Too late because I’ve done it. You’ll all tell me I’m a terrible mum! Bridgerton.

[BridgertonBadMum]

Anyone else let their young teens watch Bridgerton with them?

Mine is 13, I’d be kidding myself to pretend she doesn’t know about sex.

She begged me to let her watch the new series as she saw the trailer and it looked so Cinderella-like and she adores history and the costumes. I originally said no as it’s too sexual.

However she works so hard, and we found out this week that she’d won an amazing award through school, and I just thought she’s old enough to work as hard as she does (highly pressured academic school in which she’s thriving - as well as highly achieving in her sport at a national level), more mature than many adults I know, so surely watching it with me there to ensure she knows what’s normal life and what isn’t. How is it any worse than her watching Stranger Things. After all it’s very likely one day she’ll fall in love and have sex - and yet I worry more about her seeing that than seeing violence.

So we’ve both been totally entranced together watching the new episodes. I laugh when she cringes and covers her face during the steamy parts or when I say “he’s got a nice bum”. To have had a couple of hours together last night smiling and keeping everything crossed for a happy ending. It’s been lovely. (Not watched all 4 yet so no spoilers)

I’m awaiting a ton of “you’re a terrible mum” replies. But hoping to be surprised by a couple of people who are in agreement.

It concerns me when you say how it is likely she knows about sex already - how have you not discussed sex yet with your 13 year old daughter??? That is way more concerning than the issue of what she watches!!!

We always have these debates on MN. It's not that OP thinks she s a cool mum, she may just have different opinions to others. It's like the naked threads. Some families walk around naked, others would rather die than been seen au natural. So some mothers and daughters are happy to watch sex scenes together, and some aren't. Fine. We all have different boundaries. Vive la difference.

😂

I heard a review of The Piano on the radio when I was 15 and went to see it at the cinema with my Mum. I wanted the floor to open at the nudity! I still remember how awkward I felt 30 years later.

YANBU for letting your daughter watch it, but YABU for your weird antagonistic post.

I think my DD watched the first series when she was about 12. Tbh, I don’t monitor what they watch on Netflix. It’s up to them. Pretty sure they went through a phase of watching gory horror films whilst on sleepovers around that age too.

I did watch Saltburn with my DD when she was 14 or 15, can’t remember. I didn’t know anything about it at the time but it was uncomfortable viewing for both of us!

Do you feel troubled by this decision? If not, why are you posting?

It's not massively shocking. I think a lot of 13 year olds have seen 15 related stuff. You know your child, you make the decision.

I don't understand the need for all this justification, or what her prowess in sport has to do with it.

My daughter is shit at sport, but I'd still let her watch Bridgerton if she had the faintest interest in so doing!

15 rated stuff, sorry.

Oh that’s made me laugh ‘had to do pornography’ 😂. I am sure your DD covered the possible pitfalls of pornography admirably in her PSHE lesson @RosesAndHellebores . I haven’t watched Bridgerton. I didn’t realise it was raunchy. I remember reading Valley of the Dolls at about that age. My Nan didn’t really supervise which of her library books I picked up. She was also fond of a Hammer Horror which we watched together.

Same. I remember a documentary being shown on TV when I was a kid where one elephant mounted the other, and the whole family went silent. I can still feel how red my ears went.

Sorry have been out and just seeing these. A few things to cover:

1 - yeah, it was unnecessary and twattish of me to list her school/sport details. I was trying to show that she’s a mature 13 and just made myself sound like a knob. Fair to point out.

2 - I guess it was that I did have some guilt over it, even though we really both had a lovely time. The older she gets the more I feel like it get rarer we find things we both like. But that Irish Catholic background is hard to shake sometimes!

3 - I was expecting people pearl clutching about nudity (I really don’t care her seeing naked bodies, too many European swimming pools and beaches for that to be an issue in this house!) but for me saying “he’s got a nice bum” to try and help break some of her awkwardness in a saucy moment was not what I was expecting to get called out on!

Are you telling me that you and your husbands never have a joke with each other when watching TV together? Our daughter cringes at us so much when certain celebs are on TV as we have running jokes about a couple each who we say we fancy (it’s all just a bit of fun).

Thanks. I know I’m not a cool mum. Absolutely not trying to be either. I’m quite a strict, “sorry but I’m your mum, not your friend” mum.

So perhaps this rare case of me doing something that others can interpret as a ‘cool mum’ or ‘friend mum’ thing is what’s making me feel like I’m not being me and therefore seeking some validation.

What the fuck do her sporting and academic achievements (nice humble brag in there, OP) have to do with her watching Bridgerton?!

That to me sounds OTT awkward. Especially as it’s just animals and a documentary.

Goes to show how different we all are.

She’s a lot less awkward than I was about sex stuff and asking questions and it’s not easy for me to push through my awkwardness to answer.

Her PSHE teacher is very straight and honest which I really think is the way to be.

Nothing. RTFT.

Fortunately I parent my child differently so they know it’s perfectly natural. 😂 I’ve no opinion on Bridgerton, though the Duke munching on Daphne like a fresh mango in the first season might’ve turned my ears pink again in the presence of my DC. 😂

I was watching CSI from the age of about 9 and my brother was obsessed with horror from a young age. I wouldn’t let my kids watch CSI or a scary film, but that’s just because my kids are squeamish and can be easily spooked. I really think when it comes to what you let your kids watch it depends on the child.

My dad took me to see Bottom Live when I had just turned 11. I was definitely the youngest there 😂I was allowed to watch it when I came out so I’d been watching it since the age of 7.
I never really had any restrictions as to what I could and couldn’t watch as a child.

Ha ha! My 17 yo watched and likes it but wouldn’t want to watch it with me!

Something to watch separately from different generation family members I think 😄

I used to borrow my mum's spicy historical Mills and Boon when I was 13. We'd have probably watched Bridgerton together. I'd have pretended she didn't understand some of the more lascivious bits. But I think it's quite fun.

I have watched previous series with my mother in law and a glass of wine.

What does that mean ?
I am watching it now
my 13 year old would be bored stiff with all the romance
the sex is so vanilla

I call bull shit

the op has not come back so I 💯 say she/ he was marketing for bridgeton and we have all been had !!

The sex in Bridgerton is too vanilla for your 13 year old?

@StasisMom nailed it 🤣

The OP did come back.

Only watched episode 1 and unless Colin is going to start a thruple or benidict is going to butt fuck his horse all the sex thus far far is consensual loving couplely vanilla sex

nothing an average 13 year old girl can’t watch ??? Rape snd coercion prostitution needs a loooong discussion but bog standard loving sex is a a perfectly ok positive thing for a young teen to see and have a thankfully brief discussion about

my teen thinks it’s sooooo boring

un clench