The Parent Test

It's no secret Americans like to compete over just about anything, but competing to see who has the most effective parenting style is a new one. The basic premise of The Parent Test -- that you can use families to objectively measure parenting styles -- is faulty for several reasons. Most glaringly, it completely ignores the classic question of nature versus nurture. In pitting families representing different parenting styles against one another, the format fails to take into account that the temperaments and personalities of the kids in each family are different, regardless of how they're parented. It also fails to acknowledge that many of these parenting styles have points of intersection, with few families adhering strictly to just one. This is actually demonstrated again and again as the different types of parents praise each other for valuing the same things. They're also shown having constructive discussions about their opposing parenting styles and learning from each other. Which, actually, is one of the unexpected reasons this show is worth watching.

Instead of the snarky competitiveness we've come to expect from reality TV, The Parent Test has a general tone of openness, with participants consistently demonstrating a willingness to change. Parents watching will also do a lot of reflecting on their own parenting styles. Partners who are parenting together may especially benefit in using the show as a jumping-off point for parenting discussions. Watching with older kids may give them perspective on the difficulty of making everyday parenting decisions. Most importantly, it can help start some meaningful conversations between kids and parents about how parenting works in their family and why. If this sounds a little too heavy for weeknight viewing, don't worry, host, parent, and comedy veteran Ali Wentworth brings lots of levity and laughs to soften the eye-opening revelations.