Common Sense Media Review
By Jill Murphy
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Moms "sell" their daughters to drooling young men.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
What's the Story?
On DATE MY MOM, three moms compete by dating a young male contestant and vying for him to select their daughter to take out on a real date. Generally, guys presume the age-old adage \"like mother, like daughter,\" and select girls based on how attractive the mother is. But mother knows best -- and to keep afoot in the competition, mothers increase their chance of winning by divulging their daughters' best \"assets\" in great detail. Moms are quick to talk about their daughter's breast size, nice butt, or slim figure. At decision time, the boy eliminates the girls he's not interested in by letting the mom know what it was that she said about her daughter that turned him off. Once mom hears, \"I do not want to date your daughter,\" she presents her daughter to the boy. When the final winner is selected, she hugs her date and runs off with him down the beach.
Is It Any Good?
So much for mothers telling their daughters how to behave on a first date. Rather, the girls coach their moms before letting them walk out the door for their date. Standard questions include, "What are you going to tell him about me, Mom?" and "Don't tell him I'm... high maintenance, have a big butt, don't have any boobs. or that I'm really smart." Other popular tips for mom include "Tell him that I ... have a nice butt, look like Jennifer Lopez, that I am pursuing my modeling career, have big boobs," or all of the above. More often than not, moms deliver these messages to the boy, who is all too happy to hear the dish.
Date My Mom is poorly staged and clearly coaches contestants to make sexual connotations or competitive, catty comments. As far as dating shows go, this would be one with the least amount of integrity, imagination, and authenticity. While this is MTV and meant to be tongue-and-cheek, the show is still disturbing, pathetic, and down right lame. Parents will be left wishing for the comparatively innocent days of The Dating Game, and kids will be left with a distorted image of the dating world and how far their mom will go to secure them a date.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about their own rules regarding dating and blind dates. Issues to discuss include: are girls portrayed in a positive light? Is there a genuine interest from either party to find a date or is this a game? Do kids feel competition in getting a date? For parents, how do you feel you are represented in this program?
TV Details
- Premiere date : November 15, 2004
- Network : MTV
- Genre : Reality TV
- TV rating :
- Last updated : September 19, 2019
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