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  1. Signatures
    80 out of 100
    Petitioning
    1. ShedMedia (+ 3 others)
      Petitioning
      close
      • ShedMedia
      • Lifetime
      • Lifetime
      • Attn. Courtney Marino (Shed Media)
  2. Created By
    Sarah Salisbury
    North Syracuse, NY
About this Petition Petition Letter Petition Updates

I have nothing against Deborah Tillman as a person. I do however, take offense to her being titled "America's Supernanny" .  
For starters the show is named inappropriately. Ms. Tillman does not do the work of a nanny. She is a parent coach. Being a nanny is about childcare, not correcting parents. Ms. Tillman is not and never has been a nanny. She does not understand the men and women who make this their career and she does not understand the work that we do.  
Ms. Tillman also seems to have a one size fits all approach to discipline. Lora Brawley of Nanny Biz Reviews  recently wrote about the extreme nature of her approach.  She says, " In the first episode, the new Supernanny introduced the “calm down corner” which is her name for a traditional time-out spot. When the four year old was put into the corner and refused to stay, the Supernanny “coached” the father to chase down his four year old son OVER ONE HUNDREND TIMES and return him to the same spot until the child gave in and sat there “calmly”. This process took over an hour. This all started at bedtime when this four year old child was already tired and needed sleep more than anything else. The way Miss Deborah used the “calm down corner” was absurd. And given she went on national television proclaiming to be a childcare expert and doling out how-to advice to tens of thousands of parents, I think her coaching was at best misguided and at worst, dangerous. It wasn’t discipline, guidance or teaching in any positive way. It was simply a wearing down of a four year old child who was clearly feeling angry, frustrated, powerless and sad. It wasn’t empowering like parent coaching should be. Ms. Tillman and Lifetime have a responsibility to the people watching the show to offer advice that is good for the child. When working with children, it's never OK to sacrifice their emotional and physical safety for ratings."

 

To quote Lisa Werth- "Children have different learning styles and personalities. They have different home lives, the culture and geographic areas they live in vary, the income of the household can be at different levels. All of this can impact what could work best for each child. So this one cookie cutter fits all approach is not sensible."

Ms. Tillamn claims to have 20 years experience in childcare. How many of those years has she spent inside of a classroom working with children day in and day out? How many of those years has she spent working in a private home with parents and their children? She is a business owner who happens to have a Master's Degree in Child Development. As many nannies will tell you, what you learn from a book will only take you so far. Hands on experience is the best. Ms. Tillman should not be recognized as the new face of the nanny industry! If Lifetime insists upon keeping a show called "America's Supernanny" on the air, than the "Supernanny" needs to be someone who truly know what they are doing and will take the time to understand the family in need of guidence.

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Take America's Supernanny OFF the air

Greetings,

I just signed the following petition addressed to: Lifetime TV.

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Take America's Supernanny OFF the air

I have nothing against Deborah Tillman as a person. I do however, take offense to her being titled "America's Supernanny"
For starters the show is named inappropriately. Ms. Tillman does not do the work of a nanny. She is a parent coach. Being a nanny is about childcare, not correcting parents. If Lifetime insists upon calling their show "America's Supernanny" than the producers of the show need to hire someone who has actually been a nanny. Ms. Tillman is not and never has been a nanny. She does not understand the men and women who make this their career and she does not understand the work that we do.
Ms. Tillman also seems to have a one size fits all approach to discipline." In the first episode, the new Supernanny introduced the “calm down corner” which is her name for a traditional time-out spot. When the four year old was put into the corner and refused to stay, the Supernanny “coached” the father to chase down his four year old son OVER ONE HUNDREND TIMES and return him to the same spot until the child gave in and sat there “calmly”. This process took over an hour. This all started at bedtime when this four year old child was already tired and needed sleep more than anything else. The way Miss Deborah used the “calm down corner” was absurd. And given she went on national television proclaiming to be a childcare expert and doling out how-to advice to tens of thousands of parents, I think her coaching was at best misguided and at worst, dangerous. It wasn’t discipline, guidance or teaching in any positive way. It was simply a wearing down of a four year old child who was clearly feeling angry, frustrated, powerless and sad. It wasn’t empowering like parent coaching should be. Ms. Tillman and Lifetime have a responsibility to the people watching the show to offer advice that is good for the child. When working with children, it's never OK to sacrifice their emotional and physical safety for ratings." - Lora Brawley www.NannyBizReviews.com

To quote Lisa Worth- "Children have different learning styles and personalities. They have different home lives, the culture and geographic areas they live in vary, the income of the household can be at different levels. All of this can impact what could work best for each child. So this one cookie cutter fits all approach is not sensible."

Ms. Tillamn claims to have 20 years experience in childcare. How many of those years has she spent inside of a classroom working with children day in and day out? How many of those years has she spent working in a private home with parents and their children? She is a business owner who happens to have a Master's Degree in Child Development. As many nannies will tell you, what you learn from a book will only take you so far. Hands on experience is the best. Ms. Tillman should not be recognized as the new face of the nanny industry! If Lifetime insists upon keeping a show called "America's Supernanny" on the air, than the "Supernanny" needs to be someone with nanny experience!
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Sincerely,

[Your name]

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