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Everyone focuses on protecting kids from inappropriate TV shows. But what about inappropriate commercials? Jen Singer, creator of the blog, Mommasaid.net, has learned to be lightning-fast with the remote.
I could hear him coming, so I scrambled for the remote. I frantically flipped the channel from my favorite TV show, the sometimes scary, often gory, CSI, to something more suitable for my nine-year-old son, who was quickly approaching the family room. But all I could find that fast was the Weather Channel.
As I pretended to care about the High Wind Advisory in the Buffalo area, my son asked, “Can I watch TV with you?” I replied, “Are you interested in how the snowstorm will affect tomorrow’s commute in Denver?” He shook his head, and I shooed him away, promising I’d take him to see a movie sometime soon. At 8 o’clock at night, there was seemingly nothing on TV for the two of us to watch together. And the commercials? They ought to carry ratings, too.
As my son wandered back upstairs, I longed for the old days of family TV viewing, back when I watched The Donny & Marie Show or The Wonderful World of Disney with my mom before bedtime. Or when we watched New York Cosmos soccer games together, and my mother could go get a glass of water at half-time without worrying I’d see something inappropriate on TV while she was gone.
Nowadays, though, watching TV with the kids can feel like a full-time job for us parents. I flip to the Food Network during commercial breaks in Mets and Yankees telecasts, because it’s better for my tweens to watch Iron Chef than to see a commercial for coverage of Kim Kardashian’s Playboy photo shoot or Lindsey Lohan’s latest bust. When my kids and I watch TV together, I keep my finger on the “Jump” button on the remote, just in case. I have to.
My kids and I enjoy watching Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?, but not the commercials for the frequently potty-mouthed and often off-color Family Guy. We get a kick out of Deal or No Deal, but not the ads for Law & Order SVU. We love HGTV’s Flip That House, but wonder why words banned in our house are considered suitable for TV-G shows. If it weren’t for MythBusters, we wouldn’t have much to watch on a lazy Saturday afternoon in the family room. And I don’t care much about the snowstorm in Denver, either.
It’s not that I want to bring back Donny and Marie, though my kids and I did watch them on Oprah, and I didn’t have to change the channel – until the previews for her upcoming shows came on. I just want to be able to turn on the TV with the kids in the room without having to hit the Jump button. I just want to say “Yes,” when my nine-year-old asks, “Can I watch TV with you?”
Jen Singer is the creator of MommaSaid.net, a Forbes Best of the Web community for moms. She also writes the Good Grief! blog about parenting tweens for GoodHousekeeping.com, and she’s the author of the forthcoming “You’re a Good Mom (And Your Kids Aren’t So Bad Either)” (Sourcebooks, April 2008). She’s the mother of two boys, ages 9 and 10, who think their mom would win a million dollars on Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader? as long as they don’t ask too many science questions.
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