Do you keep the TV at PG/G rated shows anytime the kids are around?
By vivasuzi
@vivasuzi (4127)
United States
March 4, 2009 11:48am CST
It surprised me the other day to hear that some people think it is ok to watch Desperate Housewives, or CSI, or Family guy, or R-rated movies (that are edited for TV) even when their kids are in the room. Many people think that if their kid is in the corner playing, then it doesn't matter what they watch.
My husband thought he could watch Dodgeball (edited for tv) when my nephew was around and I had to point out to him that even if it is edited for TV there are still many things in there you wouldn't want kids to see. His argument was that my nephew wasn't paying attention - but my argument was that you never know when kids will start paying attention. In Dodgeball, for example, kids could pick up on when they start throwing wrenches at each other! Hello!!!!
Other people think stuff like Family Guy is ok b/c it is animated. The truth is- it's rated TV14 and should perhaps be rated even higher. So I told my husband once we have kids the only channels he can watch when they are around is Nick, Disney and Cartoon Network (but not at night when it becomes Adult Swim). There may be a few other channels in there that have kids shows, but I was really just making a point :) I won't even let my kids watch Noggin (that other nick channel) because I've seen shows that are WAY to old for most kids.
So what about you? Do you pay attention to whether or not your kids are in the room before you start watching Desperate Housewives, or something like CSI? Do you worry that - even if they are not paying attention - they might catch a word here or there, or see Edie setting a house on fire and get ideas from it?
Young kids are very easily influenced. We can get my nephew to do almost anything by doing it ourselves first (ring around the rosie for example). Just imagine if he saw some of the things that happen on the TV shows we watch and I know he'd be repeating the actions! Once they are 10 and up, things do change, and I would allow them to watch more things like The Simpsons, but I would still keep them away from most shows that are out there. Now-a-days, tv is going to the dogs!
3 people like this
3 responses
@kareng (80243)
• United States
4 Mar 09
Yes indeed Television should be supervised and restricted. There is so much CRAP on TV these days! Just think of all the Soap Opreas--that alone is enough to scare you with small children thinking that is the real world. Children are very influenced by everything around them and what they see, hear and learn as small children usually implants in their minds.
I can remember when one of my daughters, who was 8 years old at the time came home telling me about a movie she watched at one of her friend's house that lived down the road. It sounded familiar to me and also a movie that I would never let my kids watch. I asked her the name of it and I told her that movie was Rated R. Her friend was also with her. I asked her if her parents always let them watch R rated movies. She said yes. That was the end of my daughter going to her house to play. The end.
Ended up that two of her sisters who were older and in teens got pregnant while in high school. So that kind of shows you that parenting was lacking and also that these movies probably taught them that this was ok and acceptable. My point was that it wasn't anything for children to be exposed to, especially at the age of 8!
Good topic, vivasuzi!
2 people like this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
6 Mar 09
Yes I think many parents do not consider the influence tv has on young kids. You can tell a kid all you want "this is make-believe, don't copy this" but it doesn't matter. Kids still think there is a talking car named Lightning McQueen around and they still think Spongebob is real. So basically even if you try to teach young kids that things are make-believe, you still shouldn't watch it in front of them because you never know what they are picking up.
I was allowed to watch some R Rated movies when I was in my teens, but definitely not at 8! Plus my parents or my relatives would pre-screen all r rathed movies first and decide if we were allowed to watch.
1 person likes this
@AXLAERO (426)
• Philippines
7 Mar 09
Yes i keep the tv at pg rated shows even they are around.We watch together even the movie is not suitable for kids.I just want my kids to be aware of everything.It's better that they will know and learn something at their age.Atleast im there to explain them what the movie is all about.Kids nowadays are very curious.They will ask you so many things.And if my kids will ask me,i will answer them and explain them properly.Its better that i will tell them than they will find out somewhere in a wrong way.And if they already know it,they will not do it because they know its not good bacause i already told them about it.
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
10 Mar 09
Kids shouldn't be watching movies that are rated higher than their age. It doesn't matter how much you explain it to them at that age - if they pick something up in the movie that you perhaps missed or didn't explain, then they will probably repeat it. Bad words, bad actions, all these things should not be shown to young kids.
@AXLAERO (426)
• Philippines
11 Mar 09
yes you have apoint there i understand what you mean.but i can say my kids different.i will never do something that i know that is not really suitable for mykids.maybe to some kids are not really apropriate.and i will just let them watch something if im around.if im not around,they only play psp and watch their favorite cartoon programs.my kids alrady know what is good and what is bad.like for example,i say something bad because im taliking to someone and that word is very bad.my kids heard it and they got angry with me.they told me that mommy,thats bad and dont ever do it and say it again.even at my pictures,if my pictures are too sexy,they will complain about it.they will tell me that im too sexy in that picture and everyb0dy can see my body.actually for them its too sexy because my kifs are very strict.rthey are acting like an old man.im wearing sexy outfits for my pictorila because im a band vocalist and entretainers must wear like that and our band manager want it.i trust my kids and i know them very well.
@AXLAERO (426)
• Philippines
11 Mar 09
and kids nowadays are very different.i witnessed it so many times.and even myself,i cant believe it because i can see it in my kids.sometimes my kids will talk to me like they are older than me.if im depress and stress,they will talk to me and give me some advice.its unbelievable but its really true.all my relatives gave a nickname especially o my eldest kid.they call him old man because my kids brain is diffrent even the way he talks and he understand everything.if my kids know that its bad,they will not say or do it anymore.
@JoyfulOne (6231)
• United States
7 Mar 09
I would never have anything but a pg rated program on when my grandchildren are around. I didn't when my own kids were little either. To me, doing so is just wrong. No wonder kids want to grow up too fast. Not only that, but I think shows where people are getting hurt, disrespecting others, talking trashy, and all that, are like saying to the kids that it's ok to talk, or act, like that. They only know what they see and hear and can't differentiate between fact and fiction. Kids are listening even when you think they are not; they learn by example too, and it's teaching them a wrong set of values. You know what they say: garbage in...garbage out.
1 person likes this
@vivasuzi (4127)
• United States
10 Mar 09
Yes kids grow up way to fast and being allowed to watch shows like Seinfeld and Desperate Housewives is definitely part of the problem. I mention Seinfeld b/c shows like that may seem completely innocent to us, but in reality they have a lot of topics that kids shouldn't be exposed to at a young age.
I know a girl who said her kid was saying the F word all the time, so they taught him to say Fart instead... um, he shouldn't be saying Either! How did he hear that word enough to start saying it? It's bad parenting if you ask me.
