Some things are NOT appropriate for children!

[gypsyanna]

Now. I'm usually a supporter of parents having the right to decide what is appropriate viewing material for their own children. They know the little kiddos best, and therefore they are the best judge of that child's level of maturity.

Of course, I'm a prude in many ways. If it were left to me, the little darlings would be reading books on the level of Little House on the Prairie until they were 16, and then they could branch out to other things. I've seen some young adult novels that I thoroughly enjoyed but which broached topics I wasn't sure I wanted a 13 year old reading. But then again, those same topics are no worse than what they're finding on the 'family' sitcoms, and probably tamer, since they'd have to imagine the words into a visual whereas TV provides the visual.

However. There are limits to my support. I discovered this last night, as I was driving. I don't recall the exact conversation because the little bomb blew it clear out of my head. But it led to my 13 year old neice casually mentioning True Blood. Now, my brain automatically translates True Blood to the Sookie Stackhouse series in book form. It took a few seconds for it to dawn on me - what the hell does Codie know about True Blood? And how much does she know, to just mention it in casual conversation? Those questions were quickly answered by the realization the only way she could know anything was to have watched the show.

Then I did a stupid thing. I asked. Ignorance is bliss. Half-ignorance might drive me crazy. Knowledge drove me dumb.

Apparently, my sister thinks True Blood is a perfectly appropriate family show to sit around and watch. She, her thing she calls a husband, 13 year old Codie, and 11 year old Austin sit and watch True Blood. Together. As a family. With all the cussing, all the sex, and all the full-frontal nudity. And this is appropriate viewing material for children because, as Beth says, "They'll see it somewhere anyway."

Yes - but not for many more years yet! When they actually LOOK old enough to get into R rated movies!

I've only watched the first season of True Blood. I was greatly annoyed by the differences between the books and the show, and extremely annoyed with how badly they screwed up the Sookie Stackhouse personality. But if the following seasons were as explicit as the first season...

::shudder::

I have the feeling that their social worker isn't aware of what the family watches together...

Comments

[cavaticat.livejournal.com]

I hate to tell you, Anna, but by 11 years old -- by NINE -- most boys are masturbating and trying to date. Not because of some sociological imposition. That's just biology. Boys hit puberty at prepubescence, and girls aren't far behind.

(I went from having no interest in boys, at age 12, to being in a long-term sexual relationship by 15. Television didn't Make Me Do it. It was my own educated choice.)

Admittedly, it's pretty... well, weird, at the very least... for a family to sit around watching HBO together like that. My parents aren't prudes by any stretch of the imagination, but it would be weird for me to watch a lot of sex and violence with my dad in the room.

But I get the sense your sister's judgment that it's better for kids to see this stuff supervised -- in a safe environment where they can ask questions about what they're seeing and get straight answers from both parents, than to get it from Mikey and the sticky skin mag he passes under the desk in home room -- is probably about right. (Which, by the way, is probably already happening anyhow.)

[gypsy-anna.livejournal.com]

Intellectually, I know you're right about the kids. Emotionally - they're still shorter than me and my brain still thinks of them as little kids. Which is reinforced when the 13 year old is begging for a Build-A-Bear.

I never made any claims to make sense, remember. :)

And I wish I could agree with you that my sister's motivation is that they be exposed to it in a supervised way, but... I've never told you any stories about my sister. It's less supervision and more selfishness, I'm sure. SHE wants to watch it when it's convenient to her, and who the hell cares if the kids are in the house? Asking questions isn't encouraged and if they dared to ask during the show, their stepfather would most likely get ticked off, yell at them, and send them to their rooms.

There are three reasons why I didn't disown this particular sister over a year ago:

1. Codie, my niece
2. Austin, my nephew
3. The distress it would cause my mother, who has cardiac problems that are worsened by stress. Her younger siblings won't speak to the older siblings, and vice versa, and that's enough to have caused her to up her nitroglycerin intake during family events. The thought of having two of her own kids not speaking would be an on-going stressor that could have much graver consequences.