Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Flip

1 2

Original poster

To judge my friend for letting her DS aged 2 watch Power Rangers?

44 replies

Tryharder · 10/04/2009 19:07

Spent the afternoon at a friend's recently and she had Cartoon Network/Jetix on the entire time and her son who's 2 was glued to what appeared to be back to back episodes of Power Rangers (with "real" actors as opposed to a cartoon version)

I was a bit at the violence which included one man getting his face burned!! Her DS loved it and was copying the fighting scenes etc. I was a bit and my friend said that her DS won't watch anything else and that CBeebies is too babyish.

Now, my DS1 who's 4 only watches CBeebies and /or Milkshake because we are probably the last remaining family in the UK without a Sky/Virgin subscription. DS1 moans a bit if In the Night Garden comes on but is happy to watch Balamory/Peppa Pig and a couple of other old favourites.

Anyway, was discussing this with DP the other night and he said we should get Sky as DS1 will be left out when he goes to school in Sept when the other children are discussing BenTen and Power Rangers etc.

So AIBU? Do other people let their preschoolers watch violent cartoons or things like Power Rangers or am I being a bit of a wuss? I just can't believe it's right for a 2 year old to be kick boxing in front of a telly!

OP posts:

ScorpiowithabigS · 10/04/2009 19:08

I think its quite common for children that age, yes.

Btw, actual kick boxing is fine at any age but i don't let mine watch Power Rangers. Ben 10 isn't so bad. (imo)

aGalChangedHerName · 10/04/2009 19:10

Does shae have any older dc? My ds2 watched stuff my ds1 wouldn't have been allowed to see because ds1 was watching older age programmes.

Lizzylou · 10/04/2009 19:13

My DS's are 5 and 3, they don't watch Powerrangers (though DS1 "plays" it at school and has some figures), Ben 10 is good and is on ITV1 (only Freeview here)on weekends (or used to be).
The DS's aren't bothered tbh, although DS1 recently said that he didn't play with two of his friends as they were playing a game he didn't know as he had never watched the programme.
DS1 started playing Powerrangers aged 3 ish, boys at his preschool got him into it, even though he's never watched it.

compo · 10/04/2009 19:14

my 2 year old watches Tom and Jerry and Ben 10 with her 5 year old brother

mumof2andabit · 10/04/2009 19:19

my nearly 3yr ds watches power rangers and ben10. He jumps up and tries to copy the martial art moves etc. He knows it is great to pretend but actually hurting someone is very VERY wrong. IMO if he has to watch telly he may as well be bouncing along with it than sat glued to it rooted to the spot. So yes yabu to judge your friend. If I thoughy my friends were judging me on something so trivial I would be mortified.

GodzillasSpringFever · 10/04/2009 19:28

One piece of advice - get a freeview box asap.

Have a little faith in your son - you will find things on telly usually aren't 'real'. Even down to the news in some cases!

SmallShips · 10/04/2009 19:28

I've just realised thay my 3 year old is rather fond of the Simpsons .

I wouldn't let my DS watch Power Rangers, tis Cbeebies or nothing, but only because its the only childrens tele without adverts.

compo · 10/04/2009 19:30

if he only watches cbeebies how did he get to like the Simpsons?!!

mumof2andabit · 10/04/2009 19:32

Tis on during the bedtime hour dont ya know

tiredandwornoutmum · 10/04/2009 19:34

YANBU like you my ds 3.7 only EVER watches milkshake and cbeebies.

Wouldn't dare show him more violent cartoons as he would copy and definitly not understand the distinction between not real fighting on tv and being alloowed in real life. At least not yet.

Oh and nemo over and over and over agin....but thats another thread

Seona1973 · 10/04/2009 19:35

my 2.5year old ds watches Ben10. Neither him or my 5 year old dd have watched power rangers as I think it is rubbish. DD will still play power rangers with her nephews even though she hasnt seen it.

mumof2andabit · 10/04/2009 19:37

Why wouldn't he understand? We tell ds they are pretending or if very rarely he says no they aren't, that they are being very naughty and he tells them off.

Far better he watched power rangers than fricking hannas helpline and listens to me walking off muttering unthinkables under my breath lol

Original poster

Tryharder · 10/04/2009 19:39

We have freeview but not digital subscription. Am a bit loathe to get one because of the expense but also because we watch enough crap as it is and I know that DP would end up watching sport 24/7.

But it appears that I might be in a bit of minority about this...

I just hate violence - I can remember being 5 or 6 and coming down into the sitting room late at night when my Dad was watching a film - there was some horrible scene involving a man being attacked by a monster and this gave me nightmares for months...

Not saying that power rangers is as bad as that but surely, it's more suitable for older preteens and preschoolers should stick to things like Balamory and Thomas the Tank Engine as opposed to real life characters fighting.

(And no, my friend only has the one DS. )

OP posts:

everGreensleeves · 10/04/2009 19:40

I don't let me 6yo or my 4yo watch Ben10 (too much gun violence) or Power Rangers or anything else violent and aggressive. We're pacifists and my children will just have to put up with it until they are old enough to buy their own tellies for their own homes

MotherofInvention · 10/04/2009 19:41

YANBU. Totally inapporopriate for a 2 year old, and older ones too. We have some Cbeebies on occasionally but mostly gentle 1970s DVDs in our house for 4-year-old boys. Only one hour max if not less on weekday evenings.

They will not be left out at school - my two talk confidently about Spiderman and Sportacus etc and do martial arts moves even though they've never seen any as it just filters through from the other kids. Which is fine. But a lot of kids telly today is totally vacant IMO - pointless entertainment based around fast action and violence that many kids are not emotionally equipped to deal with, and of course linked to merchandising. I think sparing your kids that for as long as possible is doing them a massive favor. But I am aware we're in the minority - in fact we've just cancelled our TV subscription...

nappyaddict · 10/04/2009 19:41

I know loads of 2 year olds who watch Ben 10 and Power Rangers although my DS is more interested in more babyish programmes like ITNG.

Meglet · 10/04/2009 19:42

Yanbu. You might as well monitor what he watches at home while he's still young. Cbeebies and milkshake are fine for now. But if he watches power rangers etc at other peoples houses it won't be the end of the world.

mumof2andabit · 10/04/2009 19:43

My ds loves thomas the tank engine, balamory etc however he is a typical little boy. Loves play fighting with dh (dh loves it too funnily enough lol) which obviously he knows isnt real violence. I really dont understand why people have a problem with this type of thing as every child is different. Perhaps your ds would react very diffrently to my ds after watching ben 10 or whatever. But I really wouldn't judge your friend unless her son is going round high kicking your ds all the time!

feedthegoat · 10/04/2009 19:46

I must admit my ds who's coming up to 3 and a half is really showing an interest in this and I'm not keen.

I haven't gone as far as banning it but I certainly don't actively seek it out and if he does come across it (generally as turning tv on sunday mornings) I try to entice him away with some toy or other.

I did relent the other day and let him choose a power rangers lunch bag (so no judging if you see us on a picnic ). But I'm not looking forward to the time when all tv and toys are like this and I don't think I've got long as he thinks it's great.

worley · 10/04/2009 19:51

when i had just ds1(now 10) he was never allowed to watch such stuff as power rangers etc etc, but he did start to like spiderman and batman etc at about 3ish, with ds2 (3 in june)he does watch power rangers and loves ben10, he likes what ever his brother likes and other children at nursery likes to,
as for gun violence in ben10 ,, there are no guns in ben10, i had to double check with ds1 who is an avid ben10 fan, he says the alien diamond head shoots diamonds and the alien heatblast shoots balls of fire, ds2 knows this isnt real.
so in a way i think yabu but thinking about when it was just ds1 i would have thougt that no ynbu, iyswim.

SmallShips · 10/04/2009 19:51

Compo - CBeebies during the day, if hes up after 18:30 (rarely) its my time and he sits quitely with his books or he goes to bed, i'm a bit crap at enforcing this rule though clearly.

noonki · 10/04/2009 20:03

yanbu - I have friends that let their kids watch Ben 10 and power rangers and think it is really sad that they are seen as ok for children.

People wonder why society is getting increasingly violent. I don't.

gegs73 · 10/04/2009 20:07

DS1 5 is into Ben 10 which I let him watch when DS2 who is nearly 2 is in the room. He watches it maybe 2/3x a week and both of them love it. Ben 10 (old version not Alien Force) is not really bad at all, aliens fighting in a very unrealistic way. In an ideal world DS2 would not see it until he's older as there is some fantasy violence but he does and it doesn't seem to make him more likely to hit etc. So for this YABU.

However Power Rangers hmmm. DS1 did use to watch this when DS2 was in the room and it definately made DS2 hit more. This has since been banned for DS1 unless DS2 is sleeping or not there. So for this one YANBU. I don't think its suitable for 2yo or at least mine. DS1 started watching a few episodes when he was 4 and was old enough to realise that hitting is not good, Power Rangers is not real and he would be in trouble if he did it!

tassisssss · 10/04/2009 20:08

I have friends that let their kids watch Ben 10 and power rangers and think it is really sad that they are seen as ok for children.

noonki - wondering what exactly your issue with Ben 10 is? Fair enough not great for pre-schoolers, but my almost 6 year old adores it...

noonki · 10/04/2009 20:16

tassissss - my main issue with BEN10 is that is absolutely pointless. It reminds me of Yu Gi Oh that DSS was addicted to and that was jsut aimed at marketing crap at kids.

Why would you want your kids to watch a programme that as far as I can work out about shooting the hell out of monsters.

I am happy for my kids to watch a bit of telly as long as there is some vague educational/emotional value to it.

Flip

1 2