I was watch tv at 8 o/c last night, thank goodness I was by myself. The amount of times words like sex, masterbate come up was terrible. I would of thought I could have the tv on while my kids play until 9 o/c. I have a daughter that is almost 9. She doesn't know what sex is. But with all the little bits and pieces that ate flying around she is smart enough to figure it out and ask question. I end up watch HGTV, Reality tv, but every once in a while I would like some humor. Are there any of a sit coms that you would not allow your kids to watch, but be in the hearing distance?
We don't have a TV and don't miss it.
If there is a program we really want to see, we can catch it on the web, on Hulu or watch movies on netflix.
I understand that about TV. I don't know what to recommend so far as sitcoms go. We don't watch TV anymore except for the news and a few channels like The Food Network. How about Animal Planet? If you have On Demand, there should be free movies and shows you can play. We plan to collect kid-friendly movies and videos on DVD.
Good luck!
We actually got rid of the tv because we didn't find much worth watching. And, if there is something we actually miss seeing, we can usually find it online on the station's website. We didn't want our children being influenced by the garbage that is on tv. I think it is great that you are discerning this issue. I don't think many people do anymore!
I love the re-runs of Everybody Loves Raymond. I think it's pretty harmless.
Hi, my answer has two parts:
1) I don't watch adult tv around my kids. Their tv time is limited (0-1 hour a day on average) and when I watch tv it's after my kids go to bed. If you don't like what they may be exposed to, it really just shouldn't be on. I know, it's frustrating to miss something that you want to watch, but it's a good excuse to do other things. Just like tv is not so great for kids, it's not so great for adults either. Usually there are better things we could do with our time!
2) By the age of 9 your daughter should know what sex is and she probably does even if it wasn't you who told her about it. Kids hear about sex from many, MANY different places (tv, older siblings, friends with older siblings, over hearing adults talking). This "information" that she (and other kids) are getting about sex is usually very misinformed and is often much more hurtful in the long-run than getting factual information about sex and sexual relationships from a parent. So as much as you don't want the kids hearing the content on your show, it may be a blessing for you as it opens the door up for you to talk to your kids about how sex (and sexual stuff) is shown on tv versus how it is in real life. Your kids are *going* to get messages about sex, it's your job to teach them how to make sense of it. I promise, it won't scar her for life!
we also love the discovery channel shows, mythbusters, dirty jobs, all that. We also let our daughter watch Dr. Who and Star Trek with us. Of course, she loves things most kids are scared of, so maybe that wouldnt work for you. (for example, her favorite star wars character is darth vader and her favorite Dr. Who episode is one that kept me from sleeping the first night I saw it).
America's Funniest Home Videos is our Sunday evening staple.
Just record something on DVR... to watch later, yourself.
Yep, this is why we don't watch TV until the kids go to bed. Too many adult themes. Sometimes I'll watch shows on hulu.com on my computer with the headphones on, so I can watch a show without it being broadcast to the kids. We don't watch the news either. The little snippets they have seen in the past just scare them.
You are not alone! My husband likes to sit down and watch tv when he gets home from work, but I am pretty strict about what the kids can watch/hear, so it is hard to find something appropriate. I agree with the comments about the "oldies" like Home Improvement, Full House, etc. The only newer one we allow is Everybody Loves Raymond. We do have to keep an eye on it though and occasionally change the channel, but not often, and we are never totally surprised by something they say.
As for the comments about your daughter not knowing about sex yet, ignore them! My daughter will be 9 in Nov, and we are in the same boat. She knows all about the difference between boys and girls because she has a 4 year old brother. She just started growing pubic hairs, so we had a talk about the changes of becoming a woman. BUT, as for sex itself, she knows nothing! I answer every question asked, and those she doesn't ask, she just isn't ready to know. Kids today are growing up WAY too fast. A third grader should not know the ins and outs of sex. If she is in public school, though, she may know (or think she knows) more than you think, so it's a good idea to occasionally ask some open ended questions to get feelers for what she knows and what she wonders about.
Sorry for going a bit off topic, but I didn't want you to feel like you were doing something wrong by letting your daughter be a child during her childhood.
Good for everyone -- Everybody loves Raymond -- funny for the adults, kids won't catch a lot of the humor
There are SO MANY shows (too many to name) I would not let my kids watch, but you can look up some here:
http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/publications/emailalerts/201...
You can sign up for their weekly newsletter, will point out the shows to avoid and those that are worth looking into....
I love the show Parenthood on Tuesday nights. It's about a realistic family with realistic family issues, and it is pretty funny. I don't think they use language or address topics that you wouldn't want your child to hear. It's my new favorite show!
You're best bet is to stick with the oldies, like "I Love Lucy". I can't remember anything bad in "Home Improvement". You can alway watch "Full House".
We rarely watch tv with our 4yo around. When it does happen it is most likely one of the following - HGTV, sports (although you do have to be careful of the commercials!), Dancing with the Stars/America's Got Talent.
In the past, when we really need to veg out for a few minutes, we would look for old reruns of Cosby show or something similar.
My son loves watching The Golden Girls with me. While they definitely talk about sex, they almost never (as in I cannot think of a time) actually say the word. They hint about it, but the hints are WAY above my 4 year old's head. At 9, your daughter may get that it is something, but I don't ever remember thinking that the Golden Girls talked about sex when I was younger! Anyways...my son LOVES them!
We also watch Full House, Little House on the Prairie, Who's the Boss, and I Love Lucy together. They are all fairly harmless and while he rarely watches a full episode with me, it doesn't bother me that they are in the background while he plays!
I just have to say, I cannot believe someone recommended Two and a Half Men. I'm 33 and I don't think I'm old enough to watch that show. It's ALL about sex, underdressed women, etc. I even feel bad that the young boy actor has grown up on that show!
If my kids are with us we tend to stick to discovery. They love mythbusters, and shows about history. Any of the "educational" channels are good, and they have some really entertaining shows! From what I have seen of sitcoms, non of them is really good if you do not want her to hear a little about sex and the like, although I personally am very open with my children, a little mention of sex would be no big deal to me. My concern is the violence since my 5 year old will sometimes get nightmares.
We usually don't watch TV when the kids are around for exactly that reason! I don't know WHAT we did before DVR and Netflix! Quite frankly, I can't think of ONE show I enjoy watching that I would feel totally comfortable having my 8 or 9yr old watch. One of the main reasons I have my kids go to bed early-ish (8yr old at 8pm, 9yr old at 8:30pm and 13yr old at 9/9:30pm) is so my hubs and I can watch some TV by ourselves. Or I watch shows I've DVRed during the day while on the elliptical or folding laundry. There aren't too many "family" shows these days. Anything before 8pm is a re-run or catering to kids and tweens (which it just too boring for me to watch with them on a regular basis) and anything after 8pm is borderline inappropriate...
I would add: Two and a half man, The Middle, Modern Family (here you might have to answer questions about guy families), Not Ordinary Family, The Nanny and most of the oldies. Discovery and National Geography are great channels but you still need to be alert there. And your 9 yo probably already knows a thing or two about sex, nay be you should start talking. Good luck!
Shows we'll watch together as a family w/ our 8yo that aren't "kids" shows, per se:
- Eureka
- Doctor Who
- Lost
Borderline (not all of them, but most episodes are okay)
- Numbers
- Firefly
- Black Adder
- West Wing
Of course... tons of cool documentaries (bbc's walking with ______ -dinosaurs, prehistoric beasts, etc, Carl Sagan, H, etc.) and movies (star wars, indiana jones, etc.)... but you asked for sitcoms/ story type fictional TV
We don't actually have TV... we stream and get dvd's mailed to us via netflix.
We end up watching quite a bit of America's Funniest Home Videos, as my 3.5 year old will play with his toys but I know that if he happens to look up, his innocence will not be destroyed :) He actually LOVES it.
We rarely watch TV with the little one's around, but if we do, it is Sports (baseball or football), America's Funniest Home Videos, Myth Busters (my sons love) or Cash Cab. My kids love to try to guess the answers on Cash Cab. I have never found anything inappropriate on any of these shows. Myth Busters does involve "gross" things every now and again, but nothing I have found inappropriate. We also are a fan of the History Channel, depending on the program. If the TV is on, we try to make it something at least slightly educational. Ok, I do, maybe the rest of the fam doesn't!
I love Everybody Loves Raymond, but I have heard a few things they talk about and had to run and change the channel! But for the most part, I think that show is fairly harmless, you just have to really listen.
