to think it's rather odd that we are always being told that the nuclear family is ideal but that they make so few appearances on children's TV?

[spicemonster]

Weird isn't it? Balamory is all single people as far as I can see. Granny Murray is about 35 so she was clearly a teenage mum, as is her daughter. Charlie and Lola's parents seem fairly competent but never appear. Only the Pontipines and Wattingers appear to be couples with children and the Pontipines are neglectful in the extreme.

Ceebee - you mean to tell me there is an episode I havent seen? What on earth is Mr Rabbit doing with his days then as you never see him and poor mrs Rabbit's head must be spinning with all those jobs! Remember baby is called Alexander now - I could only remember he didnt do much apart from go "wahhhhh" lol

Ceebee - you mean to tell me there is an episode I havent seen? What on earth is Mr Rabbit doing with his days then as you never see him and poor mrs Rabbit's head must be spinning with all those jobs! Remember baby is called Alexander now - I could only remember he didnt do much apart from go "wahhhhh" lol

Peppa pig - you really need to try harder with your Peppa Pig knowledge

I think Mr Rabbit must be a SAHD - it is the only explanation.

Pingu lives with his parents, and an extended family IIRC...

Think the issue for children's drama, especially for older kids, is fundamentally that it's hard for children to have adventures if their parents are around - look at classic children's literature, it's all orphans or evacuees or some other device for getting rid of dramatically inconvenient personages.

Plus in TV terms you'd end up with a bigger cast (expensive and you'd then have to write storylines for them all).

I'm sure that's right edam and it makes perfect sense. Was thinking more of stuff for younger children (my DS is only 2) where there isn't any logical reason to exclude families, especially as they manage it with animated characters. There are not really very exciting storylines in Balamory and yet there are no families at all. Except for the two women in the shop. They might be related but not sure ...

And in Roary (which is favourite du jour) the guy who owns the racetrack has a mother but he's the only person with a relative at all.

Perhaps it is preparing them for the stage when parents are but a mere hindrance to dramatic adventures!

Dysfunctional is the new normal don't ya know

Balamory, like the blasted Tweenies, is based in a nursery, so you wouldn't expect parents to feature much.

(wait until your ds is old enough for CBBC, mine thinks it's entirely reasonable for a lady of a certain age to have a workforce of children in her attic, defending the world against aliens and telling their parents massive lies about where they have been all day... if the Sarah Jane Adventures is still on then!)

pmsl at this thread.

I think in Lazytown, Stephanie's uncle is single at present but has an eye on the woman with the blue hair.Or do I have that all wrong?

I got fed up with wifeswap though because apart from always having to have a posh bird and a chavvy bird they also always had to have nuclear families. Where were the stepkids? Where were the wives without kids? Too often it was more mumswap than wifeswap.
When my kids were young it was tweenies and tellytubbies so no families nuclear or otherwise. When kids were shown the classes always seemd very multiethnic compared to life in Scotland, but perhaps that just reflects life in London.

peppa pig/ceebee - Mr Rabbit works with Daddy Pig (see episode Daddy Pig's Birthday) .

2rebecca, I've watched one episode of wife swap & that had a single mum. But generally its all families!

edam, think you're right re the reasons! It obviously had an effect on me, every story I wrote in school I was either an orphan or had to deal with one of my parents dying & then going & having lots of adventures. I think my parents were a bit worried at parents evening when they read them lol

HELLO HUNNYPIE!!!! lol. Granny Murray scares my partner! lol. I never figured out that Raymond and Lisa were married!!! I'm watching so much Cbeebies at the moment, I'm trying to find soap storylines in the cartoons!

Peppa Pig has a nice family. And Charlie is the loveliest brother to Lola in the world. They set a good example.

Wifeswap where one didn't have kids would be great 2rebecca!

But if they don't have to look after children what do they do all day? It's not like you could have a lawyer and a nurse swap and do each other's jobs.

I think the lack of 'nuclear family' might reflect a general lack of adults. Adults are boring, who wants to watch what they are doing?

Horrid Henry has parents who live together, and look how he turned out!

Rosi - cant believe I have missed him! Presuming you mean the one where Daddy pig has to go to work despite it being his birthday lol. Am going to watch when I get home from work now debating sanity

Regarding Peppa Pig. I used to think that Mrs Rabbit was something of an entrepreneur having so many jobs BUT, having watching the entire collection several times (with my DD aged 2!!) I now think these are all Rebecca Rabbit's aunties. They are called 'Miss Rabbit' and well, we know what rabbits like doing so no wonder there are so many of them! Or now, thinking about it, maybe they are all Rebecca's older sisters!
Just watching Granny Murray - I always reckonded on her being in her 40s. To think, she's only 2 years older than me ...

Wifeswap does have "different" families - I'm sure there was at least one where no-kids woman went to big family, they have also done "partner swap" ie gay bloke swaps with ultra-conservative mum. Not that I watch that sort of trash, naturally...

Charlie & Lola's parents definitely concern me - the mother occasionally makes an off-screen appearance to drive the car. But apart from that they are on their own. "I am definitely mostly a latchkey kid" must surely be the next episode...

Parents are a nuisance in childrens' books/programmes though - the Secret Seven/Famous Five wouldn't have caught half so many dodgy men with mums and dads around. And they certainly wouldn't have had lashings of ginger beer (you'll rot your teeth, come and have a glass of water - George, you're a girl now get cleaned up and put a frock on we're going out, Timmy is a dog now leave him outside)

I think Charlie and Lola manage quite well, but I too fear for the popintipine childrens safety. The last time I saw them they were stuck up a telephone phone and Mr and Mrs just went home and left them there. Probably to have a shag, I mean how do else do you end up with so many children?

Swapping no kids for lots of kids is still more about parent swap than wife swap though. I've yet to see a family on there where the kids come alternate weekends, or go elsewhere on alternate weekends, presumably it wouldn't fit the formula.

Postman Pat did have a wife when we were little but we never saw her. I only know this because I saw an old episode recently when Pat was in the local paper and he said he would take it home and show 'the wife'.

I reckon Sarah is probably his second wife by now though!

Peppa Pig is a lovely nuclear family, and DS loves it as he applies it to our family (DH looks remarkably like Daddy Pig). Uncle Pig (with Chloe and Alexander) is Daddy Pig's brother.

I don't think Miss Rabbit is Rebecca Rabbit's Mum though - and is clearly rubbish at everything as it's always her first day on the job (balloon riding, bus driving).

There is a nuclear family in Little Red Tractor although I'm convinced Stan is the twins' real rather or at least is seeing there mum on the side (their Dad is the one who's always out jogging - clearly supressing something)

Must get out more.

BTW Spicemonster

Helloooow, thanks for the competant comment

Dysgu - that is my theory on the Miss Rabbit(s), I think they are all aunties (or older sisters possibly) as you say, that's why they are "Miss". There are two parents in the Rabbit household/burrow and two parents in the Zebra household too.

And is it troubling anyone else that it is Raymond and Tina who are married, not Raymond and Lisa (Lisa is their [alleged] child). I know it's just a slip of the keyboard but it's been bothering me Though yes, very "interesting" relationship there. For a start, Raymond looks about 18 years old...

Also in Me Too, Rudy and Louie are a couple and are the parents of Jack (though Louie mainly wanders the streets with her trumpet and never seems to drop Jack off or pick him up from Granny Murray).

Diego's family is two parents and two children, all living and working together in a heartwarming display of family unity but possible violation of child labour laws (although arguably being an animal rescuer is a vocation rather than a job, or so I expect they'd argue in court). Baby Jaguar may be from a family headed by a lone parent, though, as I don't think we've ever seen his father.

LOL at this thread - (bunch of saddos !)

The Simpsons is a nuclear family.... 'ideal' or what!!!!

little red tractor they must all be related as they each only have 3 fingers, poor things