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You're watching the CBN News Channel.

A new Netflix reboot of the novel series

"The Baby Sitters Club"is drawing attention

for featuring a nine-year-oldtransgender character.

"The Baby Sitters Club" isbased on the popular collection

of G-rated Scholastic books.

The series centers arounda group of adolescent girls

who start a baby sitting business.

In the fourth episode of Netflix's remake,

one of the five baby sitters, Mary Anne,

is asked to care for a child named Bailey

who is presented as a girl,but was biologically male.

The character is played byten-year-old transgender,

Kai Shappley, fromTexas who was born male.

Shappley's story drew attention in 2016

when the then five-year-old's parents

insisted that their child wasactually a transgender girl

and should be allowedto use girl's bathrooms.

Joining us now is Directorof pluggedin.com, Adam Holz.

Adam, great to have youback on the broadcast.

What can you tell us about the difference

between the Netflix show andthe original book series?

- Well, the original book series

was published between 1986 and 2000.

There were 213 novels and itdealt with some tough issues.

It dealt with loneliness;it dealt with divorce;

it dealt with some of the things

that kids were dealing with at the time.

But what we have withthis reboot is, I think,

a reflection of a very progressive agenda

in terms of the way it'streating social issues

like the ones you talkedabout at the outset, George.

- Many have said the show perhaps

is too mature for the age ofthe audience it's targeted at.

What are your thoughts on that?

- You know, I would agree with that.

I have a nine and 11-year-old daughter,

and my nine-year-old found out about it

and asked me "Can I watch?"

And I said, "Well, honey,

I don't think we're quite ready for it."

It is rated "G," butyou need to understand

that TV networks give their own ratings.

And so there are lots ofthings that turn up here

that leave me just sortof scratching my head,

from references to showsthat are way beyond

what kids should be watching,

to one middle school girl says

that she's taking a college art class

and is drawing nudes,

and what it gives is avibe of middle-school girls

who are wise beyond their years.

And as the show progresses wesee them dealing with issues

such as racism, immigration,of climate change.

And the characters hereare really likable.

I really like these girls,

and I like the fact that theshow emphasizes friendship,

it emphasizes trust.

There's some good things here,

but I can't help but feeling

that there's a deeply progressive agenda

that gets packed in hereinto these storylines

that nine and 10, 11-year-oldkids are not really in a place

to know what to do with,

and not the least of themis the transgender character

that you talked about, George.

- How can parents help their kids navigate

the increasing exposure to these issues

in media and entertainment?

As you know these are allissues that we deal with

across the board.

It's not like we're livingback in the '70s or the '80s,

we're in a different time period.

How do we still address that to our kids?

- Well, I think the bestway to do it is to discern

when it's right to haveconversations about things,

and that's gonna depend on the maturity

and the age of your kids.

You may have a 10-year-oldthat really is willing and able

to go into that conversation,

but some 10-year-olds maynot be ready to do that.

So I think that there is a time to say,

"No, this isn't quite appropriate,"

and depending on your child'smaturity, watch it with them,

point out where they'redealing with these issues,

and then have a conversation about it.

And what that models is active engagement

that we don't have to beafraid of these things,

that we have a perspective as Christians

that speaks into these things,

and we can be thoughtful about it,

we don't have to be afraid of it,

but I think what youdon't want to do is think,

"Oh, this is a nice little G-rated show

about middle-school baby sitters,"

and turn your kids loose without any sense

of what the issues arethat they're dealing with,

because then they are goingto be exposed to these things

without your guidanceand without your help

in really enabling them tothink wisely and critically

and Biblically about the issues

that this show is dealing with.

- Okay, terrific, we'llhave to leave it there.

Thank you so much for coming on the show.