Putting the telly on when your child has visitors

[emkana]

Took my dd's to the house of my dd1's school friend today for a playdate - the younger sister is also the same age as my dd2.

We hadn't been there 10 mins when the two sisters we were visiting started discussing which DVD they wanted to watch. When they had made their choice the mum promptly put that DVD on.

After that the girls still played with my daughters, but the TV was a distraction and I just didn't understand it why it had to be put on in the first place? IMO it's rude and totally wrong timing, I would always say to my dd's that they could watch something when their visitors are gone, but that with visitors there they should play and not be distracted.

Am I alone in this?

It was rather funny- I had to be all serious and make them delete the film :)

Tamum - obviously what you do when your friends come round, then?

he must have learned that from somewhere....

heimlich, anyone?

Damn, that must be where he got it from, thanks Blu. I will try and restrain myself in future.

I am still spluttering...

I arrived at someone's house to find a terrible commotion. The two 4 year-olds had built a really good lego house, and had then decided to let older bother's mouse live in it. They had rather over-enthusiastically tried to stuff the wriggling mouse down the chimney - and Done For It. general uproar and howling all round.

You see, Emkana - Worse things Can Happen On Playdates!

Tamum - will e mail you.

and PS it wasn't DS who was involved in Mousegate!

Look forward to it :)

Mousegate is pretty impressive as playdates go, I have to say!

Blu! How cross was the older brother I wonder...more choking here I'm afraid. You could not make that up!

And now we know which Scottish household may have inspired a recent episode of Desperate Housewives...

Glad you said that - you have reminded me its on tonight!

LOL with splitting sides!

No I don't think it is dismissing other people's cultural norms. I think it is rude not to consider whether something in your house may make a guest feel uncomfortable, and it's not too much a stretch of the imagination to realise that having the tv on could qualify.

I have one question - do you have 'silent' houses (if you take the kids noise out)? Or do you have the radio or a CD on in the 'background'??

Don't think I made my point very well - I know there are things we all do at home which are perfectly acceptable among our own family etc, but I would not necessarily do them when guests came. I don't think someone should have to listen to me weeing with the door open just because it is the norm in my family.

Well no my house is not silent because I and my family are living in it. But no I don't have noise from the tv or radio on, unless we are watching / listening to something. Why would you want to?

I also guess none of you have ever had a 'girls night in' (or similar) with a DVD, chat and snacks????

so you actively sit down and listen to something (CD or radio) and do nothing else while listening?? !

ha ha I remember the Bumper Book of Big Boobies Batters, ha ha! I don't do telly as background really, although when dd was smaller baby einstein was v handy. And I couldn't live without cbeebies generally. I think tv's fine on playdates if they've agreed between themselves that's what they want to do: walking with dinosaurs was a big hit when ds was smaller. But I intensely dislike it on at someone's house if I go round to see another adult, EVERYONE'S mesmerised by it and you don't get eye contact I find.

We would usually put music on during a meal or something. I don't have it on all day in the background. Why the ?

Apropos of very little, one of DD1's mates said rather loudly to me when I went to pick her up (and I think the telly was on, her dad was taking the opportunity to watch it whie the kids played) 'I can see your boobies' So much for my attempts not to look matronly.

Seriously, though, I think that after a day of school they often want to crash, in a not very productive way, in front of the telly in the company of their mates. Which is something with which I can strongly identify, actually.

so you DO use it as background then - because I presume while eating your dinner you're talking.... I just find it really odd, even with kids in the house there are 'awkward silences' (and I've got a 5 and 2yr old!) and I think it's nice to have something there.

Actually I find my children more mesmorized by having the radio/cd on than the TV - as DS2 can't get over all the 'flashing lights' on the Hi-fi

God yeah after a day of 3 kids, washing, wiping cooking on and on and on I defo want to just crash and watch c.....do somtimes get motivated and walk to the shop for some chips or choc......