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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:
LydiaBennetsUglyBonnet · 16/01/2023 01:56

I’m about a decade older than you OP and we were allowed to watch Nightmare on Elm Street from a fairly young age. Was fairly normal back then to be a bit lax with what was on screens. We are only so much more aware now about screen time because there’s more to watch and it’s 1000x more accessible

pinkpotatoez · 16/01/2023 02:26

I watched midsummer murders, Jonathan creek, rosemary and thyme and big brother with my dad at night when my mum would go out. Didn't really understand anything enough to be scared and I never swore (big brother) until I was in secondary school so I don't think it had an affect on me. I'd say YABU

Dustyblue · 16/01/2023 05:28

I'm almost 20 years older than you OP (1974) and trust me, kids watched some serious shit in those days.

My Mum was a fan of "The Weepy"- that is, the most harrowing and sob-inducing films you can imagine. We'd stay up late watching things like "Who will love my children?" about a woman with umpteen kids and terminal cancer, dragging her husband around potential homes for them all, etc. I'd go to bed with eyes swollen for the crying. Why, just why??

Loved Prisoner at Nanna & Pa's house. I could watch it by stealth after bedtime by crawling into the kitchen and sitting just beyond the lounge room door.

For my 12th birthday, I had a sleepover and my Dad hired "American Werewolf in London". I can still hear the screams and smell the vomited chinese food. Ahh, memories.

JudgeRinderonTinder · 16/01/2023 05:52

Bloody hell my sister’s favourite film at about 6 was the hand that rocked the cradle 😂 It freaked me out and I’m 7 years older than her 😂

TidyDancer · 16/01/2023 06:49

My mum let me watch Kindergarten Cop and the likes of that when I was a child. I made it to adulthood unscathed. I really don't think it's that big of a deal.

Wishawisha · 16/01/2023 06:52

Oh watching Jonathan Creek with my parents was wonderful! It was nice to have a programme we were all into - them as adults, and us children.

I actually get scared pretty easily but not by Jonathan Creek, I suppose mainly because it was all always resolved at the end?

AllThingsServeTheBeam · 16/01/2023 06:52

YABU. I am a year older and watched them. I've let my DC watch JC both younger than 11

PlaitBilledDuckyPuss · 16/01/2023 07:17

CanofCant · 16/01/2023 00:22

Off the top of my head that sounds like 2.4 Children.

Show quote history

Thanks for the suggestion; unfortunately it can't be that one as it didn't air until the 90s and this was definitely pre-1985.

TheOinkySplit · 16/01/2023 07:26

@lifeinthehills it was On at 6pm on channel 4 when I was in primary. My mum never watched it. I can't remember how she responded either.

@JudgeRinderonTinder I love the hand that rocks the cradle!

I used to get scared of some of the covers of my mum's Stephen king books though lol.

BigHeadBertha · 16/01/2023 07:33

I agree that those are inappropriate shows for a young child. I agree that those were bad calls on your mother's part. It seems maybe she was treating you too much like a friend, having you watch those shows with her and most likely didn't even realize the poor effects they had on you.

Most of us parents do make some bad calls though. How good or bad of a parenting job we did overall depends on how many bad calls and how serious they were though imo.

Remona · 16/01/2023 07:34

Neither Jonathan Creek nor Midsomer Murders are scary. I would let an 11 year old watch those. I don’t think your mum did anything wrong there.

I do remember the episode with the dead body in the cellar which was a bit creepy, but children have nightmares about all sorts of things. I remember being terrified by a character called Uncle Deadly on The Muppets and having nightmares about Planet of the Apes.

I also remember being allowed to stop up late from being about 7 onwards to watch Hammer Horror films and I grew up on a diet of Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein etc. I loved it.

CoffeeLover90 · 16/01/2023 07:36

Hello fellow 90s child! I loved midsomer murder, a touch of frost and heartbeat. I'd sometimes watch with my DM but even if she was at work I watched them alone. I enjoyed porridge and only fools and horses too but most jokes went over my head. I wasn't allowed to watch South Park, didn't even know it existed until I had to stay in hospital. A nurse brought in a little tv and video player with a South Park box set. I was 9 Grin

Bikeybikeface · 16/01/2023 07:41

could have been worse op, she could have showed you watership down 😂

TerraNostra · 16/01/2023 07:46

Remona · 16/01/2023 07:34

Neither Jonathan Creek nor Midsomer Murders are scary. I would let an 11 year old watch those. I don’t think your mum did anything wrong there.

I do remember the episode with the dead body in the cellar which was a bit creepy, but children have nightmares about all sorts of things. I remember being terrified by a character called Uncle Deadly on The Muppets and having nightmares about Planet of the Apes.

I also remember being allowed to stop up late from being about 7 onwards to watch Hammer Horror films and I grew up on a diet of Dracula, The Mummy, Frankenstein etc. I loved it.

Planet of the Apes WAS absolutely terrifying though!

ApathyMartha · 16/01/2023 07:58

I remember that image of the man on the stairs! I was in my teens and it has really stayed with me. However, JC wasn’t normally like that. South Park, loads of the kids I taught had watched it. I know there are are quite young children watching Wednesday and Squid Games. Sometimes if others have watched it they don’t want you to be the ones left out in the playground conversations.

ichundich · 16/01/2023 08:01

My parents let me watch Aliens and Gremlins from age 11, Stephen King from around 13! I'd never let my kids. Our kids watch Columbo with us sometimes now (9 and 12), but I think that's quite tame, and they're not really interested anyway.

Morph22010 · 16/01/2023 08:02

We watched poltergeist and nightmare on elm street at that age in the 80s. I also remember kids at primary school coming in and talking about watching life and loves of a she devil. When there was only a few channels people watched what was on there weren’t childrens channels or the option of finding something more suitable

IamnotSethRogan · 16/01/2023 08:02

Tbh it's not completely terrible. I'm a similar age and as a child I think I watched similar stuff. My kids don't because they've got ipads and netflix and can just watch what they want. Options were a bit more limited when we were kids.

dovelove · 16/01/2023 08:08

ChopSuey2 · 16/01/2023 00:31

You know what did traumatise me? Those safety videos school showed before the school holidays about not playing on train tracks, at power stations, bonfires etc!

Omg I was telling my adult dd about these the other day!. The one with the frisbee in the power station. Nightmares for weeks!. Did the job though I suppose! Lol

TerraNostra · 16/01/2023 08:09

IamnotSethRogan · 16/01/2023 08:02

Tbh it's not completely terrible. I'm a similar age and as a child I think I watched similar stuff. My kids don't because they've got ipads and netflix and can just watch what they want. Options were a bit more limited when we were kids.

I’m a bit older than OP. There were no kids’ channels but there was kids’ TV on in the afternoons and early evenings. In fact, if you were an adult who fancied a bit of daytime TV before video recorders it must have been a bit annoying to have only Playschool and the Clangers to choose from!

I agree with you OP that 5 is a bit young for detective murder mystery. However the real question is why were you not in bed by the time they came on?

Jellycatspyjamas · 16/01/2023 08:13

At that time we had one TV in the front room and we all watched the same thing - usually what my parents wanted. There wasn’t children’s tv 24/7 and not the many screen based options there are now. I certainly watched stuff I’d think twice about letting my kids see, but I also miss the communal family time round the tv as opposed to everyone in their own corner doing their thing.

Ladylalaboo1 · 16/01/2023 08:15

I was born In 1990 and grew up watching JC absolutely loved it, also watched Randall and Hopkirk and ren and stimpy( my dad was a fan) but I always remember JC and love it now I still watch it and it's actually quite nostalgic to me and cosy tv haha! I now love anything to do with crime / murder mystery so maybe it had that sort of influence but I never thought it was inappropriate or scary or harmed me in anyway? It's been on in our house before and my kids have been around not watching it but im sure they have seen certain bits but nothing has caused alarm. Think there are many worse things kids could have and are probably watching today - twin peaks, betty blue, seven, game of thrones or Rome - things I think would be highly inappropriate for children definitely- MM and JC I wouldn't put in that bracket.

SallyWD · 16/01/2023 08:18

I used to watch programmes like that with my parents. I even remember my mum renting "Nightmare on Elm Street" from Blockbusters for us when I was about 11! Maybe parents were more laid back then? I do remember a lot of my friends watching grown up programmes.

Autumndays123 · 16/01/2023 08:18

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strumpert · 16/01/2023 08:19

My two eldest are around your age. I used to watch morse and midsomer murders with them

I never watched South Park because I didn't like it.

Are those really problematic programmes?