It's a strange feeling to watch a reality show and know that I'm not a member of its target market. It seems most reality shows are geared for women in their 20's and 30's, like me. Maybe that's why I have mixed feelings about CBS' latest venture into the reality TV unknown.

'Kid Nation' drew pretty good ratings with 9.1 million viewers tuning into CBS for 8 p.m. slot. According to preliminary numbers, it won the hour with adults 18-49 and grew in its second half hour.

The show got mixed reviews from the KMOV faithful.

One viewer wrote on KMOV.com,
"I watched this show with my 12 year old granddaughter. We enjoyed it . She was asking the next day when it was on again. She said she would like to do something like that."

Another wrote,
"I have absolutely no interest in watching this again. I can't imagine that there will be more than one season of this show."

Personally, I can't stand to watch kids cry. It makes me sick to my stomach. I had to turn away from the TV when the youngest girl on the show couldn't catch her breath because she was crying for home.

However, I did like to watch the kids figure out how to live on their own. "Kid Nation" at times reminded me of the "Boxcar" series I used to read as a kids. The books were great because they made me feel like I could do things without the help of adults, including living in a boxcar with friends in the middle of nowhere (sure).

You can't help but wonder what this experience of 'Kid Nation' does for its participants. It could make the kids more mature individuals. But I think they're are destined to be know-it-alls for the rest of their lives. I can just hear it now, "Listen, I ran a town by myself when I was 12."

So now CBS will wait to see if viewers come back to 'Kid Nation' next week. I'm guessing my TV will be dialed to the show, but I'll surely turn away for the waterworks.

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