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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

about Family Guy?

92 replies

AngryMotherF · 03/01/2012 21:13

Regular name changer here! Although I could well be recognised by those in the know anyway, I am too angry to care!

Ds is 11. He is quite an immature and unstreetwise 11, and he also has aspergers. His Dad and I split up years ago, but most of the time we have a really good relationship. We completely co parent together, and I would say that we are actually quite good friends as well.

A couple of moths ago, I found out that ds had been watching Family Guy at his Dads house. I wasn't happy about it, but I've never really watched it so I didn't think I was in a good position to judge. So I watched it to see for myself. I still wasn't happy about it, but I figured the damage had been done so I chatted to ds about it and tried to explain some of it to him. He told me that he found a lot of it confusing, but he thought some of it was funny. I basically explained that the things he didn't understand we're mainly sex related jokes meant for adults, and tried to do it in a way that would encourage him to ask me about things he wanted to know. I knew his Dad was going to allow him to continue watching, so my approach was one of damage limitation.

Believe me, it really isn't easy to explain this stuff to a child with AS who doesn't like deep conversation at the best of times!

Spoke to ex about it, he says loads of 11yo's watch Family Guy, and I wouldn't stop my children watching a panto that has jokes aimed at adults in it. Hmm I asked him to only let him watch it when he was there so he could explain things that he thought needed explaining. I can usually trust his judgement well, and we would normally respect each others wishes about stuff like this.

Anyway (sorry, I know this is getting long) today ds came home with the Family Guy annual. It even says on the front that it is intended for mature audiences. I read a couple of pages after taking it away from ds, and it talks of bondage, pedophiles, sadomasochism, and that's just for starters!

WTF do I do about this? Ds understands why I have taken the book and why I don't want him to learn about things in this way, but I'm out of my depth, know very little about this stupid bollocks programme, and my ex is refusing to talk about it. He put the phone down on me when I told him I took the book off our son.

I'm not BU right?

OP posts:
AngryMotherF · 04/01/2012 12:38

Thanks everyone!

I think you're right, it is Derek and Clive! Blush Peter Cook and Dudley Moore. Its been a long time since i heard them, and thought they were great when I was a teenager. But teenager is very different to a young 11.

I agree that I am perfectly capable of understanding boys, I have a dh around who completely agrees with me too. I am often happy to let ex guide me on some of the boy stuff, but I don't think the fact that I am a girl means that I have no understanding at all.

Ex even had the cheek to say that he thought I had never understood males very well! My understanding was good enough to be with him for seven years, and I was the one who ended our relationship!

I agree that South Park is different, I wouldn't mind South Park anywhere near as much.

OP posts:
mrsjay · 04/01/2012 13:08

I love FG MY dd 13 sometimes watches it but she doesnt get the humour in it , some of it she does , I think the jokes are a bit near and beyond the knuckle Grin , Its up to you if he watches but u but i dont think its the same as the simpsons , at all Shock

Melpomene · 04/01/2012 19:39

OP, YANBU. 15 certificate is for a reason.

Every episode of FG seems to have at least one joke about rape in it. In my opinion kids need to have a well-grounded concept of what a healthy respectful sexual relationship is like before being exposed to the concept of rape at all, let alone being exposed to jokes about rape.

AngryMotherF · 04/01/2012 21:09

Melpomene, you have hit the nail on the head in one sentence. A sentence that I feel completely but was totally unable to put into words. Thank you!

OP posts:
GimmeDaBoobehz · 25/01/2014 22:08

Yanbu!

I quite liked the earlier seasons of FG but would say anyone under 14ish shouldn't watch it

missymarmite · 25/01/2014 22:29

I absolutely hated FG the first time I saw it (DP is a big fan, and will watch back to back episodes, followed by American Dad). I still only tolerate it as I find some of the humour offensive, and very close to the edge.

DP wouldn't let his daughter (11) watch and I wouldn't let my DS (10.5) watch either, and he is quite mature I'd say...

No way would I let a child on the autistic spectrum watch this... way too confusing for someone that may well struggle with social situations anyhow. Can you imagine what they could come out with at school! Shock

IAmNotAPrincessIAmAKahleesi · 25/01/2014 23:01

Zombie thread Smile

VampyreofTimeandMemory · 25/01/2014 23:49

i would not in my wildest dreams let my kids watch Family Guy. and my wildest dreams are extremely wild. but not that wild.

seriously though, i watched up to about season 11 before i realised that the ratio of funny to unfunny jokes was all wrong. very adult humour, bordering on offensive.

HyvaPaiva · 25/01/2014 23:53

This thread is two years old someone just restarted it.

VampyreofTimeandMemory · 25/01/2014 23:56

ooh so it is!

Caitlin17 · 26/01/2014 00:00

Watching it now. It is very funny but not appropriate for an 11 year old.

Apologies if I am wrong about the Aspergers but if it means your son takes things literally. It's often very offensive. There are throw away lines where you think how on earth did they get away with that ? I'm not just talking about sex/rude but anti semitic, disablist, sexist . That makes me sound terrible for watching it but it is very funny.

VampyreofTimeandMemory · 26/01/2014 00:02

i think after the millionth joke about sex, abortion, rape, terminal illness, etc, it got really tedious. some of it is really funny but it's mostly dull nowadays.

RhondaJean · 26/01/2014 00:03

ZOMBIE THREAD

Objection · 26/01/2014 07:55

possibly triggering. A quick warnjng

Family Guy had one episode where they "flashed back" to a medieval abortion clinic. It showed women walking up some wooden steps that led to nothing and them hurling themselves to the floor. Sad for a cartoon is pretty graphic too.

Some of FG can be funny but with a lot of scenes like the one I just mentioned I thing YADNU.

I find it quite disgusting

Objection · 26/01/2014 07:58

Zombies?!?!

Dammit I keep getting caught by these!!!

itsnotthateasy · 26/01/2014 16:31

Personally can't stand Family Guy . . Horrible show.

Arlard · 27/06/2019 18:10

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