SHOWS FOR YOUNGSTERS AND THEIR PARENTS TOO : Beyond diapers and tips on naps: ‘Parenting Today’ on CNN has a serious side

Pat Etheridge wants to make it clear that her new CNN show Parenting Today should in no way be considered competition for Lifetime’s popular and long-running “What Every Baby Knows� and “Your Child and You.�

“I didn’t want to do a diaper or mommy show, since that was being done,� the former CNN news correspondent says. “With my news background I wanted the show to have a more serious edge and be more far-reaching. What we say is: It’s not just choosing day care, but choosing college.� The show tackles issues from infancy through the teen years to college.

“Parenting Today� joins CNN’s prestigious Saturday public affairs lineup.

Etheridge, who worked closely with CNN in developing the show, says producers “decided we should do a magazine-style cover story every week, go in-depth with an issue or a story, a very personal human-interest story.�

The first show dealt with the evolution of families’ traditional roles from the ‘50s to the ‘80s. “We re-examined how women [who] chose careers initially over family have delayed childbirth,� she explains.

Living in Atlanta and working as a CNN “on-call� correspondent, Etheridge found that her life paralleled that of her audience. After 10 years as a roving newsperson, Etheridge, with husband and journalist Monte Plott, became a parent.

“It was such a tough role,� she recalls of her son’s earliest days. (Micah is now 3.)

“If I was working on a big story, I wanted to see it through and yet, I wanted to be home with him. It was a real battle within and I didn’t want to give it all up. I was really feeling that struggle myself, it was becoming universal.� So, when she was given creative license with the show, Etheridge ran with it.

In the aftermath of the Oklahoma bombing, “Parenting Today� looked at the effects of the tragedy on children. “We stay close to the news, the news that warrants an examination of parenting issues, and we do it in a serious manner,� Etheridge says.

The show also hopes to revisit stories. “As a journalist, I would often cover stories and wonder what happened to the people involved. Here, we can go back. It’s very fulfilling.�

She acknowledges that the show is “still evolving, it will change and we may go on-line. And, we may change the format.�

But some features will remain, including “My Turn,� where children can speak out on whatever they want. “If the subject is TV,� Etheridge explains, “a kid can say, ‘I hate it when my mom won’t let me watch what I want.’ �

Also featured are what Etheridge calls “bumpers,� short tidbits called “Pearls of Wisdom� offering up a quote or advice from parenting experts, who are also highlighted in “Ask the Expert� segments where parents ask for advice on a popular topic, such as sleeping, potty-training.

Raising children, the host says, “doesn’t come with a guidebook, and we all have doubts, questions to wonder about. Parents are hungry for answers to questions, some embarrassing, all the ‘Is this OK?’ kind of thing.

When experts differ--and they often do--she hopes the show will present a balance of opinions. “It’s like a diet book, which one do you believe?� she says. “One week, we had three different experts who had three different opinions of how a baby should sleep. We look at all aspects of different situations.�

Shot in various model homes around Atlanta, the show hopes to mirror the homes of its viewers. “It’s unique,� Etheridge explains. “We didn’t want it to be sterile or on a set. This way, we’re in many different homes that have nurseries, teen rooms and playrooms.�

“As far as I know,� Etheridge says, “there’s nothing like this show on television, a show that tackles more than just infancy and toddler years, but school-aged children, the teen years and all the news, in addition to the good, practical information for babies, children and beyond that.�

“Parenting Today� airs at 3:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. Saturdays on CNN. For parents.