Max and Ruby and Toopy and Binou

[Darth Penguin]

The majority of shows I see mentioned here, I've watched, as a child and as an adult, and I have NO issues with letting a kid watch them. They are tame, there is no reason why any parent should actually fear issues with gender confusion, stranger danger (stranger danger is BS, by the way, a large chunk of sexual abuse comes from people the child actually knows, abduction and abuse is far rarer), crossdressing, or making your kid into a brat like caillou.

ITA. esp on the whole strangerdanger crud.

You parent. You can make sure your kid doesn't end up bratty, but that's the only genuine 'copying' concern people should have. Maybe a little bad grammar, I remember picking up 'plus also' from junie b jones. That's it though.

Sadly, some parents would rather stick their kids in front of the tv and not bother raising them and then wonder how they ended up as a "bad child"

People are so worried about all these little things contaminating their kids. Kids don't see phallic objects or dirty jokes in their tv shows. There aren't many on treehouse, but as they get older, I'm sure there will be, but they won't see them until they become teens or adults.

WE ALL watched TV shows with dirty jokes in them as kids and none of us remember them. We look back now and go "WTH how could I have missed that?" but we did. It went right over our heads. And it's going to fly right over your kid's head too, they're not going to look for anything that isn't right in front of their face. Nobody is gay, nobody is a crossdresser, and nobody is mentally handicapped. Everybody is just happy, and they see nothing more than that.

Just google "dirty jokes in kids' shows" and you'll find buckets full that you yourself missed as a kid. You'll look back on wholesome shows like Barney or whatever you watched as a kid and go "Wow that could be interpreted as phallic/creepy/etc", because you've got a tainted adult mind and you look for dirt where none was intended, I know I do.

Potty jokes are a staple of small children.

This video is often cited as a deliberate getting crap past the radar. sadly it was never shown as it was inside joke by the tv company. video NSFW/C

[Darth Penguin]

We just got rid of our cable, so now DS watches TVO Kids. I have the TV on all day long but its mostly just for background noise. I find it a lot more educational than the shows on Treehouse. We spend a lot of time playing peek-a-boo, patty-cake, singing songs, dance, zerberting each other, laughing and playing. I don't believe that sitting my child in front of the TV and then ignoring them is good parenting.

When mine were younger, Treehouse or PBS was on from 9-6 but the kids spent less than 15 mins at a time watching tv unless they were sick. But yup! background all the way.

I am going to love my son no matter what, so a cross-dressing mouse doesn't bother me in the slightest. If he decides to be a cross-dressing mouse I'll buy him a dress and a brick of cheese and support him in his decision. IMHO that's what a good parent does, allows their child the freedom to be who they are, not try to force them into some mold of who they want them to be.

You're a good mother.letting them grow outside our boundries is the hardest thing we have to do as parents. And the most rewarding.

[GoddessDigi]

DD LOVES Toopy and Binou.
Though, I agree, it is a little weird..but she likes it, and it's not exactly bad, so eh.
Max and Ruby..I do find annoying (DD hardly ever watches it). And yeah, where are the parents??
In the Night Garden...now, that is probably one of DD's top 3 fave shows, lol. She used to watch it every single night before bed, or else she didn't want to sleep. But we've been watching Disney lately (because she likes Mickey Mouse and the 'Hot Dog' song lol), so it's been on the decline...


Also, Yo Gabba Gabba, anyone? They really are on drugs, lol.

[Brandy Hunter]

The parent thing, I heard people say about Dora, that it teaches kids to go on an adventure far away without talking to their parents (not that, that should make it any better)

[jessep13]

[QUOTE=Minou;4463714]Wow. I wasn't familiar with the Boohbahs!

It's a good thing they were circumcised!

Why do creators of kids' television shows do this?[/QUOTE

oh my gosh! i havent seen that show in forever my kiddies loved it! what ever happened to it?? As far as in the night garden goes.... yes it is rather odd..... my daughter and i have started to the " round and round a little boat no bigger than your hand, out on the ocean far away from land , take the little sail down , light the little light, this is the wayh to the garden of the night..... thing in circles on her hand so that she falls asleep at night.... ( and yes i know im a dork for having that down) ..... and yes i have always wondered what was going on with max and rubys parents..... I always thought they were in a car accident.... never noticed a picture on the wall at all ( apparently im not very observant) . Toopy and binoo my kiddies are addicted to. and at that age i dont think the sublimal messages are intentional ( we play princess all the time and i have a boy and two girls) although u never know what the producer of the show meant it very well could be done on purpose just to make us go WHAAAAAA???? and the russian acrobats on four square are disturbing.... but thats just like all the other ballet movies for kids i think they are a wee bit noticable too ( like the nutcracker) I really to like the rhythm part of the fou squares though. And yes cailoo is a brat and we do not watch that as then the kiddies whine ALL DAY LONG!

[blueyedmama]

Personally, I think it depends on what you, as a parent, teach your child. DD likes Max & Ruby, we watch 2gether and I explain to her what's happening, how Max is misbehaving, etc..For sure kids are going to try what they see on tv...that's normal. My DSs both were fans of Max & Ruby, and many years later, are great kids. Yes they were whiny a bit when they watched Caillou, but stopped, because it wasn't working like on tv.
Sometimes I think people just look for things to 'analyze'...they 'see' too much into it. There is always going to be complaints about kids' shows no matter how good or educational they are. Let kids be kids...in my opinion.
As for not liking shows, sure there are some that totally blow my mind. But one I cannot stomach is Yo Gabba Gabba....huh?? but, hey, DD likes it, and DH sits down to watch it with her. he says it's decent...alright. I can't stomach them.
But, hey, that's my opinion.

[emmy3111]

Totally agree that if we were to re-watch some of the shows we watched as kids, we'd catch a lot of stuff we never noticed the first time around...

My DS1 used to watch Caillou when he was little... in fact, it was his favourite show. Sure, Caillou's whiny, but there wasn't really anything that I found offensive or hurtful to my child in the show. My son understood that whining does NOT get you what you want, so any "imitation" wasn't a problem.

DS2 didn't really enjoy Caillou, but was obsessed with Max and Ruby... only show he ever wanted to watch. I honestly don't see any reflection of show on him now... I think that these shows likely have much less of a long term effect on kids than some people may worry about.

[ashl3y]

We almost always have the TV on in my house. My daughter doesn't care much for it though. She will turn around and watch if she hears a song to a show she loves (ie. Mickey Mouse!!) but other than that, it's as if she doesn't even realize it's there.