Five things I've learned by watching TV with my kids

Welcome to TV Squad Lists, a feature where each blogger has a chance to list his or her own rundown of things in television that stand out from the rest, both good and bad.

When I was a kid, I learned a lot by watching TV with my parents. Imagine my surprise when I realized that I was still learning.

When your favorite gets voted off, you can pick a new one.
My kids and I love to watch American Idol and America's Next Top Model together and every season they pick their favorite early on. Usually that favorite -- whether it's Jael, Chris Sligh or Antonella Barba -- ends up being sent home early on. Without missing a beat, they will turn to me and inform me of their new favorite.

It's perfectly acceptable to aspire to be a model.
I used to think being a model was a shallow aspiration but after watching America's Next Top Model with my girls I realize that there are actually some strong, smart women who vie for Tyra's top honor. It may be glorious to be a top model but getting there doesn't look glamorous at all.

All that matters is results.
Whenever I watch the reality competitions, I always make sure and watch the entire thing so I don't miss anything. Generally, what ends up happening is that I have wasted 40 minutes listening to Ryan Seacrest. My kids learned this almost immediately and now force me to fast forward to the results

Spongebob never gets old.
I have watched way too many terrible shows with my kids and afterwards I ask them, "Why do you like this show?" The answer is usually, "We just do," but when we watch Spongebob Squarepants no questions are necessary. Even if it's an episode we've seen many times before, it never fails to entertain.

Home videos are hilarious.
When I was a young man, I used to think there was nothing funnier than watching people hurt themselves on video. As I grew older, I decided that amateur videos were the lowest form of humor. I was so, so wrong.