Grandparent watching the news

[Chicci1]

My parents see their grandchildren once a week - usually when we visit them on a Saturday for about two hours. Myself and dh usually take turns entertaining the children while we’re there. They’re age 2 and 5. Today after the first hour, they wanted to watch cartoons. After they had watched tv for 5 minutes, my father insisted on putting on the news. There wasn’t any particular news story he wanted to see or anything. He just insisted on putting it on because he felt like watching it. Cue upset kids who had been promised cartoons. Am I unreasonable to feel livid and that I’m not bothered making the effort to visit on a weekly basis anymore.

I agree it was mean to suggest cartoons and then switch it over. I think the pp who mentioned liking the lions 🦁 has hit the nail on the head. They (certainly your father) like the idea of seeing the grandchildren but maybe in an idealised way.
Maybe go every other weekend or once a month and say there is an open invite for the to come to yours instead

I'm a bit bemused at the concept that you should only watch the news if there's a specific item you're interested in. I watch the news to find out the news, and by definition there are likely to be a number of items most of which I know nothing about in advance.

It's a bit ridiculous that your kids need to watch TV, in the 2 hours they're there. And that their grandparents can't play with them and help entertain them for 2 flipping hours.

Keep visits shorter and take something for them to do. Or could you parents in a park?

I don’t think children should watch TV on a 2-hour visit but I don’t think your dad should have switched to news if he’d suggested they watch cartoons.

Who watches TV now?

Why on earth is anyone watching tv?? Surely it’s the time for grandparents to play / interact with kids? If not what’s the point in going?

This is what I don't understand

@randomer

Who watches TV now?

Every single person I know ...adults and children

If they CBA to interact with the grandchildren on a two hour visit I would be reducing the amount of visits because what is the fucking point

And its a bit of a dick move to say they can watch TV then take it back they arnt really at the age of reason so its going to cause a tantrum isn't it

If they don't really interact with the children, why don't you just go on your own?

Maybe two hours is too long for everyone if your DF wanted to watch tv

Do people really turn off the sound and put subtitles on for the news when kids are around? Do you do the same with the various soaps on during prime time?

I used to love newsround and 6 o'clock news as a kid.
Part of the morning getting ready included gmtv(?) with Lizzie and the other crazy one, plus weather and news.

I'm also one of those strange ones that turns off the tv when people are here. But then a lot of the time it's not switched on. Listen to music more, get news updates online, and when I do watch tv it's all streamed.

my grandad always had the tv on from morning till evening he usually had the racing on when we go tthere didnt matter we just liked seeing him

didnt play with us as such either-people are stuck in their ways he shouldnt have said put cartoons on just to turn it off though

What noise were the children making that made your parents suggest they watch children? What else was being done before this to stop them noise?

You say they don't play with the dc's, do they interact at all with them?

WTF is it with people on here? No-one is ever a bit annoyed, they’re always “livid, incandescent, fuming.” Seriously get a bloody grip.

I think the reactions towards the children watching tv are hilarious! Don’t worry, watching CBeebies isn’t going to turn your children into criminals or lower their IQ

I agree it’s really shitty that they can’t be arsed to play with them. F I was going to continue taking them I’d:

Reduce the visits to every other week

Only stay for an hour (enrol the older one on a swimming class you have to get back for)

Take a few toys and activities.

They sound very similar to my parents and are only bothered about “seeing their faces” now and again.

I was thinking if the visit is only 2hrs-surely everyone can d without the telly for that time?

I think if your parents don't bother to interact with the kids there seems little point in going every week & for 2hrs.

Presumably they can't come to you?

When we’ve had something to attend where I’m worried about keeping the kids occupied, for example visiting great-grandparents houses where there are no toys, no garden and a house full of tempting delicate ornaments, I’ve either bought them a new toy or hidden away a favourite toy the week before and miraculously found it as we were leaving the house. That usually keeps them busy for the hour and a half visit.

"My parents see their grandchildren once a week - usually when we visit them on a Saturday for about two hours. Myself and dh usually take turns entertaining the children while we’re there."

If there is no interaction between the children and their grandparents - what exactly is the point of these visits? It's not like they're building a relationship or anything?

I don't know. If it's anything like the mind numbing shite they used to show I'm sure my iq lowered 🤣

In the fucking night garden and teletubbiess are what made me play more music than watch tv when my tv started to work erratically and wouldn't always turn on for some bizarre reason.

If mates came with their kids, tough if it wasn't working properly. I wasn't going to miraculously make it work, mine would would have remembered when I fixed it for X and how. (not a boast, 3 of them used to work together at times 🤣)

I want to know more about what the kids get up to that requires a parent to constantly play with them for this long.

Must be very draining keeping them constantly occupied for their every waking moment.

Children need to learn that the world doesn't revolve around them. It's not fashionable to say it but frankly sometimes grown ups come first and that's fine.

I think 'livid' is an overreaction. It wasn't nice of him to go in and abruptly change the channel, but children also need to learn that they can't get their own way all the time and that disappointment is a fact of life.

Is there any chance that Granddad may have seen something in the cartoon he felt wasn't appropriate? Some cartoons IMO have questionable content as far as teaching respect and kindness.

I think I'd be more upset that he put on the news than that he changed the channel. If the UK news is anything like the news here (US) most broadcasts are NOT suitable for young children. The motto seems to be 'if it bleeds, it leads' and much of the video/photo content is really awful.

Yabu. My dad always watches the 6 o'clock news, always has. When they looked after my daughter, she too had to watch the news, breaking her tv watching for half hour. She lived.

I do think you should be promising DC an activity when you are guests in someone else's house, without clearing it with your hosts.

News bulletins don't last long, so the reasonable thing to do would be to time the cartoon watching so it does not clash