View Full Version : Just started watching with my daughter - why it's become a favorite of ours


kayleelew
08-23-2021, 01:12 PM
I recently started watching with my 10 year old daughter and we're almost through Season 1. We're both really enjoying it! I have vague memories of the show as a child but don't remember too much because I was pretty young.

Since my daughter is the same age as Jennifer in Season 1, she identifies with her the most. This is probably a somewhat unique reaction, but it's refreshing to see Jennifer as a young girl who's clearly tall and big for her age, and the show doesn't use that for a punchline or any mean-spirited jokes. My daughter is a similar size/build and whenever she sees girls her age in TV shows or movies, they're usually tiny and petite. And if there is a "bigger girl", she's often a bully or portrayed as unappealing in some other way.

In the first episode I expected them to say Jennifer was 11 or 12, so I was pleasantly surprised when they identified her as 9, almost 10. A couple episodes later, she's noticeably taller than most of her male and female classmates at her birthday party. I love that this could be a show and character that normalizes all that for my daughter without making it a front-and-center issue.