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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To sometimes wonder what my mum was thinking?

334 replies

AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 15/01/2023 22:52

I was born in '91 to give you an idea of just how young I was.

She used to let me stay up and watch murder shows with her like Jonathan Creek and Midsomer Murders Confused I'd actually go into my primary school the next day and discuss the previous nights episode with the dinner lady who also watched MM! I have an 11yr old and I wouldn't dream of letting her watch either of those shows! She'd also record stuff like South Park and Stressed Eric etc (she watched them herself so she knew full well what they were like!) so we could watch them in the mornings.

There is a particular episode of JC that gave me nightmares for years, I man had (I think) been trapped in a cellar which flooded and he drowned. I still remember the moment they opened the door and he was at the top of the stairs with his arm outstretched, and he was all yellow and waxy looking 🤢

It's only recently that I've begun to wonder what on earth she was thinking! I'm not sure if there's even any point asking her because she'd probably get all defensive and tell me I was attacking her parenting 🙄

OP posts:
Lovemydoggiesomuch · 15/01/2023 22:55

My mum died a few years ago but I regularly wish she was alive to ask her questions that she can only answer.

AllOfThemWitches · 15/01/2023 22:56

Loads of kids in my primary school watched South Park. 🤷‍♀️

Hobbesmanc · 15/01/2023 22:58

I think crime shows etc were maybe more acceptable. I watched things like miss Marple, inspector morse, Inspector Dalgleish etc with my mum as a child.

saltinesandcoffeecups · 15/01/2023 22:58

None of those sound too bad to me. Maybe South Park but suspect most of it went over your head.

Flamingogirl08 · 15/01/2023 23:01

I'm a similar age and always watched stuff like that when I was a kid. I've never given it a second thought to be honest. I actually think we're too precious about what we expose kids to now and a bit naive about what they hear in school and stuff.

fastandthecurious1 · 15/01/2023 23:01

I watched the vice and bad girls with my mum and I was born 86... I think it was a different time and honestly it did me no harm I was brought up to know the different between tv and real
Life and I wouldn't say there was any negative influence on me. I watched scary movies with my dad on occasions and Frankie Boyle / billy Connolly / rab c Nesbit ( yes we are Scottish!) regularly on tv.

I perhaps wouldn't choose all those things to watch with my son (5) but I certainly won't monitor every program on and keep him to strict age appropriate shows I just think it's not necessary if you're willing to talk / explain and lay ground rules down with kids

I think it depends on the child and situation really but yes I know by majority now it would be deemed wildly inappropriate by most

BeetyAxe · 15/01/2023 23:03

YABU-those are pretty tame shows, hardly the crime of the century. Just forget about it.

SBHon · 15/01/2023 23:04

Is Midsummer Murders scary… Isn’t it shown quite early in the day still? I watched it as a child and didn’t find it frightening at all, and I was quite easily affected by TV and films as a child. It felt more like family viewing.

Original poster
AintNobodyHereButUsChickens · 15/01/2023 23:08

Hobbesmanc · 15/01/2023 22:58

I think crime shows etc were maybe more acceptable. I watched things like miss Marple, inspector morse, Inspector Dalgleish etc with my mum as a child.

Really? I can't remember much about JC apart from that one awful episode but MM was pretty graphic for a kid who was old enough to understand what death and murder was. Bearing in mind, I was born in 91 and both shows started in 97, when I was 5-6. There was always multiple bodies shown in each episode and it showed the murders happening too.

What was that show where there were two detectives but one of them was actually a ghost? We watched that too, I THINK it was that show where a victim was cut in half (long ways) with a chainsaw or something and the camera showed the cut sides. That haunted me for a while too.

OP posts:
WarrickDavisAsPlates · 15/01/2023 23:08

Those shows weren't on particularly late. I'm only a year older than you and absolutely loves both those shows, I remember asking fir (and getting) a "touch of frost" boxset one Xmas and a selection of Poriot stories.

There were a lot of those tamer crime shows on then.

South Park I was not allowed to watch due to the language but so many children my age were watching it. I think due to the Simpsons being a similar cartoon for adults thing parents didn't realise how bad South Park was.

Whatsfordinnerglutenfree · 15/01/2023 23:09

I would have thought there was more chance of a child being bored by Jonathan Creek and midsummer murders . JC I thought was a bit of a comedy.

userxx · 15/01/2023 23:10

My mum let us watch nightmare on elm street then told me I needed to walk my friend home down our very quiet creepy road, I was 9 at the time. It absolutely doesn't bother me, just not a fan of rubbish horror films these days.

YerAWizardHarry · 15/01/2023 23:10

I was born in 93 so similar age! I remember drawing the South Park characters on my jotter when I was primary 4 (so like 7/8 years old!) after watching the movie!

i was also allowed to “stay up late” to watch Footballers Wives and Bad Girls each week 😧

SBHon · 15/01/2023 23:11

SBHon · 15/01/2023 23:04

Is Midsummer Murders scary… Isn’t it shown quite early in the day still? I watched it as a child and didn’t find it frightening at all, and I was quite easily affected by TV and films as a child. It felt more like family viewing.

I’ve just looked it up and it’s rated a 12 (interestingly so is Shakespeare and Hathaway). So perhaps fine for lots of children but I see you’ve now said you were 5 or 6 years old.

Squamata · 15/01/2023 23:15

Your mum was thinking she wanted to watch decent telly. She might not have had a VCR or you might have been around every evening so she either watched it with you, or not at all.

Or she might have had a VCR and used it to record something else on at the same time.

Most people have multiple devices now with TV on demand so you could hide away and watch stuff away from a child, not so in the 90s. And if you missed it, you pretty much missed it forever.

Wavescrashingonthebeach · 15/01/2023 23:18

I'm similar age and grew up watching 18 rated horror films (at primary age). I'm a wuss now but loved them at the time.

1994girl · 15/01/2023 23:20

I was 1994. Growing up, I would watch Jonathan's Creek at my Nanas and Doctor Who with my auntie. I loved it. Grow up

InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits · 15/01/2023 23:22

I thought you were going to say she let you watch horror films. I’d expect any 11 year old to be fine with Jonathan Creek (consider 11 prime age for some crime-mystery-lite like that with a big reveal) never really watched midsummer murders.

I remember going into primary and talking about what we’d seen on TV a lot, yes we were watching South Park, friends, bad girls, band of gold.

My age 10-13 sleepovers were all based on watching The Crow, the craft, Halloween, Nightmare on Elm Street, Scream, The Silence of the Lambs, Arachnophobia, Tremors, childs play, Alien, Candyman…..

TwoMonthsOff · 15/01/2023 23:23

@AintNobodyHereButUsChickens
randall and hopkirk (deceased) ?
but you must have seen the remake with bob Mortimer and vic reeves as it was originally a 1960’s show

lifeinthehills · 15/01/2023 23:23

Obviously your Mum judged you had the maturity for those shows. At 11, if the child can handle it, no big deal.

Babdoc · 15/01/2023 23:24

My DDs and I all loved South Park. They thought it was hilarious. We used to watch The Bill together too. Some of the themes were useful as an introduction to discussing issues like safety, grooming, drugs etc too.

GetDownkeith · 15/01/2023 23:24

I am often mildly appalled at some of the stuff I got to watch as a child in the 80’s too but more in a tongue in cheek sort of way rather than genuinely being appalled.
I think things were just different back then, what was classed as family viewing was different. There was no 24 hour kids tv so we were introduced to more adult tv much earlier than our own children are.
While there are some things I’m at shocked that my dc’s friends have been allowed to watch, I’ve never rigidly stuck to age guidelines either and we’ve had some interesting discussions with dc about some of the themes in programmes and films we’ve watched.

NeedMoMoney · 15/01/2023 23:24

Born in 88, remember me and sister sister having a t.v in our bedroom from I'd say about 11-12ish..maybe younger? And watching eurotrash, sex and the city etc..😆 I also remember stressed Eric! 😆

Wavescrashingonthebeach · 15/01/2023 23:24

@InTheFutilityRoomEatingBiscuits

Yes! All of these. And the young ones and money python and bottom. And Harry Enfield!

notangelinajolie · 15/01/2023 23:26

Tame. Me and DD used to watch Most Haunted 😱