Jo Frost is back on TV — 15 years after launching “Supernanny,” her no-nonsense, empathetic advice series for harried parents with unruly kids that aired from 2005-2011 on ABC.
The new version of “Supernanny” premieres Jan. 1 (10 p.m.) on Lifetime, and its format hews closely to the original. In each episode, the British-born Frost, 48 — a former nanny and now a world-renowned parenting expert, lecturer and author — spends several days with a family of misbehaving children, observing, interacting and dispensing advice to their parents.
The series premiere features the Braido family from Pittstown, NJ: stressed-out, overwhelmed parents Jessica and CJ and kids Rylie (4), Gage (2) and five-month-old twins Chase and Dax.
“It would be very egotistical of me to think I fix families,” says Frost, also a “Supernanny” executive producer. “I go in and help [the families] and give them what they need, which might not always be what they want. It’s my hope to open their eyes and give them the knowledge and tools to have confidence to walk the walk and see the results.
“Like any therapy or counseling, it’s up to the individuals and you hope, in time, that you’ve made a difference.”
Frost points to the rise of social media as one of the major differences between ABC’s version of “Supernanny” and the new 20-episode Lifetime series. (Two of the Braido children in the opener spend a lot of time on digital devices — or “electronic babysitters,” as Frost calls them). “In 2004 when I first started doing the show, then came over to the US, social media wasn’t as prominent as we see it today,” she says. “The social media platforms we have now have certainly elevated the good and the bad. They’ve made parents doubt themselves; the parental arena is a billion-dollar business and everybody has their own opinion. We had ‘screen time’ back in the day, but we also went outside, rode our bikes, went rollerskating, went to the park — we spent more time outside.
“Parents are saying to me, ‘We’re struggling with technology. We can’t get our kids off of it,'” she says. “What I’ve always done privately when I’m not on camera is diagnose the signs of addictive behavior in children as young as 6. At times we can’t be more disconnected as families; these [devices] are coming to the table, which stops the consciousness of knowing when a body has had enough to eat, resulting in overeating, lack of conversation and the time that kids and parents spend communicating with each other. I also have teens and tweens saying to me, ‘I’ve got to fight my parents to get their attention,’ so it works both ways.
“I’m trying to help families navigate not losing that connection in a connected world that feels so misconnected.”
Frost says her interactions with her “Supernanny” families continue off-camera once she walks out the door at the end of each episode. “As a parental expert and family advocate I speak to all the families and have a consultation afterwards,” she says. “I understand this is a TV show that’s made from my process of helping families, but it’s very important to make sure I have contact with all of my families. I check in and do aftercare, which is incredibly important, and you can catch up with them on the Lifetime Website.
“You can see for yourself, nowadays, on Instagram, how these families are doing,” she says. “They’re Instagramming pictures with their kids and they’re all excited to watch their journey. They were brave enough to ask for help — and it’s their courage that is going to help millions of people around the world.”
Ref;nypost.com