Are your kids banned from watching certain shows?

[mrsbornkuntry]

LOL - the only one I really restricted was my first child (of course), and she was my only child with a sassy mouth (and I don't think she got that from watching Little Bear). My younger ones watch what the older kids watch (I can only deal with one TV on at a time), and have never spoken in a fresh manner.

It also works both ways - dd14 will still watch the Disney channel, because the younger kids like it. I'm guessing that if she were an only child, she'd never watch kids shows anymore (her favorite shows are Glee and The Office).

That's how it is in our house, too, but my oldest probably would still watch Phineas and Ferb and Good Luck Charlie, she likes those.

 

[wmharley]

We really don't let her watch Disney shows, except when the Pixar movies come on. She doesn't care for the cartoons (clubhouse, oso, etc) anymore.

We do let her watch (DD5 and DS1)

Nick Jr (except Yo Gabba Gabba which I hate)
PBS and PBS Kids (Verizon Fios carries PBS Kids which is generally great)
Discovery Kids (Bindi, and Hi-5)
Smile (a TBN channel which carries Christian shows)
Qubo (a joint venture between NBC and the folks from Veggie Tales) except Jacob two-two.

Soem of her favorite shows from that mix are:
Dora
Backyardigans
Wonderpets
Animalia
Adventures from the Book of Virtue
Olivia
Sesame St (DS)
Rescue Heroes (this is the biggie now)
Sarah's Stories
There are a few from Smile channel that I forget the name.

Oh, and Wipeout.. we LOVE wipeout..

 

[Ava]

My DD is only 15 months old so she doesn't watch TV yet (except the news that I watch in the morning before work, lol). When she does start watching, we don't want any Barney in our house. I know it's appropriate but its just so annoying I can't take it - seems like a common feeling among adults, haha.

A PP mentioned "Dinosaurs" & all I remember from that show was the baby always called his dad "Not the Mama" - I thought that was hilarious & tried it on my own father, but he didn't find it quite as funny as I did.

 

[rodeo65]

When my kids (well really DD since DS is more interested in his DS and Wii than TV) started to lose interest in the shows geared to the 5 & under group and take an interest in the Disney "tween" shows we cautiously allowed it and started by watching some with her and taking the opportunity to point out attitudes and behaviours that were not in line with our family values. That was fine for a while, but as all of her friends were watching the same shows, their little culture started mimicking the girls on those shows; Hannah first then Alex from Wizards and so on. When the attitudes started showing up at home and towards DH and I we decided to ban all of those shows and they (she) were allowed to go back to the "baby" shows as they called them.

I don't control her friends and classmated televisions, though, so the "culture" at school remained the same. We have in the year or so since then allowed those shows back into the mix, with the understanding that they are not real, not the way we speak to each other in our house, not the way to speak to friends and if I hear it, or have it directed at me, I will assume they are too immature the understand the difference between TV and real life.

For the most part we are seeing reasonable attitudes, which ebb and flo depending on who they have played with that weekend and occassional bouts of general moodiness that seems to be starting in both kids. When we see attitudes we don't like, there goes a stretch with no tv and added chores until we see a return to more respectful tone and attitude.

I grew up being banned from SNL when I was in HS because my parents thought it was inappropriate but I remember being so embarassed that I never knew what my friends were talking about. No, I don't think my kids should be allowed to do whatever "everyone else does", and yes I realize 7 & 9 is not 15 & 17, but I also think in the world of childhood friendships fitting in is so important to them. As long as mine demonstrate the knowledge that what they see is not how they act and not how the world works, they can keep the priveledge.

 

[sorul82?]

My children are 13, 11, and 11. They don't watch much, but about the only things we ban are Simpsons and some Nick shows. If a show uses the words "stupid and shut up" with frequency, then we avoid that program. I don't allow my children to use such low class words.

 

[sorul82?]

we don't want any Barney in our house

Barney was banned from our house!

 

[MissLiz]

We haven't "banned" any shows from our house, but DD8 was getting a little smarty-mouth a couple months ago and I seriously thought about banning a few of the tween shows.

Instead, I told her exactly that I didn't like the way she was behaving and that I thought she was trying to be like the kids on tv. Then we had a discussion about the different ways she had seen kids behave on tv and how they were good or bad.

I honestly tried not to do it in a lecture sort of way, just as a discussion.

Luckily, she does not have a tv in her room to watch actual tv on...it's just for movies, so she watches all of her shows in the living room with us and we are able to talk about things that aren't good. She has actually started to pay more attention to the times when the kids on tv are doing something wrong or aren't being very nice and she will point it out to us.

It's been a great way to curb the sassiness. We haven't had any problems for quite a while now.

 

[mom2val]

I hate to ask but what is wrong with good luck charlie?

We watched the first episode as a family and had a real problem with the teen daughter. She had a guy come over for a study date and spent the whole night trying to get him to kiss her. We then tried watching another episode and the little brother was sneaking in the neighbors dog door bc noone was remembering to feed him.

Bottom line we dislike the the lies, smart mouths, and lack of parenting in this show.

 

[Missoutandabout]

Only for no other reason than the main characters being seriously, mind-numbingly annoying: Max & Ruby and Caillou. With Caillou in particular, he's such a godawful whiner -- and my daughter doesn't need any help and/or encouragement in this area.

 

[Mrs. Charming]

Only for no other reason than the main characters being seriously, mind-numbingly annoying: Max & Ruby and Caillou. With Caillou in particular, he's such a godawful whiner -- and my daughter doesn't need any help and/or encouragement in this area.

Ruby is so mean to Max! Cripes, she better get a grip. Caillou and his wining are like nails on a chalkboard... it's not that I don't *allow* Caillou, I just make sure to turn the show off asap for my own sanity!

 

[A&E'sMom]

We ban inappropriate shows. We don't have cable, so that helps. When we deal with family that has cable, or travel, we will not watch certain shows.

Amazingly enough, the Disney channel is one that we will not watch live action shows.

Same here! We love most Disney films and cartoons, but I downright despise their live-action shows on the Disney channel. Smug, smart-mouthed, kids, with nary an adult on the scene. They are pretty much just as bad as the "You Can't Do That on Television" shows that my parents banned me and my sisters from watching on Nickelodeon as kids.

We also do not watch or allow (when we do have cable or are visiting another family or traveling) pretty much any Nick shows after 10 am. Their cartoons aimed at the school age and up are almost entirely brain-rotting junk.

My boys are 7 and almost 8, but I still stick to Nick Jr or Playhouse Disney, PBS, Noggin, or Sprout. We have Netflix and a Roku box to stream approved movies and tv shows to our television.

ETA:
I second whomever said that Full House is not a good one, either. I started DVR'ing those for the boys, because I remembered them being far better than today's junk as well. They are in most regards, but Michelle is still far too sassy and disobedient for me. The other girls got in trouble, but Michelle pretty much got a wink and a nod. Not okay, in my book. I know that some advocate to just sit with your children and point out when something inappropriate occurs, and I think that sitting WITH your kids while they watch is a great idea. But, if they don't *have* to watch something, there's no sense in letting them, only to explain that some of the things they see are not allowed.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Nothing is banned. My kids are older.

I grew up being banned from the TV except for shows like Little House on the Prairie which I hated. Heck most of the shows on the OP's list I hated. I felt very left out with my friends because they could watch all that stuff and I couldn't. Basically, I could hardly participate in most of my friends conversations. I swore I would never do that to my kids.

I figure life is full of sassy kids, violence ect... so I'd rather the kids start by seeing it at home where we can discuss it.

The kids haven't wanted to watch shows like True Blood or CSI which I don't think is appropriate for them yet so I haven't banned them because that means I couldn't watch them either.

 

[Missoutandabout]

.. it's not that I don't *allow* Caillou, I just make sure to turn the show off asap for my own sanity!

Exactly. When I hear either theme tunes starting, it's an immediate "off" before my head explodes. LOL

 

[Magpie]

I've always watched TV with my kids, so instead of shows being "banned", we just didn't watch shows that Mommy didn't like.

So, my babies knew the theme song to the Simpsons before they could walk. As soon as that song came on they'd crawl up to the TV and hug it. It was the funniest thing (at least in my opinion!).

But Teletubbies? Those obnoxious little aliens were verboten in our household. I hated them with a passion, and I felt pretty smug when my neighbour's tubby-loving child began talking like a tubby, to her parents immense irritation. MY son might have had speech issues, but at least he didn't sound like a Teletubby.

I think as long as parents are involved and active, it doesn't matter what you put on TV. Your kids will be good kids because of the work YOU put into them, not because of what they see on TV. I actually talked to them a lot about some of the messages we saw. For example, "You know what guys? Your friends are NOT the most important people in your life, despite what that cartoon show would have you believe. And your first loyalty is NOT to them. It's to your family. Friends come and go, but family is forever."

The only exception is the news... I did turn the news off for several years after my 2yo pointed at the screen and asked "where's her mommy?" The child on TV had just been orphaned by some terrible catastrophe and was wailing inconsolably. Right then I thought, "Wow, my babies should NOT be seeing this." At least not until I could explain it to them.

They watch it now, but they're 12 and 14.

 

[TwinsinCA]

Ours are 3 and 1; we don't let them watch True Blood on HBO.

I had to laugh because this is the one show I don't even want to watch when they are awake lest they walk past the TV at the wrong moment!

When they were little I forbid Barney and the Teletubbies. Barney was so sickenly sweet he made me want to puke and the Teletubbies were just inane. They have seen one or two episodes of the latter at a friend's house. But to this day they have never seen an entire episode of Barney!

Now that they are older (10) I strongly discourage any of the live action Disney/Nickelodeon shows. Luckily, they don't have a real interest in any of them so it is a non issue.

The only show they watch that I wish they didn't is Spongebob. They started watching it in the last year or two. I figure there is worse out there so I let that slide.

They still like a lot of cartoons on networks like boomerang and just recently started getting into the Pink Panther. They DVR that daily. The other network they watch a lot is GSN. They like Deal or No Deal, 1 vs. 100, Whammy, and Family Feud. I joke that they went from having the TV tastes of preschoolers to little old ladies.

There are all kinds of network shows that I would not allow them to watch but they only like 'The Office' and 'Wipeout'. I'm fine with them watching both. They are aware of the shows I watch but just really don't care. There really isn't anything they *want* to watch that I won't let them.

 

[snowy76]

Oh and the Snorks cartoon!

That one's on Boomerang, along with the Smurfs, Scooby, Flintstones, Jetsons, etc. DH still loves watching Banana Splits from when he was little.

We've been talking about this recently in our house, too. DS is starting to grow out of the preschool shows a bit, we've noticed - having siblings who are much older is accelerating this, I think.

One show we've landed on that we all LOVE is Phineas and Ferb. The boys are always doing crazy things but they do it so innocently, they don't even realize their sister is trying to "bust 'em." There is definitely humor in it that appeals to adults without being "adult content". I crack up whenever they show someone in an elevator and the music is the mom's one-hit wonder from the 80s. We love it.

DS has started watching the old Scooby Doo shows recently. I will not let him watch the new version on Cartoon Network - too much about the kids' love lives and a bit violent.

Other faves:
Wow Wow Wubbzy
Olivia (he has a cousin named Lydia, so he insists the show is "Oh, Lydia")
Imagination Movers
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
Chuggington
Handy Manny (never asks for it, but always watches if it comes on)
Wonder Pets
Calliou
Kipper

Lately DS has started getting into Disney movies too... but honestly, I'm a little freaked out by this at times. He loves the Lion King but there's some heavy stuff in there that I've had to explain to him.

 

[PebblesMK]

I must be in the minority. Spongebob is highly amusing to me, Phineas and Ferb is not allowed. I'm not entirely sure what it's about, but the voices grate on my nerves. Suite Life is also frowned upon. That show seems to revolve around relationships a lot, and that bothers me. Now-give me a London Tipton show and I'll be all over that because she's hilarious. Other than those few, shows aren't really banned unless it's adult content. Sex, swearing, violence, scary-ness is out.

Somebody mentioned that a lot of kids watch whatever. My daughter was invited to a sleepover but couldn't make it. The next day I found out that the mom rented "The Goods" and "The Hangover" for the 8/9 year olds to watch. Pretty sure my child is one of the few at the school who hasn't seen those movies. Also a lot of parents tend to get horror movies for sleepovers. My kid would be scared poopless if she were to watch something like that!!

 

[GrtWtNorth]

There's no ban in our house. Just common sense.

We have one family TV with a PVR. We all watch the same stuff. It's got to be quality.
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse -- DD's favorite. Since we downsized our channel package, we don't get Playhouse Disney anymore - we just have a handful of saved episodes. However, we have a 'free trial' version of the French version of Playhouse Disney for a few weeks. "Maison de Mickey" is just as good in DD's mind. (I've also got a handful of episodes downloaded to my laptop -- very handy on road trips.)
* Dora the Explorer -- DD's second favorite. A great alternative if you're sick of Mickey's high-pitched voice. But Dora is much more repetitive.
* Toopy and Binoo -- a great new Canadian show. The episodes are very short (5 minutes?), often strung together into half-hour shows. They are all about playing and imagination. DD loves the characters, and I love to watch it too.
* Max and Ruby -- DD loves Max. I'm not sure she can relate to Ruby. I sleep through this super-sweet show.
* Thomas the Tank -- Harmless show - puts me to sleep. DD watches the first few minutes, then usually wanders away to do something else.
* Sesame Street -- I love it, but DD just tolerates it. Maybe it's too educational for her. Maybe the stories are just a bit too complex for a 2-year-old.
* Kid versus Kat -- another new Canadian cartoon. A girls cat that hates her brother. The brother almost always gets blamed for the cat's destructive habits. Did I mention that the cat is an alien super-spy? (The cat reminds me of Perry the Platypus, except he's evil.) DD doesn't appreciate the plot the way I do, but she loves the slapstick.
* Sponge Bob Square Pants -- a classic feel-good cartoon, staring "blissfully unaware" characters. He's a great role model: hard working, kind to others. Maybe he's just too happy for some viewers. DD is indifferent to this show, but I watch it for variety.
* We watch a lot of animated movies, together. I'm with her to talk her through more frightening scenes, like the beginning of Finding Nemo, or the battle scenes in The Incredibles or Up! Even Wall-E has some potentially disturbing scenes.

As you can probably guess, I am a big animation fan. But there are a number of shows that I don't watch with DD. And it's not just because of ratings.
* The Flintstones was one of my favorite shows growing up. Watching it now is more than just a bit disturbing. The show lacks what I would consider to be positive female role models.
* Rugrats. I loved the show. It was a show written for adults to watch with their children. But the cultural references are 10+ years old. Not as entertaining as it used to be. Boring to my DD.
* Bugs Bunny and Tweety Show. I love these old and violent classics. DD will watch these with me some day, but 2 is probably a bit too young.
* The Simpsons. I try to shelter her from these. But I love it. Great writing. I'll probably watch this with DD when she is older (6?). I'm not going to be like some of my relatives and ban it from the house -- their kids just go to a friends house and watch it there.

There's a lot worse stuff on television than cartoons. Watch the news from a child's perspective -- it's awful. Documentaries can be challenging too. Our family was watching a beautiful documentary on the South Pacific, which suddenly zoomed in on the French Frigate Shoals and the annual departure of Albatross chicks. (Sounds innocent, right?) First, the chicks are abandoned by their parents. If the chicks don't teach themselves to fly right away, they either starve on land, or are eaten by packs of Tiger sharks just offshore. There was some lovely footage, especially of the sharks gobbling up chicks. DD was mesmerized. I didn't want her to have nightmares, so I told her that they must taste like duck or chicken. "Yummy chicken!" was her response to each subsequent shark attack. (No nightmares yet...)

IMO, there's not much to be gained by sheltering children from a variety of outside influences. The best thing you can do is be there with them and help them filter information from TV, computers, or other media. I'd rather be there with my children when they see something new (and potentially disturbing) than for them to experience it unsupervised in someone else's house.

 

[Magpie]

I must be in the minority. Spongebob is highly amusing to me, Phineas and Ferb is not allowed. I'm not entirely sure what it's about, but the voices grate on my nerves. Suite Life is also frowned upon. That show seems to revolve around relationships a lot, and that bothers me. Now-give me a London Tipton show and I'll be all over that because she's hilarious. Other than those few, shows aren't really banned unless it's adult content. Sex, swearing, violence, scary-ness is out.

Somebody mentioned that a lot of kids watch whatever. My daughter was invited to a sleepover but couldn't make it. The next day I found out that the mom rented "The Goods" and "The Hangover" for the 8/9 year olds to watch. Pretty sure my child is one of the few at the school who hasn't seen those movies. Also a lot of parents tend to get horror movies for sleepovers. My kid would be scared poopless if she were to watch something like that!!

I'll join you in that minority! Our family adores Spongebob.

 

[U2_rocks!]

I'll join you in that minority! Our family adores Spongebob.

My kids do too! I've watched many episodes, and I haven't seen anything truly objectionable.

We only have one TV that the kids watch, and it's in the living room - very public. They really don't get to watch stuff that we don't know about, because we're around, we hear what's on the TV. Right now Tom and Jerry is very popular, and I'm fine with that. They will watch iCarly, Zoey 101, Drake & Josh and shows like that, where the relationship stuff is all innocent still. I draw the line at shows like Degrassi - the content is just way too mature for their age!

My kids like game shows too, but it's annoying that GSN has some "baggage" game on before 7 p.m., and the kinds of baggage that people have relate many times to sex and other very adult topics (orgasms etc.) - I had to change the channel very quickly more than once! I have no issue discussing sex with them in an age-appropriate way, but I see no reason for orgasms to come up just yet!

I don't mind the sassiness and the wrong-doing - we talk about that stuff all the time, and the kids know it's wrong. In fact, I don't mind that they have examples of how NOT to be. It would be different if they only ever watched these shows without my input, but because I often watch with them, the bad messages get turned around by me.