To never have adult tv on when children are around?

[justwondering72]

My ds's are 6 and 3. They watch a bit of kids tv - cbeebies and nickelodeon usually. DH and I rarely get the chance to watch anything while they are up during the week, post dinner and pre bedtime being pretty hectic. But at the weekend we sometimes have the BBC news on during the day, or I might put something on while doing the ironing. Inevitably it attracts their attention even if they are doing something else at the same time. And I find my hand hovering over the remote to try and stop them hearing about wars, refugees, murders, missing children or any mildly violent or sexy scenes.

Am I being precious? Should I be letting them find out that the world isn't all mr maker and deadly 60? And being there to talk to them about what they see? Or are they still to young for these harsh realities of life? I'm not talking about horror or real adult entertainment, more like pre watershed programmes.

DD is 4 I would only have the news on with remote control in hand fine seeing flooding weather, scottish independance, economis stuff but would not want her seeing violence in kiev, Syria, dead bodies etc

But she would come to no harm watching the antiques road show, flog it or homes under the hammer type show, she has to watch wimbledon in the summer and she liked the winter olympics but most cooking/ house programmes would be fine; chat/talk shows not so much

depending on age you have to watch nature/ history programmes no mummies with axe wounds in neck or lions ripping antelopes apart though I would not be worried about that if she was 8 rather than 4

when I broke my ankle I watched some of these with her as could not cope with cbeebies all day

All depends what it is really. I don't watch porn or violent programs if kids are about but if they are playing in their room I turn it over. Dd has caught the odd glimpse of er or house or buffy but doesn't really pay attention. I don't actively let them watch it but in not watching sponge bob all evening just in case one gets up for a drink.

Dd1 likes the middle and scrubs. Far better actually than the inane crap that some of the kids channels show. Much rather she saw something involving an intelligent conversation than Hannah Montanan or good luck Charlie or whatever other stuff is on.

Dd knows it's all fake it's not like I have her watching aliens or something :o

Oh and we watch animal cops and animal shows

it's not necessarily mollycoddling, Alibabaandthe40nappies, though I appreciate that could be the end result. We don't watch daytime TV because there's nothing on we want to watch! DD is only 4 so she's heading up to bed around 6.30/7ish - as she gets older I'm sure she'll watch more early evening TV, like nature programmes or whatever, but I'm not about to stick the TV on just to teach her that we watch it too! And she's certainly not going to be sharing Game of Thrones and Sherlock with us, which is all we're watching at the mo.

We try to wait till the children (8 & 6) are in bed before we put Dexter on

I don't watch news on the tv, just listen to it on the radio (and some of that can be harrowing), but small DCs don't normally catch what is being said.

I hate Radio1 where the 'news' (usually the most horrifying stuff and less the boring politics) is on all the time. If there is a missing child or abuse case it is on and on and on and I feel many DDs must be made less confident and secure having it drummed into them in that way, DSs too.

Oh and DS loves the news.....

I'm trying to imagine when in the day we might sit down and watch something adult at the same time as the DC are up and about, and I can't think of when that would be tbh.

During the week it's school/nursery then tea, music practice, reading, bit of telly for them then bath and bed. Certainly no time for me to sit down and put my feet up and watch something adult until they are in bed!

At the weekend we might sometimes watch something altogether, a family film or something, but can't imagine watching something specifically adult, while they do something else. Just seems weird to me.

I can see it might be different when DC are old enough to be up later.

Mine have never really watched adults tv but it's mainly because we don't watch tv anyway and certainly not daytime stuff.

Personally I am very careful to avoid the news, esp at 4&6yo. Now that they are older, I am happy for them to listen to the news on radio but I would still be mindful about the news on TV.
There are other adults programs though. I would have no issue with them being around whilst we watch Time Team for example. There are other programs that are just as much of a no issue really.

To people who are saying 'but they need to learn that they aren't the only ones to watch tv', I would say that my dcs are learning that from other areas anyway. From listening to radio, choosing what we are doing on a specific day etc they have plenty of opportunity to learns out respect ting other people's choices. And when
They did get to the age when they are kid enough to be up during evening time tv, they were old enough to go to their room and read if they weren't happy with the choice!

My DSs are 7 and 9 and we don't have a lot of TV on, but I don't actively sensor the news. DS1 is v interested in history, and I let him watch Dan Snow about DDay...the program said it was for 16+, but I watched it with him, and it was not too bad. He has also watched programs about Hitler. I think that understanding history is vitally important.

If they ask questions, I try to answer in an accurate but age appropriate way.

I did have Modern Family on once when DS9 came downstairs, and let him watch for 5 minutes...it was the episode where it's the wedding anniversary, and they are interrupted on the job. Big mistake...telly went off smartish.

Um..BlueMarais, I am not sure what news you are watching that has graphic detail of sexual assaults, including stitches needed and positions (!) but it's not BBC!

I'm happy for my 4 yr old to watch the news about the flooding and the weather but draw the line at violence, dead bodies etc. As he gets older I'll judge it based on how sensitive he is to things.

We do watch a lot of a Cbeebies when in during the day but only because I don't like daytime TV and would put News 24 on otherwise.

Agree with Aliababa - TV is not just for children. .

I see no need to hide the harsh realities of life from my child - it is a sad fact that horrible things happen and he needs to be aware of it. Often you can have a discussion about war/murder/lost children/famine whatever in a constructive way if it has been mentioned on the news - otherwise how are you going to have that conversation ?

I am not prepared to wrap my child up in cotton wool - that said, we don't actually watch huge amounts of TV but we get a daily paper and he has always looked at the headlines - in fact that was one of the ways the school actively encouraged children to learn to read (not the Daily Mail obviously ).

It's the other way round in this household - my DS is 12 now & if he watches such rubbish as Modern Family I am the one who leaves the room .

there is no daytime TV which I openly avoid watching with DS (4). Have never avoided him seeing the news - infact I think its important that children grow up aware of things in the world around them and answering questions appropriately.

You do realise that even on kids channels that they show the NSPCC /oxfam/cancer research ads etc. So you may sheiks then from the news but the second you go out to make the coffee they are confronted with images of slain elephants and skeletal dying babies.

Shield

They'll soon be reading well enough to work out newspaper headlines, sandwich boards...

I agree with no crap adult tv but news and stuff is difficult to filter out IME

About radio, not TV, and I've told this story on here before, I think.
DS1 has always been quite interested in serious topics, he talked politics from age about 7. He used to love listening to radio 4 with me when we were out and I didn't pay too much attention to what he listened to on some lengthy journeys. When he would have been about 9 it was our turn to host Christmas and over Christmas Dinner my rather bigoted mother began to go on about how lovely some gay television presenters were, but "I don't approve of those things they do".

Up pipes DS1 "Surely. granny, you know that not all gay men have anal sex" Very quick change of subject followed by lecture on being precocious followed.

I am shocked that so many people agree with this! I must be terrible for allowing my daughter to 'watch' adult tv such as the news! I am really surprised that so many people censor daytime tv!

Now Ragwort, YABU. Modern Family is hilarious. :)

Oh actually we do watch the Olympics / other big sports events, Strictly, and Bake Off.

I don't like daytime Tv though I suppose. When I think of what else I watch, well, I don't really want to sit with my DC with the walking dead or true blood on the screen.

flowery don't yours just want to play sometimes? Ours do, and we might watch something while they did - some sport (they are both really enjoying the Six Nations), or a wildlife documentary. They might well be in the room with us and start watching too.
Saturday mornings we often have Saturday kitchen or similar on if we are just around the house. If the news then came on then I wouldn't turn it off. DS1 would be outraged, he likes the little countdown in the corner! They are also keen watchers of the weather forecast

During the week I agree with you, there is no time. The only exception would be during the Olympics or something where the TV would be on more than normal.

I just think it is really bizarre if children grow up thinking that it is acceptable for them to always dictate the choice of channel during the day. Really really odd.

I'm watching Call the midwife with my 7 year old. I think most kids are pretty good at self censoring with most things apart from the very direct images. I am happy enough to watch what I like, with exceptions of violence, advertising, sexism, racism or actual sex (no problem with respectful reference to, jokes about or under the covers stuff)

I have no problem with news, whatever age the child is.

DD is 9 and has been watching the Big Bang Theory with us since she was about 7. We find it quite a useful tool for teaching her about sleazy men and what to avoid in a relationship... and it's funny :o

She also loves Modern Family (as do we). She's seen that wedding anniversary episode and just thought it was funny that the children were so grossed out by it - she knows where babies come from and that parents are entitled to a sex life!

We have R4 on in the background until after the Archers and she listens to the news on it - we have had a few conversations about what rape, racism and war crimes are. She doesn't appear to be scarred for life... (we are currently watching University Challenge together, her main point of interest is why the student from Oxford has spikes on his t-shirt...)