What the kids are watching

cosmonut

My wife and I have employed the V-Chip on our HDTV to help keep our six year-old son from watching programs we don't want him watching. Yes, we do monitor what he watches and he does other things than just watch TV all the time. The chip works great. When Desperate Housewives is about to come on the V-Chip kicks in and the screen and audio go blank. Good stuff.



What bothers me is all the crappy promos that networks run. Some of them are condensed smut and violence to promote the V-Chip blocked shows. The problem is that these promos aren't blocked! So my son get's subjected to promos like, "The sauciest, sexiest Desperate Housewives this season is coming this Sunday," or "This Friday, CSI Miami hunts down a twisted, sickening killer."



Movie trailers are bad, too. My son gets FREAKED OUT by scary movie trailers yet some board somewhere thinks these things are appropriate for all audiences. I'm sorry, but when my son gets scared by the flashing, screaming, and images of knives it's NOT appropriate for all audiences.



So what do we do about this? How can I keep my kid from being subjected to awful TV promos and movie trailers while we're watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition, The Amazing Race, or Deal or No Deal?

vinea

Quote:

Originally Posted by CosmoNut


So what do we do about this? How can I keep my kid from being subjected to awful TV promos and movie trailers while we're watching Extreme Makeover Home Edition, The Amazing Race, or Deal or No Deal?

My wife does this with a blanket. No, I'm not kidding.



My kids are young and don't get to watch much TV anyway...and certainly not unsupervised. DVDs we will pop in when we need them to stay in one place while we do something else. Well at least my son. My daughter doesn't much care for TV.



For you, iTunes may be an alternative. TiVO would work but would require parental presence.



Vinea

brussell

I have a 4 and 8 year-old, and neither of them watch any of that type of TV. It's really no loss, it's all shite anyway. They're allowed one show or movie a day, and usually they prefer a movie that they've seen dozens of times already. Otherwise it's Animal Planet, something like "America's funniest pets" or whatever it's called, or something on Disney. They never watch anything on the regular networks, ever. Again, is it really a big loss? Extreme Makeover Home Edition? Come on.



How about this - get an AppleTV and put some rented movies/TV shows on it. They never seem to mind watching the same things over and over, and if they want something new you can rent it and stick it on the AppleTV.

trumptman

Take them camping where there is no television. Then they can watch the mountain lions eat the rabbits, the coyotes humping each other, and scream at the thought of desert tortoises urinating all over whoever happens to pick them up. (Also that urination due to fear likely kills them.)



Humping and killing are part of life. The sooner they learn this, the better.



Nick

brussell

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumptman


Take them camping where there is no television. Then they can watch the mountain lions eat the rabbits, the coyotes humping each other, and scream at the thought of desert tortoises urinating all over whoever happens to pick them up. (Also that urination due to fear likely kills them.)



Humping and killing are part of life. The sooner they learn this, the better.



Nick

Perhaps we need a V-chip on real life.

spindler

CosmoNut, if you were a real American you wouldn't be worrying about stuff like this. If it's good enough for everyday Americans, it's good enough for your kids. You should instead be focused on saving your kids from the perils of gay marriage. That's what really needs solving to keep American families strong.

shawnj

Quote:

Originally Posted by trumptman


desert tortoises urinating all over whoever happens to pick them up. (Also that urination due to fear likely kills them.

That guy was in my yard a few years ago.