'High School Musical' Hype

Tonight at 8 p.m. there will be a blessed two-hour break in bickering, pinching, shoving and teasing in homes across the country. The reason? The debut of the Disney Channel sequel to the 2006 made-for-TV tween hit, "High School Musical." My two older kids, 10 and 8, have been talking up the debut -- and negotiating to stay up late to watch it -- for more than two months.

In honor of "High School Musical," I bought the DVD version of the 1978 hit "Grease." "It was the "High School Musical" of my childhood," I told my kids. My best friend Skippy and I went to the Uptown Theater by ourselves to watch it. Skippy was from New York and knew sophisticated tricks like how to stand on the toilets between shows so we could sneak back in for another free show. And another. We watched Grease in the theater at least six times.

Thirty years later, my kids and I all watched it in our living room. I knew every word of dialogue, and even exactly when the hot dog did back flips and jumped into the bun during the Frankie Vallie cartoon intro. I am still pretty stunned by how vividly I remembered every word and image of a movie I hadn't seen in nearly three decades. My kids loved the movie; they especially enjoyed dancing with me around the TV room afterwards.

The impact of "aspirational" TV like "High School Musical" or "Grease" on impressionable tween minds is that it gives the message that what's being presented is the norm, the goal to strive for, a chance to imagine what you could or should or might be when you grow up. Results can be good, bad or confusing. Watching "Grease" as an adult, I wondered: Did I think I would be a goody-two-shoes like Sandy? Or a skinny rock star like her transformation? Or a tough bad girl with a good heart like Rizzo? Why not just myself?

And so I wonder what's going on inside my kids' heads when they watch "High School Musical." Do I want them recalling this TV show as a cherished childhood memory 30 years from now? Do I have a choice? Would they be better off if I didn't let them watch? If I watched with them and tried to offer interpretation and guidance? Will your kids be watching "High School Musical Two" tonight? Will you?

By Leslie Morgan Steiner |  August 17, 2007; 7:00 AM ET  | Category:  Free-for-All
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