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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to be precious about 4 year old's TV

23 replies

batmanstinks · 04/02/2013 09:28

DS2 is 4. DS1 is 7.

When DS1 was 4 he wasn't really interested in TV. When he did watch, he watched Diego, Wonder Pets etc. I didn't even let him watch Ben 10.

Obviously now he's older he wants to watch other things. However he tends to drag DS2 along with him.

So DS2 now wants to watch Power Rangers, Transformers, Batman etc.

I think it's affecting his behaviour. He's going through that testosterony phase at the moment and there is a lot of talk of punching, kicking, shooting, killing etc.

DH says I'm being all 'Mumsnet' about it and it's fine. It's not like he's watching Die Hard.

Jury please.

If I'm not being previous, how do I manage to combine both of their TV viewing?

OP posts:

Original poster

batmanstinks · 04/02/2013 09:28

Precious not previous, obviously

OP posts:

pictish · 04/02/2013 09:31

Um...isn't it just role play?

My ds2 is 5 and my dd nearly 4, they get on like a house on fire, and one of there favourite games is shooting each other (with sticks usually) having 'battles' and pretending to be dead.

They play tea parties and cars and all the other stuff as well.

I kept ds1 away from all that as a young un (was similarly pfb about tv), he made guns out of toast, Duplo and sticks anyway. Wee kids like that stuff.

I have chilled with my younger kids. It's all good.

pictish · 04/02/2013 09:32

their not there

Why no edit facility MNHQ? Why?

Original poster

batmanstinks · 04/02/2013 09:33

I'm fine with the role play and Ds1 did the same.

I think I'm just a bit snooty shocked about the language he uses.

Lots of 'I'm going to kick you in the face' etc.

Having said that he also says he's going to poo on my face which he probably didn't get from the TV

OP posts:

piprabbit · 04/02/2013 09:34

My 4yo DS is going through the whole punching, kicking, killing thing at the moment and he doesn't watch any of the programmes you mention. He still tends to watch CBeebies or Milkshake by choice and then sits moaning dramatically while being forced to watch Sadie J by his big sister.

I think the fighting stuff comes from mixing with other boys at school. He can name all the Transformers, but has never watched it, so I think it's the games the play together.

So YABSlightlyU to blame TV alone - it's probably an age/personality thing.

piprabbit · 04/02/2013 09:36

Poo is v.v.v funny if you are a 4 yo boy...and if you are 44 yo DH .

thegreylady · 04/02/2013 09:42

Dgs is nearly four and I recently posted on here about his sudden onset talk about violence, chopping and killing. His favourite DVD is Peter Rabbit and the only TV he watches is cbeebies. I think its just little boys. Most of the time he Hicks gentle gentle and lovig. He and his six year old brother play well together.

pictish · 04/02/2013 09:43

I think kids will just like what they like tbh. No matter what you do.

For example, ds1 isn't moved by football. He started school at 4 and even then most of the boys at school played football at breaktime and lunch. He never bothered with it. He's 11 now - much exposure to football has been the order of the day throughout. He's still not interested.

You can't control and mould every little thing. They decide for themselves.

My home ducating, lentil knitting, radfem, tv hating pal has a daughter the same age as mine, who loves all things girly, pink and princessy. She has a tin Barbie bucket from the charity shop she won't put down. I think it's hilarious.

MerryMarigold · 04/02/2013 09:50

at pictish friend's dd.

I have exactly the same age gap and predicament. Ds1 was never as aggressive as ds2. Tbh, I think some of it is personality (ds2 is much more aggressive, assertive, confident) and some of it is having a big brother who is into this stuff, and someone who is willing to fight with him. Poor ds1 only had me to fight with, and it's not quite the same.

Ds1 likes lego hero factory and power rangers, as does ds2. I was noticing that the fighting was getting a leetle out of hand, particularly immediately after watching, so I have reduced BOTH their exposure. They get power rangers on sat morning as a treat. They get computer every other day for 30mins when they can watch hero factory stuff if they choose, as well as play other games they want to. It seems to be helping, but the fighting is tiring .

pictish · 04/02/2013 09:51

Ben 10 is crud btw. Not because of the nature of it, but just because it's guff.
Ds2's big favourite for a while was Captain Mack...ever seen that? On Tiny Pop or something.
Utter dross.

MerryMarigold · 04/02/2013 09:53

Agree about Ben 10. Dinosaur King is much better!

Oh, and we also got rid of all our channels except the freeview ones.

pictish · 04/02/2013 09:55

That's what we have - freeview.
I quite like Channel 5 kiddy tv. Rolie Polie Olie is good.

MerryMarigold · 04/02/2013 09:56

Yeah, but the Rupert theme tune gets stuck in my head!

ByTheWay1 · 04/02/2013 10:00

And we didn't have violent crap on tv when we were younger????

One banana, two banana, three banana, four.... Banana Splits anyone - I seem to remember a lot of hitting with a plank and other items, followed by The three Musketeers pushing people off ramparts into hay - we pretended too......

Original poster

batmanstinks · 04/02/2013 10:01

See I love a bit of milkshake.

Maybe I could just block the power rangers/transformers channel

Mwahhahahahahaaa

OP posts:

missbea · 04/02/2013 10:02

I've got girls, not boys, but with a 4 year age gap, I don't want the little one watching everything the big one does. So I do keep tabs on what they're allowed to watch, and if the big one wants to watch something that's not suitable for the little one, I take the little one out the room and do something else with her. Or, more likely, put cBeebies on iplayer on the laptop while I make tea. Equally, despite being a big sophisticated 10yo, the older one quite enjoys indulging in Octonaughts and the like...

Original poster

batmanstinks · 04/02/2013 10:03

One for all and all for one, muskahounds are always ready .......,,

Daaaaammmmn you

OP posts:

PeppermintPasty · 04/02/2013 10:04

Ah Captain Mack. Makes me question whether or not to end it all.

My children watch loads of telly, all freeview nonsense. My 5 yo ds loves Milly Molly which is about as violent as watching a sock go round a washing machine. And about as fulfilling.

Hang on, perhaps that's why ds and dd are always scrapping with each other-the lack of quality telly.

neolara · 04/02/2013 10:04

I quite like Ben 10. At least there's a bit of dramatic tension. Better than power rangers anyway.

Why don't you get them onto Scooby Doo. Much less violent, funny and good female role models.

mrsjay · 04/02/2013 10:12

Why no edit facility MNHQ? Why?

because they expect you to know your there and theirs

children will act out sometimes to telly programmes I do think it is just playing and as parents we can say erm no we dont do that to other people it is just on the tv, if the boys are playing with each other at power rangers or whatever it is fair game imo as long as THERE is no blood id let them play. your son is 4 so he will understand not to do it

PeppermintPasty · 04/02/2013 10:19

neolara-old style Scooby Doo yes, but the new ones, have you seen them!!! Ugh! Velma moons all over Shaggy (Shaggy FFS!) and Daphne gives the come on to Fred at least 3 times each episode.

That would have made me go "bleurggh" as a youngster, I loved SD. Having said that, my ds laps up the old and the new and doesn't seem to notice the undercurrent of SEX at the ago of 5.

PeppermintPasty · 04/02/2013 10:20

gah *age of course

Chandon · 04/02/2013 10:29

The oldest will just have to watch what is also suitable for the 4 yr old.

So my oldest still watched Thomas, when he was 7, and Diego. They started watching power rangers, ben ten etc when the youngest was about 4 or 5 though.

They are phyiscal boys, they love shooting ( nerf guns), fighting (judo and karate) and stuff like rugby. They watch quite scary and violent stuff, IMO ( we only have freeview though) like Harry Potter, Indiana Jones, Starwars.

BUT, and this is important, they are not at all violent or agressive with eachother, or with friends. Never hurt anyone, do not get into fights.

Whilst they love action hero roleplay, and "bangbang you are dead" games, they are complete softies in real life, and very gentle.

I am not a psychologist, but I think that boys ( and girls? Do not know about girls as am mum of boys) like to roleplay violent and action games, but that does not mean anything negative about their character. I know my nieces play quite violent games with their barbies too!

My oldest is 10, and loves all the martial arts, nerf guns and action movies, but he also says he wants to be a vegetarian and a buddhist as he thinks even killing headlice is wrong, and why is there no way to get rid of them without killing them.

Just a tiny example. But IME, watching Power rangers and stuff does not necessarily lead to violent behaviour.

Also, I do remember both boys being a bit trickier around age 4 and 7, do not know if it is a hormonal thing, or psychological though. But 4 yr old boys and 7 yr old boys are quite full of themselves, lots of bravado...which then mercifully fades again.

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