Spinoff: What TV shows do you ban?

[mommax3]

This is an interesting thread. I have to say that I agree or have agreed with about everyone who has posted at various times in my parenting history. The favorite shows around here right now are America's Got Talent and Hannah Montana (for my 8 year old BOY....whatever, dude). Over the summer, it was SpongeBob and iCarly, and I find both of those shows hilarious. My older two boys (15 and 12) don't really watch much tv, other than sports and movies that we own. The oldest spent a lot of time watching old episodes of "Lost" and "The Office" over the summer, and I think we will let him watch "Glee" and "Chuck" this year. My 12 year old watched a lot of "Everybody Loves Raymond" re-runs over the summer, too.

I agree with what Tara said, but my stance has DEFINITELY changed according to the ages of my kids. When my oldest was between the ages of 6 and 9, he could not behave appropriately when "Power Rangers" was allowed, so I banned it. However, when his younger brothers were the same ages, they could watch it with no behavioral issues cropping up. All of mine are old enough now to understand funny on tv does not equal funny in real life. I enjoy most of the shows they watch.

Really, the older they get, the less time they have because of sports, etc. and I am just happy if we are all home at the same time and CAN watch something on tv together!

Sometimes I need the TV. I just do. It's a way for them to zone out and quit fighting for 30 minutes or so. It allows me to get the dishes done, or run a load of laundry, or something...

Me too. It lets me nurse & catch up on computer stuff, or go outside & take care of the animals when DH is gone. I feel guilty but... especially when I have to be outside, it's just safer.

I started just with a few videos when they were younger - basically no tv. Now I let them watch the Sprout channel (Caillou, Zoboomafoo, Thomas the Train, etc.) when I need to get something done. Everything is very mild, sweet, and toddlerish.

When we drove up to visit DH this past week (he's out of town doing locums), they saw their first Spongebob episode at the hotel. The kids were appalled at the characters' arguing over a toy (something that happens every day at our house)! DS1, offended, said, "I share MY toys!" Whatever, son! But maybe using shows as a talking point isn't such a bad idea!

[GrayMatterWife]

DDs are too young to watch TV. The only channels DS is allowed to watch are Animal Planet, NatGo (if age appropriate), and History (if age appropriate). He is also allowed to watch Sid the Science Kid on PBS.

He can watch no TV at all on the weeknights. If he gets around in time in the morning, he may watch Sid while he has breakfast.

No Disney (I don't like that preteen crap and it's not age appropriate) and no cartoon network. Although, if I knew when that cartoon show with the penguins from "Madagascar" was on, I'd let him watch it, if it came on after school on Fridays or on the weekends. Those penguins are so darned cute.

He can watch FoxNews, CNBC, and CNN, if I have them on in the kitchen while he's in there.

Under no circumstances whatsoever may he watch MSNBC. I'd have that pseudo-news channel blocked from my cable, if I could.

[v-girl]

We're the last household in America without cable TV. Really! The kids can watch PBS, Qubo, the Disney shows that come on ABC on Saturday mornings (I like Hannah Montana, etc.). Most game shows are fine too. Extreme Makeover Home Edition and America's Funniest Videos are fine too. And Wipeout.

[L.Jane]

We're the last household in America without cable TV. Really! The kids can watch PBS, Qubo, the Disney shows that come on ABC on Saturday mornings (I like Hannah Montana, etc.). Most game shows are fine too. Extreme Makeover Home Edition and America's Funniest Videos are fine too. And Wipeout.

Nope... My parents don't have cable. We never had it growing up. We even had a salesman come to our house and tell us we were the only people in the entire neighborhood with out cable. I grew up with ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, PBS, WB (now CW), and the christian channel (I don't remember what its called, just that it was channel 50).

I never watched cable until I went to college, and I still stick to the basic stations for the most part. And yet, I can watch a lot of TV. My parents also didn't limit what we could watch. In fact I grew up watching Star Trek, Macgyver, and Quantum Leap with my dad, which I am sure was way way over my head at the time and probably had some inappropriate episodes for children. The only think I remember not being allowed to see as a child was the movie Pulp Fiction. Other then that, I don't remember my parents regulating my TV.

[DCJenn]

Hey Abigail-

It's ok because we'll balance out your Fox because if I ever DO watch any news on TV, it's MSNBC because you know I loves me some Keith, big head and all.

Jenn

[GrayMatterWife]

Hey Abigail-

It's ok because we'll balance out your Fox because if I ever DO watch any news on TV, it's MSNBC because you know I loves me some Keith, big head and all.

Jenn

Ick!

Cassy: speaking of shows we were not allowed to watch as kids: I was not allowed to watch "Dukes of Hazard"...the "hippest" show on TV when I was in second grade. My parents are from the South. They found it deeply offensive...so they made me the class nerd/freak/outcast. All I learned was that there was something lovely and forbidden about Daisy Dukes, and I wanted to know why.

[peggyfromwastate]

I don't let my kids watch the news. DD14 can, of course, but the other kids, no way. News is too graphic. I remember the day of 9/11- I took DD1 to Kindergarten that day- and they had the TV sets on in the church where the K was held. I was shocked that they'd let the preK and K see those images. I don't think they'd thought of the impact on little kids- it was just a surreal day...

[ladymoreta]

I'm not sure what I'll allow DS to watch. I'll wait and see if/how it affects his behavior. My parents and grandparents never filtered what we watched. I grew up watching Dirty Dancing, Pretty Woman, soap operas, You Can't Do That On Television, etc. We knew that they'd take them away if we acted inappropriately, so we didn't let it influence how we acted.

[scrub-jay]

I don't let my kids watch the news. DD14 can, of course, but the other kids, no way. News is too graphic. I remember the day of 9/11- I took DD1 to Kindergarten that day- and they had the TV sets on in the church where the K was held. I was shocked that they'd let the preK and K see those images. I don't think they'd thought of the impact on little kids- it was just a surreal day...

I will never forget the images on the TV from 9/11, how did you DD react to it? On a side note, when I first read "DD14" my eyes bugged out - I was sure you only had 5 kids, not 14!! (I figured it out though)

[Amiens]

DDs are too young to watch TV. The only channels DS is allowed to watch are Animal Planet, NatGo (if age appropriate), and History (if age appropriate). He is also allowed to watch Sid the Science Kid on PBS.

He can watch no TV at all on the weeknights. If he gets around in time in the morning, he may watch Sid while he has breakfast.

No Disney (I don't like that preteen crap and it's not age appropriate) and no cartoon network. Although, if I knew when that cartoon show with the penguins from "Madagascar" was on, I'd let him watch it, if it came on after school on Fridays or on the weekends. Those penguins are so darned cute.

He can watch FoxNews, CNBC, and CNN, if I have them on in the kitchen while he's in there.

Under no circumstances whatsoever may he watch MSNBC. I'd have that pseudo-news channel blocked from my cable, if I could.

We have rented Madagascar (the television series) from Netflix. It's pretty funny.

LOL @ MSNBC.

[peggyfromwastate]

Yes- DD14 Is my 14 year old...

She's DD1-- how should I write that-- DD1(14)??

Anyway, I literally covered her eyes and had them turn off the TVs- they were running in the lobby as we walked in to K. I should've kept her home. That was the most surreal day-- I watched the live news coverage at 6 am or something bc I was up nursing the twins... So DD didn't see any of the coverage then. She saw some over the past weekend bc I was watching some of the specials- she'd just gone to NYC about 1 year ago so the images left an impression...

[PrincessFiona]

T

I agree with what Tara said, but my stance has DEFINITELY changed according to the ages of my kids. When my oldest was between the ages of 6 and 9, he could not behave appropriately when "Power Rangers" was allowed, so I banned it. However, when his younger brothers were the same ages, they could watch it with no behavioral issues cropping up.

I don't think that is the same as banning, Sally...that's just good parenting. Maybe we are all using the wrong words here? I let Aidan use a knife to cut his meat, but if he waves it in the air, I take it away. It's one thing to let a child watch sponge bob as long as they handle it appropriately, and another to simply ban it altogether. In my humble opinion, many of these shows are really geared at the kids to draw their interest. I have heard people say terrible things about Wizards of Waverly Place and it is honestly...my favorite show on TV. What teenager hasn't dreamed about having magic powers to fix things in their lives? Sure, the parents *seem* dumb and oblivious in the beginning, but again...that is probably what draws teenagers in. They all think we're stupid anyway. At the end of each show, the parents always prevail and the kids learn a great lesson.

I have learned the hard way that banning things doesn't work for me. For example, I banned myspace....my kids just started an account at a friends' house and hid it from me...same with Facebook. Ultimately, I had to accept that this is part of the culture today and that every child I know has an account and is friends with half of the school. Allowing my children to have a facebook account means that I can help them learn how to use it, talk about appropriate and inappropriate online behavior and monitor them.

Our kids can't escape the culture that they are growing up in anymore than we could.

Look back on the shows that we grew up with...in truth, they weren't all wholesome either. The themes in Facts of Life (which was my absolute favorite show) were pretty mature if I look back on it now. I have watched the DVDs with Amanda and have had moments of discomfort even though I was watching it at a much younger age than she was.

Dukes of Hazzard? Holy buckets, batman.

My favorite..absolute favorite musician when I was a teenager? Madonna. I went to the Like a Virgin tour. I dressed like *gulp* Madonna for an entire 2 years. I really did. She became popular at a time when I was exploring my own feelings about growing up/sexuality....but listening to her didn't make me a slut (by any stretch of the imagination). My own mother hated Madonna. It probably fueled my interest in her.

Kris

[houseelf]

ITA with different rules with different kids. One of my children wasn't frightened by HP and the other is and has nightmeres. One of them gets that television is completely make believe and can behave without much behavior influence, the other absorbs sassiness and poor imaging like a sponge. It is weird, but there it is.

ITA with different rules with different kids. One of my children wasn't frightened by HP and the other is and has nightmeres. One of them gets that television is completely make believe and can behave without much behavior influence, the other absorbs sassiness and poor imaging like a sponge. It is weird, but there it is.

I totally agree, as well as with Sally's comment about choices in that regard changing as the kids age / situations change. I don't think there is anything *wrong* with people who let their kids watch stuff that mine aren't allowed to - different rules for different families. As others have mentioned, when I allow TV on school nights it's usually as a means to free ME up to do something else, so it can't exactly BE a teaching moment. My kids know what I allow in terms of attitude, behavior, manners, etc. - and yes, there are times when I'll watch something with them and after they laugh say something like "Funny on the show, but not okay in real life - right?." The fact is, they mimic it when they see it, and so they don't get to see it.