To listen to Radio 4 in the car when with the children ?

[Letitbee]

Apparently I am very unfair as every other mother listens to Radio 1 all the time. We are in the car a lot and as they are all over 9, I am fed up of story tapes and 1D etc and now insist for half the journey I get to listen to what I want. I do remember when young we listened to the Drivers choice ALL the time.

I applaud you! I listen to it and my dc's quite get into some stuff, plus there's always the exciting possibility of the odd swear word.

No, my radio, my choice. When she has her own car she can listen to what she wants. To be fair, we listen to a lot of music she likes and she learns masses from R4. She especially likes the plays (which I think are generally shite!)

I grew up listening only to R4. I did feel I missed out on listening to music and I now do a mix of R4 and R2 for the children. I wouldn't have R1 on though.

I did wonder whether I should censor the paedophilia stuff in the news but we talked about it instead. She's just 6.

Ha ha! I grew up listening to Radio 4, and still wake up to it every day. My DDs are teens now, and enjoy programmes like The Infinite Monkey Cage, The Philosophers Arms, Just a Minute etc, though they do moan when I don't let them listen to R1. ipods have solved that problem though

Ha - I'm more into The Life Scientific - Women's Hours - The Now show etc

Christ no! I listen to whatever I like. Its my car and I'm driving - end of discussion. My DM always listened to Terry Wogan on R2 when driving us to school when I was a kid and I don't recall there being any debate. Tell them they can listen to whatever they like when have their own cars and drive themselves.

I listen to Radio 4 all of the time there I've said it

I do listen with the kids in the morning if I'm taking them to school, but we sort of fell out of the routine when operation yewtree was in full swing and I didn't want them hearing the news or asking me questions

Now we tend to just chat and I download the comedy, DID and Jim Alka Selza's life scientific podcasts to listen to on Saturday/Sunday morning.

How else can you indoctrinate them to listen to The Archers when they are older? It hasn't worked with mine yet (they are 20 and 22) but I haven't given up hope.

As my parents lived 200 miles away the children have pretty much grown up with r4 - they like the news quizzes, just a minute, the plays and the brig society. We've been going up an awful lot recently cos my mum died last week and they are even starting to get into the archers

I put the Archers music right by my tummy when pregnant to ensure they developed the 'correct' taste.

They've got the rest of their life to listen to Radio 1. You are driving, you should get to choose. Although I am impressed you can actually hear it. I can't above the din of my kids in the back..

I did once have DS1 (14 at the time) and DS2 (12) refusing to get out of the car until the Archers finished.

The plays are great, Just a Minute and I'm sorry I haven't a clue are great and even that comedy about the airline with Benedict Cumberbatch was good.

You have the kids captive in the car, so that's as good a time as any to get them to tune in an listen to something worth listening to.

No, although I don't envy you if you were doing so half an hour ago when a woman in the play kept on about men 'getting a stiffy' when they play with matches!

How else are you ever going to instill any degree of taste into their listening preferences. Radio 4 extra on i-player is the only way we keep peace here sometimes!

We have Who's Who in the Archers in the downstairs loo for anyone to check up on dates of birth, family trees etc. I think we might need to put this year's on the Christmas present list, just so we're properly up to date. All three DCs talk about Nigel falling off the roof!

Every child needs to know the regions of the Shipping Forecast.

"Humber, Thames. Southeast veering southwest 4 or 5, occasionally 6 later. Thundery showers. Moderate or good, occasionally poor."

I grew up listening to R4 and would listen by choice now. However, I became aware that the dcs awareness of modern music was not great and thought it would help with their peers if it was. This means that I now listen to a local radio station or R1 in the car (don't like it though). The dcs can now converse about rubbish bands - as indeed can I.

We have a mix of R1 and r4, but that's definitely my choice, not theirs. DS can sometimes be found listening to the life scientific or the infinite monkey cage on iplayer though

Mine turn it on if they are alone in the kitchen so it feels friendlier!

In all seriousness, I do think it's a good thing OP.

1. they get to hear some really important stuff on the news
2. they get to hear some genuinely funny comedy (as long as you turn off in time to miss any of the really godawful ones like Fags Mags and Bags)
3. you form bonds over the crap stuff - ours is guessing what People Are Increasing Moving Away From/Towards on 'The Food Programme' (people are increasingly rejecting cheap horrible nasty vile supermarket coffee and moving towards independent artisan fair trade coffee grown on their own plantation - no they're fucking not!
4. nostalgia and comfort when they move away, because R4 will always sound like home!

I remember once when -I think it was Linda - was talking about a busy road and installing a sign saying ' badgers crossing ' This little voice blurts out from the back of the car "but muuum! Badgers can't read! "

YABU, unless they listen to music of their own choice at home whenever they want.

It's very important. There was a question about the shipping forecast on University Challenge on Monday.

Original is quite correct - it will always sound like home.

I love Radio 4 and listen to it whilst taking DD to school each morning. She is forced to listen to the Today Programme whether she likes it or not. It's actually sparked some interesting discussions (though most of the time she switches off and complains that she's bored). She's 13.

I hate the Archers though - cannot see why anyone listens to it. If the Archers comes on, the radio goes off and I play music instead!