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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To let DD watch The Simpsons?

37 replies

KellyEllyChristmasBelly · 06/12/2012 18:12

That's its really. My DD is three and we usually have The Simpsons on while I get her bathed and dried at 6pm. Her dad (who let her watch Iron Man!! With her 8 year old sister) said I am a bad parent for doing so. We are not together btw so not to drip feed. Genuinely interested in opinions. She loves it!

OP posts:

CardiffUniversityNetballTeam · 06/12/2012 18:15

DS (4) watches it sometimes. If DP isn't home I prefer to have the 6pm news on instead.
I think it's fairly harmless. The more adult content goes over his head and he enjoys the slapstick element. In fact the 6pm news raises more provocative questions in this household than the Simpsons does!

BunnyLebowski · 06/12/2012 18:16

YANBU.

DD(4) watches it most days. Better than Cbeebies.

She loves Futurama and Frasier too.

RooneyMara · 06/12/2012 18:19

Simpsons is fine imo.

Would be more reserved about Futurama as it contains far more adult references...but even that isn't going to distress them and as someone else said, much of it goes straight past them.

RooneyMara · 06/12/2012 18:20

My two and 5 and 9 and addicted to both btw. And Ironman was fine, we saw that a few weeks ago..brilliant

TitHead · 06/12/2012 18:20

DS (2) loves it, he has a bath, we watch the simpsons and then he goes to bed with a story and is fast a sleep before 7. I can't see a problem with that.

Original poster

KellyEllyChristmasBelly · 06/12/2012 18:22

That's what I thought. He was just an utter twat about it and said how dare I let a three year old watch this. He is quite controlling and sometime I don't know if its genuine concern ot just the ususal. I assumed as its on at 6pm it can't be that bad. Its nice to have a programme we can enjoy on a child and an adult level. Cbeebies drives me a bit insane!!

OP posts:

ScarletLady02 · 06/12/2012 18:24

I'm laughing at how many people use it as part of a bedtime routine as we do exactly the same thing! DD is 2 and loves it.

RubyGates · 06/12/2012 18:27

I'm all Simpsoned out, but DS2 loves Futurama. He doesn't understand the adult references at all, and my brain is soothed by the radical non-ceebeebiesness of it. Far less hamrmful than the news which would be on at the same time, and which I had to veto.

Original poster

KellyEllyChristmasBelly · 06/12/2012 18:31

Def better than the news. Now that is worse!

OP posts:

Meandmycats · 06/12/2012 18:32

Just to go against the grain I once did a course about counselling children and the trainer, who was wonderful, said she loved Simpsons but she doesn't consider it suitable for children under about 12

LondonElfInFestiveCheerBoots · 06/12/2012 19:13

I'd be fine with it! I took my friend's 3 yo brother to see the Simpson's movie when it came out - ever so good and glues to the screen! If he's generally controlling, I'd say its him trying to undermine your parenting and would tell him to royally fuck himself, especially if he's showing her and your 8 yo Ironman - which while fine to is probably worse than the Simpsons and worse really for an 8 yo who would me more likely to get references etc than a 3 yo.

RacHoHoHog · 06/12/2012 19:14

We have it on in this house, Ds 7 and Dd 4 love it.

catgirl1976geesealaying · 06/12/2012 19:14

DS (1) loves it

carolinemoon · 06/12/2012 19:15

I'm also going to go against gte grain. We used to let DD (2 at the time) watch "the lellow people" as we loved it. Then after a few episodes we realised how totally inappropriate some of the themes are, and stopped, as I think they take in more than you'd think (certainly the stuff DD absorbs from octonauts suggests they do!).

LtXmasEve · 06/12/2012 19:21

The Simpsons have been part of our bedtime routine for about 3 years now! It's a lot of fun. Now she is 7 she is 'getting' it more (and loves naked Bart in the movie ).

Offred · 07/12/2012 10:55

I'm not sure what makes the Simpson unsuitable for children? What are the "adult themes" that make it worse than other tv? That Jacqueline Wilson thing "best friends" on citv the other day had the main character dancing around saying "it is REALLY sexy" over and over again...

I don't generally do well with "adult themes" stuff anyway... Not too sure what it means...

MrsMellowDrummer · 07/12/2012 11:07

My daughter watched the Simpsons from quite a young age - there's a five year gap between her and her brother, and as he loves it, she did too by default.

I always thought, it wasn't the ideal thing for her to watch, but did no real harm. I screen the episodes a bit.

The Simpsons is also highly educational. Packed full of interesting cultural references. Fact.

GroupieGirl · 07/12/2012 11:11

I thought I was being a bad mum for letting my two year old watch it! Thrilled to find I am not. Although we do sometimes have a wee chat afterwards if there have been naughty words or behaviour.

Offred · 07/12/2012 11:19

I think my children see much worse at school e.g. They know all the swear words imaginable because they learned them from school! I'm not sure you can or should try to shield children from stuff like that, I think you should make it so that they feel they can talk to you and also talk to them about the implications of things. Basically rather than shielding them from stuff i think it is better to equip them to deal with stuff they encounter but also help equip them to get support if they feel they can't handle something they encounter. Some things I wouldn't show them deliberately but the Simpsons is not one of those things!

missnevermind · 07/12/2012 11:43

Mine have all watched the Simpsons from an early age. The only thing we do is turn over at the Itchy and Scratch bits when they are chopping each other up.
As they get older it is a good way to introduce topics to discus.

sidandlinus · 07/12/2012 12:47

Absolutely NOT - there's nothing wrong with the main "Simpsons" part and most of the humour would go over their heads anyway but my DD had nightmares after seeing Itchy and Scratchy. So unless you think I and S are suitable (I know it's ironic and funny - but not for a two/three year old) then I would say no way.

quickdowntonson · 07/12/2012 12:55

The Simpsons is a great programme! If you think about it, all the traditional fairy tales and Brothers Grimm stories are much worse. I mean, a witch fattening up a child so she could eat him etc!

AmberSocks · 07/12/2012 12:57

Simpsons is great,my 2,3 and 4 yr olds love it.

Its one of the few things i enjoy watching with them and they dont understand the more adult bits of it,and they have picked up funny things like "ha ha" and "eat my shorts".

valiumredhead · 07/12/2012 12:59

There are some very adult themes, ds learned all about sex changes from watching The Simpsons

Offred · 07/12/2012 13:21

Why is a sexchange an adult theme though? Should children not learn about and think about sex changes?

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