[MrsSmith]

Let me start by saying we do not let Emma watch commercial TV as a rule. Her television viewing is quite limited - she watches Sesame Street and The Wiggles and that is it, and most of the time those are off the TiVo, not even "live" when she watches them, so I FF through the "brought to you by" stuff that precedes both "noncommercial" programs. During the week, I never, EVER have the TV on when Emma's up, we prefer to listen to (or make) music instead. The only times she is ever around the TV while it is on have been while DH watches baseball, football or golf ( ) or when we're at my parents' house, where Fox News or NBC are on CONSTANTLY (my mother will say that "the dogs like it on" and will leave the TV on even when they're not home..........) and when Em is in the room, I tend to turn the TV off - even over my parents' objections.

Okay, so on Sunday, DH is watching golf and ironing his shirts for the week. I get Em up from her nap and bring her downstairs, where she is playing in the same room as DH and the TV. All of a sudden, a commercial comes on and there is SWEARING in it. !!!!! It was just the H word, but criminy, it was like 4 in the afternoon and this wasn't cable!!! I said to DH that I couldn't believe they'd show a commercial (it was for an upcoming movie) with a curse word in it, and he responded that he didn't even notice the word since he hadn't been paying attention. This led to a general discussion of how much everyday language has degraded and how words that were once considered completely inappropriate for "polite" conversation are now de rigeur. I said I didn't care how commonplace the amount of vulgarity in today's speech has become, I still didn't appreciate it being so out there and easy to expose our 2 year old to without even meaning it. Needless to say, DH switched the TV off then and there. The same thing even applies to commercial radio. I have occasionally put the radio on while driving Em somewhere in the car, and then found myself switching back to one of the ubiquitous Sesame Street CDs instead, after hearing some "bad" word in a commercial. Grrrrr. Now, I don't even bother putting the radio on when Em is in the car!

Now please don't think I'm some sort of prude or dainty chick who gets the vapors from a cussword being said in my presence. One of my all-time favorite TV series is The Sopranos, after all. I just find it highly inappropriate for them to be airing shows or commercials during the middle of the DAY with any sort of curseword. Am I out of my mind to think this??? I've kept a closer ear on the TV since Sunday (when I'm not FFing through the commercials anyhow as 99% of what we watch is off the TiVo...) and I've noticed a lot of words in shows that air well before evening hours that are things I know I try very hard not to say in front of Emma or any other kid for that matter.

Sigh. I never expected I'd be this "un-hip" as a parent. I think I'm turning out to be more uptight than my parents were, which I always swore I'd never be......

Please someone, tell me I'm not the only one who wants to resurrect Tipper Gore's committee to clean up language........

Heather the possible fuddy-duddy

[redhedded]

Heather, Am I eligible for enrollment in your "un hip" mom club? I, who has been known to sprinkle, okay sometimes cover, my conversation with Soprano like expletives became acutely aware of my word choices when dd was born and moreso when everything she heard came out of her mouth. I have never (audibly) uttered a curse word in her presence; sure as I had, she would be saying it excessively. It took a lot of effort. Commercial television is atrocious. Not only is the language offensive, but the actions (of children) are often rude and aggressive.

DD only watches Between the Lions now and occasionally Lazy Town. Though I confess, I have been watching Rock Star: INXS. I know it is tacky, but I cannot help myself. The talent is so beyond American Idol (which I don't watch). My dd, who is never sleeping, loves this show, knows all of the contestants names and has their moves down pat. Oh, my gosh, I cannot believe I am telling that and letting her watch. BTW, any other viewers: my favorites to win are Ty, Mig or Jordice.

[spitzlvr]

May I join your un-hip club too? Now, I can honestly say I don't think I have ever heard a bad word on a commericial, but then again, that is beacuse when the commericial comes on we hit the 'mute' button. Even before ds was born. I always figured the only point in commericials was to try to get you to buy something, and I can decide what I want to buy myself, thank you very much!

It's funny - since we have done it all of my son's life (he is 3 1/2), if we are slow on the button he asks us to mute!

As for TV shows he watches, he likes things like Caillou and Peep, Chirp, and Quack. And we love the Discovery channel.

Ds does not get to see any of the 'usual' cartoons - have you seen those things???? They gotta be kidding!!!

As for movies, I watch them first. And I have been known to skip parts I don't think are appropiate (ds doesn't mind - I say this is a boring part).

[shoeshopping]

I am the worst when it comes to these things. I kind of feel like if we live in a neighborhood that is safe and there is no daily dose of vulgarity or violence, if the children eat three square meals a day and have bedtime at 9 p.m. OKAY.

You can watch Family Guy on Sunday night. Just don't let it affect your personality...and don't tell grandma.

Tipper Gore was a little extreme, IMO, and with everything from toys to commercials to other kids down the block...ugh. I have enough to worry about. My children love the Backyardigans frankly and I don't understand the fascination with that, either.

[LisaCA]

at 13 months, dd watches no tv. she gets an occasional glimpse of a baseball game or the exciting weather channe., but it doesn't interest her. my mouth sounds occasionally like the sopranos, so I'll pass on commenting on bad words .

I just find the endless crap on dv difficult to stomach, esp. kids programming, with its enforced "happy happy" feeling. our plan is to keep tv from her as long as possible, til she's well after two, probably age three or four. since we don't watch tv except at night, and she's in bed, that should be possible.

I'm slightly more concerned about the rampant sexual images on tv (yep, i sound like a prude), or the commercials shown on kids tv, with the insane representations of little girls and 'their' toys. I don't want to stop sexual images on tv, I'd just like it to be after 8pm. The endless sea of pink and purple, the sea of only jewelry, dolls and play house stuff, it's just disgusting. Having dd watch that scares me to death. i feel my IQ slipping just walking down the girls toy aisle or watching xmas commercials.

[spaypets]

Spitzlvr--I cannot stand Caillou. DD watches it on weekends because that's what's on public tv while I'm working out, but I'm constantly having to stop the treadmill and tell her things like "Oh that wasn't very good of Caillou, whining like that." Blecch. He whines and his parents, instead of chastising him for whining, indulge him. YUCK.

For a while I let DD watch Lassie when I was working out, but the commercials were so awful (I hate the way the girls are dressing like streetwalkers in so many of them, that I decided to only allow PBS). Lisa, I'm with you about the sexual images -- they demean women and girls. So far DD would rather hit a ball than be a princess and I sure as heck don't want to change that any time soon.

Oh, and I'm not a prude either, but I do believe that some things aren't appropriate for children to see/hear (which is why I was at a movies about penguins on Sunday!).

[sneezyone]

I'm guilty of letting DD watch Teen Titans with daddy and lots and lots of sports programming (primarily USC football, Tennessee Titan football, Spurs basketball and T. Woods golf). Although, we prefer to attend in person...'tis almost the season!! WOO HOO!! =)

So far, DD has shown no real interest in anything but sports anyway - we're so proud.

I agree tho, I hate all the little hoochie mama outfits in stores. I can't stand most dolls. They'll be no two-piece swimsuits in my house buddy - at least not while you're pre-pubescent! And for heaven's sake, NO WHINING!

DH and I went to the mall last week sans DD and a teeny-bopper crew was passing by a woman with a toddler and a babe in a stroller. The big-kid heathens were cursing up a storm, just as loud as you please! I find stuff like that to be so incredibly rude!

*sounding like my mother* What is wrong with people these days?

[2Bulgarianbeauties]

I am glad I am not the only one who cannot stand Calliou! When DD watched Clifford or Dragon Tales, that was my time to do the laundry or clean the bathrooms. Now, since Calliou has been moved to the 8:30 TV watching time, she loves to watch it. I have to sit there the whole time and say "Mom did not like they way Calliou played with his sister" "Mom did not like the way Calliou threw a fit" etc.

[Leigh131313]

Redhedded..

Ohh...i LOVE rockstar inxs...

I'm rooting for Marty or Jordice.

lolololol

Leigh

[MMC66]

My kids may be a little older than yours but I'm not sure (they're 13, 11, 9, 8, and 9 months) Anyway, I was brought up very sheltered, no TV (actually we were allowed 90 min per week) no junk food, fast food, the list goes ON and ON and ON. I hit adolescence and pigged out on junk food every chance I got, had a morbid fascination with everything inappropriate in the movies and on TV and I went off the deep end in college.

SO with my dysfunctional childhood behind me, I have gone a bit in the other direction with my kids. I let them watch TV with only a few restrictions but they actually watch very little because theyir lives are pretty full of more active stuff. If my kids are dying to see a particular movie that I don't necessarily think is appropriate, I'll take them then we talk about it after - I DON't however let them go out to movies with friends or even friends' parents that I am the slightest bit suspicious of.

This stuff is everywhere and I figure I'd like them to have exposure to it while they can have my influence and make some choices with my watchful eye. So far so good.

I'll let you know in 20 years if I have a clue what I'm talking about

Martha

[michellemartin]

I guess I'm fairly liberal with swear words...

With TV though, we dont watch it (well sometimes I cheat and watch Passions) but we dont watch TV with Karma at all. Unfortunately she watches it at her dads and it has upset me greatly. My reasoning for no TV is not the vulgarity of the programming but rather the more they watch TV the less they move... so I dont want Karma to be a couch potato at 12 and obese.

When it comes to swear words either IRL or on the radio, I dont really even mention them. I dont tell her not to use them, and when she does use them (like once she said to me, "I need to clean this sh** up!" in reference to the toys on her floor) I didnt say a thing. Now she did repeat a word as a young child, I cant remember anymore which one it was, but she was saying it over and over and I told her to stop. She got mad at me and said "it's just a word" and I countered "well any word that you say over and over is annoying and if you're not going to use it in a sentence properly, dont use it". Last time she said those words randomly over and over or any other word for that matter. And I've also let her know that her teachers might not approve of those words when she first learned them. Overall I rarely swear and niether does anyone in my family, so she rarely uses those words, but when she does, they fit appropriately in the sentence.

Now, Course I wouldnt put Bob and Tom on the radio for her, but I wouldnt listen to it alone either! We're public radio folks over here

[sneezyone]

I've been known to use an inappropriate word or two in my youth *muttered under my breath of course*. I just want DD to learn that other word combinations can be just as biting and/or expressive without being offensive and I want her to learn to use all of her words really, really well. That's the one thing I got from my family (the side that almost NEVER curses)...they can break you down in a minute with a 'between the lines' remark. Who needs, "F-you!" when you can say, "I'm sorry, did I ask for your opinion? I assure you that wasn't intentional." In my family, cursing in front of, or to your elders is a sign of disrespect and a sure way to get in reaaaally big trouble.

[Kelli]

Mrs. Smith, sign me up as a charter member of the "un-hip parent club" and a fellow member of the "I have a child who watches Caillou but have to keep correcting the little boogers actions club." Does anyone know why at 4 years old he doesn't have any hair but everyone else does? I mean, unless he was sick or something, I'm not gettin' it. It's sad that I've even spent time wondering this before.



Kelli

[spaypets]

Oh, I cannot tell you how glad I am to hear that I am not alone in the "Caillou is a brat" club. I was wondering if I was too hard hearted.

But Kelli, I never thought about the hair! Do you think his illness is the reason his bad behavior keeps getting indulged?

DD watches Clifford, which I'm pretty sure is where she got "Time out, guys!" Very annoying.

[echaos]

Liam at 3 is pretty much limited to Thomas the Tank engine, Blue's clues and Mighty Machines. Peppered with Finding Nemo, Monsters Inc and Toy Story (1 and 2)

I too am in the Caillou is evil camp! My mother keeps buying Liam Caillou things.... trying to make her stop!