kindergarten becomes the reason why the person is calling in sick to play a round of golf?
Home schooling works because the family knows how to balance everything. If the kids could pass the standardized tests, who am I to judge the curriculum.
I'm chalking this post on Summer heat as Howey mentioned
6-24-2009 @ 3:59PM
Semi-regular reader said...
Does TvSquad take freelance suggestions? I think I can do this too.
[Hallmark Commercial Teaches Bad Inter-personal Relationships]
As a single person I hate those Hallmark commercials where two married people go out on a date. It seems to me that it would be more efficient if they just stayed extra hours at work rather than wasting valuable productive time. They could use that money to send their children to a boarding school or by a stylish futon.
And it seems pointless that they would press lips together in some sort of attraction ritual. How can they discuss their important action-items for the next day when they are bumping their mouths up against each other?
These kinds of pointless expressions of tenderhearted affection are neither cost effective or logical. They do not belong in commercials.
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6-24-2009 @ 6:10PM
kate said...
So very funny!
6-24-2009 @ 4:03PM
Bob said...
Did you think that after 3pm is still considered Tuesday afternoon?
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6-24-2009 @ 4:07PM
Michael Pascua said...
The dictionary says that any time after noon and before midnight is considered "afternoon" and children's television shows use the term "afternoon programming" to define things between three and five.
6-24-2009 @ 4:15PM
EbonyDad said...
Funny enough, I remember when my parents pulled me out of school to go see Star Wars: Return of the Jedi on opening day. I remember standing in a a LONG line on 86th street in NYC. excited to be spending that time with my parents. That is a memory I will never forget.
As for anything else that happened in school in 1983, not so much.
So I don't think pulling your kid out of school for one day to do something fun makes you a bad parent. Especially if the kid is like in kindergarten or first grade.
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6-24-2009 @ 4:19PM
Paul said...
At first, I thought this article was written while strongly dipped in sarcasm, but after all your replies, I don't think that's the case anymore. Unless you're really committing to it, in which case, bravo!
If it's NOT sarcastic, however, this is probably the worst article ever posted on TV Squad. Ever. In the history of evers. Wow.
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6-24-2009 @ 4:34PM
Michael Pascua said...
It's part sarcastic, part real life. I respond to posts with as much gusto as possible.
I mean you know they hired Morgan Freeman to give that God-like voice over and put the Moody Blues and 3-D jellyfish for extra effect. They probably extended the girl's eyes even more.