I’m a big believer that it’s the parent’s responsibility to monitor and judge the types of programming and entertainment that their children are viewing.
We actively watch tv, play games, and visit websites with Charlie, and it’s very common to hear us say, “No, we don’t want you watching that. Maybe you can watch it when you get bigger.”
We are pretty liberal with what we let Charlie watch compared to many parents, but we have a definite line that we don’t cross. We don’t let him watch or even be in the room for any of the prime-time crime dramas, he doesn’t get to watch certain mis-labeled children shows like “Billy & Mandy”, We don’t let him play games where the object is to mow-down everyone with an AK-47, and songs that compete for the most frequent use of the F-bomb are definitely taboo. The list goes on and on and it’s still pretty damn long.
We do let him watch a fair number of shows that Lori and I enjoy that are really intended for adult audiences, but we have a pretty good “family” time watching them together. I think we’ve gotten pretty good at deciding what shows to let Charlie watch and what shows we should avoid. There’s plenty of info around to help you judge whether a show is appropriate, and you can always watch one or two of them to get the flavor before you let your kid watch it. Some of the shows we watch together include Amazing Race, American Idol, Rockstar, some sitcoms, and most recently Survivor: Cook Islands. If anything, I think there has been a real educational benefit in watching shows like these together.
My problem is with the commercials. There is NO WAY to know what they are going to throw at you. Lately I’ve noticed a real upswing in the number of ultra-violent or scary commercials for upcoming movies or tv shows played during shows that we have already decided are alright for our family. I can’t even start to tell you the number of times I’ve had to jump for a remote control to turn off a commercial for a movie like “Pulse” or “JackAss 2.”
To finally get to the point, this week while watching Survivor with Charlie, it hits the commercial break towards the end of the show. At like 8:50 pm a commercial for The Late Show with David Letterman comes on. The commercial shows clips from a ventriliquist/dummy act. The only sound bite they decided to air from the act was the dummy yelling “SHUT THE HELL UP” to someone. The sound bite was so dominant in the spot, and so unexpected, that Charlie IMMEDIATELY picked up on it and yelled “SHUT THE HELL UP!”
Now, the side of me that pretty much finds humor in about anything thought it was was kinda funny. Hearing a near-5 year old yell “SHUT THE HELL UP!” is funny. I think it’s a universal truth, hearing a kid drop an unexpected swear word - funny. You just don’t want your kids growing up knowing that. It will get un-funny real quick.
Now, the other side of me, the concerned parent side, is a bit ticked-off. Like most parents, we are really trying to keep Charlie from using “bad” words, and telling someone to shut-up is considered to be just as bad in our house. Having him exposed to both of them from a TV commercial just isn’t right. I really don’t want Charlie taking this new phrase to pre-school with him next week. I’m sure his teachers will really appreciate it if Charlie turns and yells “SHUT THE HELL UP!” the next time he gets frustrated with one of his classmates.
So, I’d really like to be able to throw out a quick message to the people responsible for these questionable commercials:
“Please please please, SHUT THE HELL UP!”
Oh … it’ll be funny, ’til he uses it on you. Daddy [pause], shut the hell up. Then your fun is at an end, language master.
AMEN brother! The network execs found a little loophole to slip in whatever they want. I think it’s very similar to going to see a kid’s movie and the previews beforehand are for more adult “scary” movies. More than once my little one has covered her eyes and ears for those. Grr.