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Original poster

Too late because I’ve done it. You’ll all tell me I’m a terrible mum! Bridgerton.

191 replies

BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 12:24

Anyone else let their young teens watch Bridgerton with them?

Mine is 13, I’d be kidding myself to pretend she doesn’t know about sex.

She begged me to let her watch the new series as she saw the trailer and it looked so Cinderella-like and she adores history and the costumes. I originally said no as it’s too sexual.

However she works so hard, and we found out this week that she’d won an amazing award through school, and I just thought she’s old enough to work as hard as she does (highly pressured academic school in which she’s thriving - as well as highly achieving in her sport at a national level), more mature than many adults I know, so surely watching it with me there to ensure she knows what’s normal life and what isn’t. How is it any worse than her watching Stranger Things. After all it’s very likely one day she’ll fall in love and have sex - and yet I worry more about her seeing that than seeing violence.

So we’ve both been totally entranced together watching the new episodes. I laugh when she cringes and covers her face during the steamy parts or when I say “he’s got a nice bum”. To have had a couple of hours together last night smiling and keeping everything crossed for a happy ending. It’s been lovely. (Not watched all 4 yet so no spoilers)

I’m awaiting a ton of “you’re a terrible mum” replies. But hoping to be surprised by a couple of people who are in agreement.

OP posts:
BlackCrowKing · 31/01/2026 18:46

BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 18:27

That to me sounds OTT awkward. Especially as it’s just animals and a documentary.

Goes to show how different we all are.

She’s a lot less awkward than I was about sex stuff and asking questions and it’s not easy for me to push through my awkwardness to answer.

Her PSHE teacher is very straight and honest which I really think is the way to be.

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Fortunately I parent my child differently so they know it’s perfectly natural. 😂 I’ve no opinion on Bridgerton, though the Duke munching on Daphne like a fresh mango in the first season might’ve turned my ears pink again in the presence of my DC. 😂

Original poster
BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 18:28

TeenYearsAreBrutal · 31/01/2026 18:27

What the fuck do her sporting and academic achievements (nice humble brag in there, OP) have to do with her watching Bridgerton?!

Nothing. RTFT.

OP posts:
Original poster
BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 18:27

BlackCrowKing · 31/01/2026 17:00

Same. I remember a documentary being shown on TV when I was a kid where one elephant mounted the other, and the whole family went silent. I can still feel how red my ears went.

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That to me sounds OTT awkward. Especially as it’s just animals and a documentary.

Goes to show how different we all are.

She’s a lot less awkward than I was about sex stuff and asking questions and it’s not easy for me to push through my awkwardness to answer.

Her PSHE teacher is very straight and honest which I really think is the way to be.

OP posts:
TeenYearsAreBrutal · 31/01/2026 18:27

What the fuck do her sporting and academic achievements (nice humble brag in there, OP) have to do with her watching Bridgerton?!

Original poster
BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 18:23

HostaCentral · 31/01/2026 15:54

We always have these debates on MN. It's not that OP thinks she s a cool mum, she may just have different opinions to others. It's like the naked threads. Some families walk around naked, others would rather die than been seen au natural. So some mothers and daughters are happy to watch sex scenes together, and some aren't. Fine. We all have different boundaries. Vive la difference.

Thanks. I know I’m not a cool mum. Absolutely not trying to be either. I’m quite a strict, “sorry but I’m your mum, not your friend” mum.

So perhaps this rare case of me doing something that others can interpret as a ‘cool mum’ or ‘friend mum’ thing is what’s making me feel like I’m not being me and therefore seeking some validation.

OP posts:
Original poster
BridgertonBadMum · 31/01/2026 18:20

Sorry have been out and just seeing these. A few things to cover:

1 - yeah, it was unnecessary and twattish of me to list her school/sport details. I was trying to show that she’s a mature 13 and just made myself sound like a knob. Fair to point out.

2 - I guess it was that I did have some guilt over it, even though we really both had a lovely time. The older she gets the more I feel like it get rarer we find things we both like. But that Irish Catholic background is hard to shake sometimes!

3 - I was expecting people pearl clutching about nudity (I really don’t care her seeing naked bodies, too many European swimming pools and beaches for that to be an issue in this house!) but for me saying “he’s got a nice bum” to try and help break some of her awkwardness in a saucy moment was not what I was expecting to get called out on!

Are you telling me that you and your husbands never have a joke with each other when watching TV together? Our daughter cringes at us so much when certain celebs are on TV as we have running jokes about a couple each who we say we fancy (it’s all just a bit of fun).

OP posts:
BlackCrowKing · 31/01/2026 17:00

shhblackbag · 31/01/2026 12:43

I would cringed inside out watching that with my mother at 13.

Same. I remember a documentary being shown on TV when I was a kid where one elephant mounted the other, and the whole family went silent. I can still feel how red my ears went.

Foundress · 31/01/2026 16:56

RosesAndHellebores · 31/01/2026 13:29

Ha ha. That's reminded me of dd downloading it onto her kindle, aged 12. She told me that I'd hate something she'd done but love her opinion of it. She'd downloaded 50 shades, but only read the first few pages because it was so badly written. She enjoyed Atonement aged 11/12 though.

Her appreciation of literature endures - she's now an English teacher. She had to do pornography in pshe with her Y11s last week!

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Oh that’s made me laugh ‘had to do pornography’ 😂. I am sure your DD covered the possible pitfalls of pornography admirably in her PSHE lesson @RosesAndHellebores . I haven’t watched Bridgerton. I didn’t realise it was raunchy. I remember reading Valley of the Dolls at about that age. My Nan didn’t really supervise which of her library books I picked up. She was also fond of a Hammer Horror which we watched together.

Ilovelurchers · 31/01/2026 16:46

15 rated stuff, sorry.

Ilovelurchers · 31/01/2026 16:45

Do you feel troubled by this decision? If not, why are you posting?

It's not massively shocking. I think a lot of 13 year olds have seen 15 related stuff. You know your child, you make the decision.

I don't understand the need for all this justification, or what her prowess in sport has to do with it.

My daughter is shit at sport, but I'd still let her watch Bridgerton if she had the faintest interest in so doing!

Franpie · 31/01/2026 16:27

I think my DD watched the first series when she was about 12. Tbh, I don’t monitor what they watch on Netflix. It’s up to them. Pretty sure they went through a phase of watching gory horror films whilst on sleepovers around that age too.

I did watch Saltburn with my DD when she was 14 or 15, can’t remember. I didn’t know anything about it at the time but it was uncomfortable viewing for both of us!

TheBerry · 31/01/2026 16:07

YANBU for letting your daughter watch it, but YABU for your weird antagonistic post.

Latenightreader · 31/01/2026 16:05

I heard a review of The Piano on the radio when I was 15 and went to see it at the cinema with my Mum. I wanted the floor to open at the nudity! I still remember how awkward I felt 30 years later.

Didshejustsaythatoutloud · 31/01/2026 15:59

Bundleflower · 31/01/2026 13:12

I once had to sit through 50 Shades of Grey with my mum. That’s all I have to say on the matter 😣

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😂

HostaCentral · 31/01/2026 15:54

We always have these debates on MN. It's not that OP thinks she s a cool mum, she may just have different opinions to others. It's like the naked threads. Some families walk around naked, others would rather die than been seen au natural. So some mothers and daughters are happy to watch sex scenes together, and some aren't. Fine. We all have different boundaries. Vive la difference.

AlleycatMarie · 31/01/2026 15:50

It concerns me when you say how it is likely she knows about sex already - how have you not discussed sex yet with your 13 year old daughter??? That is way more concerning than the issue of what she watches!!!

Dreamlava · 31/01/2026 15:45

MustardGlass · 31/01/2026 15:44

I find it odd you need a thread on here about it, it’s very cringe, it’s very I’m not a normal mum I’m a cool mum.

Screams insecurities and frequently missing the mark in social interactions to me

MustardGlass · 31/01/2026 15:44

I find it odd you need a thread on here about it, it’s very cringe, it’s very I’m not a normal mum I’m a cool mum.

Mindbogglingx · 31/01/2026 15:39

Josephinemarch1 · 31/01/2026 15:22

Oh you mean like gay romance dramas? Sounds like you and your son have a lovely relationship. 🙂 There's so much worse out there, especially online that teenagers could be watching, it seems silly for people make a fuss over Bridgerton or other romance shows.

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Yes hes big on romantic stuff Mills and boon book over comics, face creams over Nike trainers.
Yes he's gay a very feminine one.
We have a lovely time when we can.
I dont care what others watch either hes a grown man now so no restrictions

I did have a few restrictions back when he was younger, just mild series or films nothing to hot.

The years fly by so why not enjoy the time we get no matter what we watch.

babyproblems · 31/01/2026 15:39

I think it’s fine and there’s lots more to it than nice bums and sex 😁 you can enjoy the costumes / sets / silliness etc. It’s also quite a sociological masterpiece in women’s cultural history in so many ways both historical and also the fact we all still love an underdog Cinderella story featuring men in billowing shirts. So if she’s doing sociology at school I’d probably chat about women’s roles etc aswell as the other bits! X

LiquoriceAllsorts2 · 31/01/2026 15:34

I don’t have teens but think it’s fine. Sex is part of life, I wouldn’t expose a young kid to it but at 13 it should be fine. I can’t imagine it’s worse than what I watched at that age.

Gigglydancybox · 31/01/2026 15:32

Well it’s rated 15 so there’s your answer.

Bonkers1966 · 31/01/2026 15:27

Lucky lady. I would be thrilled to have a 13 year daughter who wanted to watch that show with me. Lucky girl to have you. Hugs

Tigerbalmshark · 31/01/2026 15:24

I watched Mermaids when I was 13. I was not scarred for life, though it was a bit embarrassing watching sex scenes with my parents. Not sure this is the massive issue you are making it out to be.

nOlives · 31/01/2026 15:22

I have not RTFT and have not watched Bridgerton.
But we decided not to watch GoT with our mid teens, so we didn't watch it.
They did of course, online in their rooms.
She's going to watch it and if she's happy to do so with you then that's maybe better than without.