“Making Stuff Up” Is the Cheapest and Best Streaming Service for Kids

Here are three thoughts about streaming services:?

1. They might seem cheap, but the monthly fees add up.?

Netflix and Amazon Prime are $12.99 a month. Hulu starts at $5.99 and goes up to $54.99 depending on the package. HBO Max is $14.99 for the ad-free version, and Disney+ is $6.99. If you like sports or certain TV shows, you might also have ESPN+, NFL Game Pass, NBA League Pass, Peacock, Paramount+, and so many more options. Likely you subscribe to three or more of these services. According to J.D. Power and Associates, the average American pays $55 a month for their streaming entertainment.

2. Children’s programming is limited or bad.?

When it comes to finding entertainment for our kids, we all make sacrifices. First of all, most catalogs don’t have much. They are filled with titles unfamiliar to you, and it’s not uncommon to see some titles listed for young kids that are way off. The movie “Avatar” is not for kids. Nor is “The Simpsons.” The quality of the shows is also limited. Even if you can afford all the streaming services with the “best” shows, most of the content made for kids is overstimulating, rude, or lacks any kind of coherent narrative or beneficial message. Most shows are basically a lot of colors and noise meant to keep your child’s attention for 13 minutes.?

3. It takes too much time and energy to search through the library.?

This is the case for adult content as well: it always seems like there might be a better movie or show if you just kept looking. Meanwhile, your kids are impatient and tired of you saying “no,” “no,” “no,” and “no.” You wish that there was a TV show or movie series that you could depend on, that was at least not offensive and maybe, possibly even … good. That would be something to gather around and promote. That would make your evening, if not your week.?

Such movies and shows actually do exist, and I’m sure you’ve discovered ones that meet your children’s personal and developmental needs, as well as their entertainment desires. I encourage you to list out as many as possible so you can see what kinds of movies and shows you support. I’m not going to give you my list because the fact is that every household’s list is different. Your kids are unique. You are unique. Your parenting is unique, so your entertainment choices will also be unique. Wouldn’t it be amazing if there really was an algorithm that could expand your current list and introduce you to more great stuff?

Well, that algorithm doesn’t exist. That search function isn’t available. There is no service in existence that will give you what you want in the way that you want it. There is, however, a solution. I promise you that this solution is cheaper and better than any streaming service or search function on the internet. I actually guarantee it. This solution exists, and anyone can use it right now. There’s a catch, however: you have to try something new.?

You need to be willing to say “Once upon a time” and then make something up off the top of your head until you say “The end.”

Here is where some of you stop reading because you think you know what storytelling is and how it works, but it is very likely that you don’t. Many think storytelling is only for storytellers: old-school entertainers who wear hats, play the harp, and call, “Gather ye round!” People assume that telling a story means memorizing something and then performing it like a trained actor, but that isn’t the kind of storytelling I’m talking about. I’m talking about storytelling that is a powerful, effective, and fun parenting tool. This storytelling is when a parent pays attention to their child and then “makes stuff up,” and then incredible things happen. Not only will the child be entertained, but there is a strong chance they will feel seen, be reassured, taught something new, or helped with something that had been bothering them. Stories have that power, and there is no one better equipped to tell a transformative story than a child’s parent.?

If you would like some evidence to support this claim, try it tonight. At bedtime, ask your child if they would like to hear a story. They will say yes. Then tell them a story. It doesn’t matter if the story is very good, they will want to hear it. They really won’t care if it is well told or makes sense—they will be more tickled that it is happening at all. All you need to do is open your mouth, say “Once upon a time,” and then make stuff up. Keep making it up until you say “The end,” and then your story is complete.

Your child will respond however they respond, but guaranteed that they will ask for another story the next night. Maybe even the same nonsense you already told. They will be hooked—after only one bad story!?

You have now opened the door to a world of possibilities, a wide-open library of potential stories that can meet them where they are: their fears, ambitions, upcoming events, challenging relationships, intense emotions, sickness, injury—there is no topic you couldn’t feather into a story. But the catch is still the same: you have to do it. Your subscription price is your choice to follow through and tell the story. You’ll get unlimited choices of topics, you’ll have the ability to filter anything that doesn’t suit your child, you’ll have the chance to connect with them around difficult topics, the content will change as they get older. And there’s one more advantage: you’ll enjoy it. It is fun. It gives you energy. It makes you feel good.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up now!?