"Kids" content that is totally innappropriate

[Ravin]

I was disappointed that the Minions were bad and looking for an evil leader to follow.

If you saw the Despicable Me movies this would not have been a surprise.

[mellifera33]

That is funny you mention that, SpongeBob is on my no-no list but for a different reason. Mean insults get laughs. I have a low tolerance for mean.

 

One that was watched a few months ago (DD ages 6) was a Family Guy episode. I don't like the show but DH and DD watched sometimes, so the three of us watched it together once. I don't think I'm old enough for that episode! The boy got a job with the neighbor scheduling 'visits' and washing 'toys' in the dishwasher. It went over DD's head, partially due to my sudden desire to play a game with her while watching the show. DH claimed that they aren't normally like that, and I've watched a few before and I don't remember that. But, I was still upset.

No, Family Guy is just awful. The pedophile neighbor is a running joke. I am pretty lax about media, but Family Guy is not allowed in my house.

[Ravin]

This is so true. We had an issue one summer with our swim team because we showed a movie that depicted adoption badly in the eyes of some parents who had adopted. I think the movie was Tangled, but I can't remember. I know my own daughter was really freaked out by Tangled with the idea that the witch was supposed to be Rapunzel's Mom but not her real Mom but an evil Mom. I could understand why they didn't want their kids to see it but I wouldn't have thought about it being a problem myself (it was before my daughter had seen it).

 

I like Common Sense Media reviews. They are very thorough but I like that. Often, it's stuff that I'm ok with but it's helpful to know if there is something that might be a problem for one of my kids. The thoroughness makes it easy to figure out if it's a problem for your family rather than just a generic "PG".

Tangled depicts someone kidnapping a child and raising them as their own. Not the same thing as adoption.

[Ravin]

I know a woman who wouldn't let her kids watch SpongeBob just because she was totally annoyed by the sound of his voice

 

 

Okay, so, that woman is me :leaving:

This is legit.

[Ravin]

:lol: Sandy the Squirrel is the killer for me. She's worse than SB.

 

ETA: (Can we add Cailou to the list?)

And Elmo!

[maize]

Tangled depicts someone kidnapping a child and raising them as their own. Not the same thing as adoption.

Not the same but could absolutely be problematic for some kids.

[Paige]

It's kind of like "shut the front door." Really far removed, but not far enough for some. I wasn't allowed to say poop as a kid, along with a lot of other pretty benign things, so I'm familiar with the requirement for squeaky clean language in some communities.

 

Help me out here...I thought shut the front door was about shutting the door because you were surprised, or  I maybe never thought about it, but I can't even imagine what it's supposed to be similar to that is bad.  :confused1:

[Tangerine]

Help me out here...I thought shut the front door was about shutting the door because you were surprised, or  I maybe never thought about it, but I can't even imagine what it's supposed to be similar to that is bad.  :confused1:

 

I think the phrase "shut the f..." at the beginning is a nod to another phrase beginning with "shut the f..."  OR, another possibility.  My puritanical upbringing just makes me notice things that aren't there.  But I think it's the former.

[Murphy101]

Help me out here...I thought shut the front door was about shutting the door because you were surprised, or I maybe never thought about it, but I can't even imagine what it's supposed to be similar to that is bad. :confused1:

Well I'm with you because I didn't either until someone told me it was to replace something along the lines of "no f-ing way!" I still think that is nonsense. But I also had someone tell me I shouldn't say "that sucks" because of course it's a reference to a sex act. What sucks? She said trying to convince me. Eggs! It sucks rotten eggs! I explained in agast reply wondering what kind of perv mind I'd let into my home. 😳

[Paige]

I think the phrase "shut the f..." at the beginning is a nod to another phrase beginning with "shut the f..."  OR, another possibility.  My puritanical upbringing just makes me notice things that aren't there.  But I think it's the former.

 

I could work that part out when I thought of it, but the front door part threw me. What's the front door? Obviously the front door. You want to shut it because you're surprised and want to keep everyone in, right? That's all I ever thought.

[Guest]

Well I'm with you because I didn't either until someone told me it was to replace something along the lines of "no f-ing way!" I still think that is nonsense. But I also had someone tell me I shouldn't say "that sucks" because of course it's a reference to a sex act. What sucks? She said trying to convince me. Eggs! It sucks rotten eggs! I explained in agast reply wondering what kind of perv mind I'd let into my home. 😳

 

 

Seriously? Oh my word. My friends and I have been saying stuff sucks since 1980 something and with no sexual reference intended! That person needs to get a grip. Of course I also think the F word can be said with out being intended as sexual reference. It's just one of those bad words that sometimes seems super appropriate when something really bad happens for me, but I do attempt to not say it in front of other people, with a slight modicum of success! 

[Tangerine]

I listened to a podcast about the history of swearing today (and laughed and laughed with my 10 y.o. while we waited for his ballet recital, but I won't go telling you it was kid appropriate.)  They covered the F word.  No mention of sucking, but I have ALWAYS assumed it was a sexual reference. 

Edited June 18, 2017 by Tangerine

[happypamama]

No SpongeBob here. Or Caillou.

 

And the worst -- my children don't even know who the singing purple dinosaur is. I can't stand him and said that absolutely, he was not allowed in my house at all. Ever. He's the only character I dislike more than Jar Jar Binks.

[JustEm]

No SpongeBob here. Or Caillou.

 

And the worst -- my children don't even know who the singing purple dinosaur is. I can't stand him and said that absolutely, he was not allowed in my house at all. Ever. He's the only character I dislike more than Jar Jar Binks.

Are we the same person? Because I could have written this exact thing about myself.

[Tanaqui]

Tangled depicts someone kidnapping a child and raising them as their own. Not the same thing as adoption.

 

Yes, but I can see how some adopted children might still feel upset or uncomfortable watching it.

 

But I also had someone tell me I shouldn't say "that sucks" because of course it's a reference to a sex act. What sucks? She said trying to convince me. Eggs! It sucks rotten eggs!

 

Well, I always heard "it sucks d***", which definitely is a reference to a sex act, along with its counterpart "this blows", which means the same thing in both senses.

 

Edit: Many hours later, it occurs to me that sometimes I've heard "it sucks a**". At any rate, it's definitely there.

Edited June 18, 2017 by Tanaqui

[scoutingmom]

No SpongeBob here. Or Caillou.

 

And the worst -- my children don't even know who the singing purple dinosaur is. I can't stand him and said that absolutely, he was not allowed in my house at all. Ever. He's the only character I dislike more than Jar Jar Binks.

I used to play Doom, a first person shooter computer game. But I had a modified version, and the final monster was modified to be that very same dinosaur singing his song. Very satisfying to make him stop!

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

[JustEm]

I used to play Doom, a first person shooter computer game. But I had a modified version, and the final monster was modified to be that very same dinosaur singing his song. Very satisfying to make him stop!

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

Hehe. I had that version as well. I also had a version where all the monsters we're Simpsons characters and you were Home.

[scoutingmom]

Hehe. I had that version as well. I also had a version where all the monsters we're Simpsons characters and you were Home.

The common trooper monster was changed to energizer bunnies.... :)

 

Sent from my SM-T530NU using Tapatalk

Edited June 18, 2017 by scoutingmom

[nixpix5]

Everyone keeps saying they are or their parents were "very liberal" - maybe but I bet not. Or maybe I am just confused again about the concept of liberal vs conservative because I never seem to fit either as neatly as everyone else seems to do.

 

My parents had ZERO concept of childhood or protecting children from adult things. There were no adult things. Everything was just life and kids were expected to adapt and conform to the adult environment. Which really this is how most of history was too. The concept of protecting the innocent psych of children and giving them a childhood suited to their developmental ability as it's being discussed in modern terms is fairly new to most cultures. And yet, I bet not a single person on this board would call my parents liberal. Unless it was as an epithet. Maybe that's just me projecting my opinion though...? My dad thinks the entire premise of not discussing details of his sex life or violence and more around even very young children is flat out stupid and raising a generation of "ignorant pansies and snowflakes." I don't think that makes him liberal or conservative though.

 

I do not think letting my kids watch Harry Potter makes me liberal.

I do not think refusing to let my kids watch Zootopia again makes me concervative.

 

I'm just a mom trying not to completely screw up my kids same as everyone else.

I am not sure about everyone else but when I say my parents were liberal I do not mean in the same way it is now being used politically. I mean the definition consisting of "generous, ample, alot of" etc. So they let me watch television in a liberal fashion (no restraints on time I spent or content I watched). The same way one might say "he poured the drink liberally into my glass" or something along those lines.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

The political sense of liberal is not the only meaning of the word, I think some posters are using the term liberal in the sense of not restricting something. Allowing liberal access.

 

Not a political thing.

 

 

I am not sure about everyone else but when I say my parents were liberal I do not mean in the same way it is now being used politically. I mean the definition consisting of "generous, ample, alot of" etc. So they let me watch television in a liberal fashion (no restraints on time I spent or content I watched). The same way one might say "he poured the drink liberally into my glass" or something along those lines.

 

 

 

Coming in to say the same thing.  Liberal and Conservative have meanings beyond political.  I have a conservative food policy- ask first, and if it's not a meal time, I'll probably be saying no.  But I have a liberal craft supply policy- my kids can get out craft supplies whenever they want, and so can their guests.  A friend of mine is the exact opposite.  

 

I'd love a link to that podcast on bad language... might be a fun listen!

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I listened to a podcast about the history of swearing today (and laughed and laughed with my 10 y.o. while we waited for his ballet recital, but I won't go telling you it was kid appropriate.)  They covered the F word.  No mention of sucking, but I have ALWAYS assumed it was a sexual reference. 

 

Link?   :laugh:

[eternalsummer]

We are super conservative about what the kids watch; we don't own small electronic devices or tvs, and only have the 2 computers we use for work, so they don't get a lot of electronics time anyway and would generally prefer to play minecraft or slitherio.

 

I find something objectionable in almost ever modern (or even semi=modern, in many cases) kids' movie or tv show.  The exceptions, as far as I can tell, are Totoro (and to some extent some of the other Ghibli movies - we are also liking Ronja) and a great movie called Song of the Sea.

[Rosie_0801]

This is showing diverse families to reflect the experience of more readers. That isn't "PC".

 

No, it's business.

[Alice]

Tangled depicts someone kidnapping a child and raising them as their own. Not the same thing as adoption.

 

 

Yes, I know this. 

 

But even with my non-adopted daughter the conversation went like this...

Z:  "Why is Rapunzel's Mommy being so mean to her?" 

Me: "Oh, because she's not really her Mommy. She's a mean witch who kidnapped her." 

Z: "Then why does Rapunzel say that she's her mother?"

Me: "Because the witch told her she's her real mother and Rapunzel thinks she is." 

Z: "How do you know someone is your real Mommy?"

Me: "Well your real Mommy is the person who loves you and takes care of you."

Z: ....after a quiet worried pause...."What about Sarah?" (a friend of her that is adopted) 

Me: "Oh, that's different. Sarah is adopted but her Mommy is still her real Mommy.....[longer explanation about adoption and how what the witch did isn't adoption]"

 

We watch a little more...Rapunzel escapes from the tower and the witch is following her. 

 

Z: "I don't like this movie. Why is her Mommy being so mean?" 

 

We turn it off. 

 

It totally freaked her out and I could see her thinking "How do I know I wasn't kidnapped and my Mommy is just saying she is my real Mommy?" She could probably watch it now at age 7 1/2 and be fine with it but this was at about age 5. My boys had watched it about that age and were totally fine. And I could see how adoptive parents might feel more sensitive about those issues and how their kids felt about the movie. 

 

Anyway, my point was that every kid is different and sometimes what is a perfectly fine movie for one kid is scary for another. My oldest was petrified of Veggie Tales as a kid. That was fun as a Christian since every single gathering that offered "a kids movie" showed Veggie Tales. He thought the talking veggies were really freaky. On the other hand he would watch very realistic nature documentaries of sharks and have no problem. You just have to know your kid. 

[MercyA]

And Elmo!

 

It's the constant speaking in third person that drives me bonkers.  :banghead:

[MercyA]

Seriously? Oh my word. My friends and I have been saying stuff sucks since 1980 something and with no sexual reference intended! That person needs to get a grip. 

 

But I also had someone tell me I shouldn't say "that sucks" because of course it's a reference to a sex act. What sucks? She said trying to convince me. Eggs! It sucks rotten eggs! I explained in agast reply wondering what kind of perv mind I'd let into my home. 😳

 

Well, FWIW, my mom is neither pervy nor puritanical and doesn't mind using choice words herself when warranted, and she didn't like us to say "sucks" because she said it referred to a sexual act. I think it's probably one of those phrases that have lost the original meaning over time. Maybe, as Tanaqui mentioned, it used to be more common to say the whole phrase ("that sucks [...]").

Edited June 18, 2017 by MercyA

[Tangerine]

Link? :laugh:

https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/how-to-do-everything/id420543296?mt=2&i=1000375710289

 

The words are censored in a funny way, but you have to listen to the other topics in the episode to get it.

[backroadsmom]

The Netflix kids cartoon movie SAHARA needs a trigger warning or a PG-13 rating. It has tons of sexual themes (hypnotized snakes racing toward a glowing orb in a weird sperm-like way followed by a sort of slut-shaming and discussing "first times"), belly dancing, other sexual references, fat shaming, hints of racism (towards other species of snakes) and God knows what else because I stopped the kids from watching it.

 

I figured as long as I was starting a thread, we should talk about other content that should be avoided, and why. What have you found that was marketed towards kids that you stopped them from watching?

Finally, someone who finds belly dancing off putting. Thought I was the only one who finds it offensive and yucky.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[Mergath]

Seriously? Oh my word. My friends and I have been saying stuff sucks since 1980 something and with no sexual reference intended! That person needs to get a grip. Of course I also think the F word can be said with out being intended as sexual reference. It's just one of those bad words that sometimes seems super appropriate when something really bad happens for me, but I do attempt to not say it in front of other people, with a slight modicum of success! 

 

I think it's one of those words that might have had some kind of sexual connotation many, many years ago, but has become so common that for most people it now only means what it means- that something isn't good. I don't know anyone who actually thinks someone saying, "Wow, that sucks," is referencing a sex act.

[Mergath]

Finally, someone who finds belly dancing off putting. Thought I was the only one who finds it offensive and yucky.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

 

Middle Eastern folk dancing is "offensive and yucky"? :huh:

[Haiku]

the rest of us get to be of equal value too.  ...and that doesn't have to take anything away from you.   Really. 

 

So much this.

 

It really upsets me that people believe that other people (and their kids) should be invisible in society. I can't imagine going through life trying to act like some people don't exist.

[Laura Corin]

Well, FWIW, my mom is neither pervy nor puritanical and doesn't mind using choice words herself when warranted, and she didn't like us to say "sucks" because she said it referred to a sexual act. I think it's probably one of those phrases that have lost the original meaning over time. Maybe, as Tanaqui mentioned, it used to be more common to say the whole phrase ("that sucks [...]").

Note the Seventeenth Century reference to a 'suck egg' a stupid person.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teaching_grandmother_to_suck_eggs

[MercyA]

Middle Eastern folk dancing is "offensive and yucky"? :huh:

 

I wouldn't have chosen those exact words, but isn't belly dancing intended to be sensual? Honestly, I don't know that much about it, so am open to correction. It always seemed a very adult style of dance to me, as opposed to something like a Greek Orthodox folk dance.

[....]

I wouldn't have chosen those exact words, but isn't belly dancing intended to be sensual? Honestly, I don't know that much about it, so am open to correction. It always seemed a very adult style of dance to me, as opposed to something like a Greek Orthodox folk dance.

 

I lived in the Middle East, so I'm not completely pulling this out of nowhere.  Yes, belly dancing isn't considered family entertainment in a lot of places over there.     

[fdrinca]

 

The thing about innuendo is that age appropriateness is built in. It goes right over the kids' heads and gives a layer of entertainment for the adults that can make a movie or show more entertaining

 

Re: minions....they are minions! Do minions exist without an evil leader? Can one just be a "minion" without context?

 

I just wish studios would make more kids movies that don't have to try so hard to appeal to older viewers or adults with in jokes, innuendo, or other subtle themes. I have a kiddo who can tell when there is something under the surface (because an adult nearby laughs? Because of the awkwardness of the scene in shoehorning a joke?), and wants to know why.

Edited June 18, 2017 by fdrinca

[nixpix5]

I thought The Secret Life of Pets was also pushing the line of wildly innapropriate. I am not as parent who overly analyzes things as I prefer my child to experience culture with me first so we can talk about it (age appropriately of course) but this movie was over the top.

[QueenCat]

I've learned through the years that I tell parents ahead of time, "we'll be watching xyZ movie, if that's okay"

 

Because families have such different standards.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I used to do this too. For a sleepover party, I'd include the movie being watched on the invitation. That way, the parent would know ahead of time & could decide if that worked or didn't work for them. Only once can I remember it not working for one child.

[Katy]

Middle Eastern folk dancing is "offensive and yucky"? :huh:

 

It wasn't a folk dance I was watching.  I was watching snakes teach a younger, more impressionable snake that didn't fit in because she was "fat," and "had never done it before,"  a dance that was clearly extremely sexual and culminated in what can only be described as multiple orgasms and conception exploding into a medusa head.  Then slut shaming her for participating.  I don't think you can comprehend how bad it is unless you watch it yourself.  DH thought I was completely blowing things out of proportion so I rewound to the part that disturbed me and he didn't get through 30% of it without agreeing he wouldn't have let the video play that long.  Seriously, if this was a cable network it would NEVER be allowed to be marketed to children.

 

I wouldn't have chosen those exact words, but isn't belly dancing intended to be sensual? Honestly, I don't know that much about it, so am open to correction. It always seemed a very adult style of dance to me, as opposed to something like a Greek Orthodox folk dance.

 

Yeah, it wasn't a dance that was the problem.  It was seduction and so much more.  I wish someone else here would watch it (after their children are in bed) so I'm not the only boardie who knows what I'm talking about...

 

As an update, I was able to change the rating of the "kids" Netflix profile to only show things okay for young children - which blocked that movie and still showed plenty of vintage and disney stuff without questionable content that the kids watch too.. None of them have noticed anything is missing.

[athomeontheprairie]

 

Yeah, it wasn't a dance that was the problem. It was seduction and so much more. I wish someone else here would watch it (after their children are in bed) so I'm not the only boardie who knows what I'm talking about...

 

 

I can't find the name of the movie you are referring to? what is it called? and if I didn't want to watch all of it is the part you are referencing towards the beginning, middle, or end?

[Zydruna]

For my very sensitive dd, I always check www.kids-in-mind.com as well as Common Sense Media before I let her watch something.  She can react very strongly to things that would not cause another child to blink, so CSM is often not thorough enough for me to tell whether it would be ok for her.  K-I-M details, in almost excrutiating detail, every single thing that could be construed as violence, nudity/innuendo, or bad language even by the most ridiculously strict standards.  It is pretty much the only place I can find out definitively if anyone vomits in the movie, which is a big trigger for dd.  It does not present any judgements, just lays everything out there for you to decide for yourself if it is appropriate for your child.  Be warned though if you are averse to spoilers that you will pretty much get the entire plot of the story by reading their reviews.

 

Sidenote about Steve from Blues Clues- if you haven't ever heard it, the Moth story that he told was hilarious!  It used to be on the Moth podcast feed, but I am not sure if it is still there.  Definitely NOT for the younger kids to hear, but really funny.

[Lady Florida.]

Coming in to say the same thing.  Liberal and Conservative have meanings beyond political.  I have a conservative food policy- ask first, and if it's not a meal time, I'll probably be saying no.  But I have a liberal craft supply policy- my kids can get out craft supplies whenever they want, and so can their guests.  A friend of mine is the exact opposite.  

 

I'd love a link to that podcast on bad language... might be a fun listen!

 

I confess I was surprised to learn that people don't know this. On a classical education board no less.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

I confess I was surprised to learn that people don't know this. On a classical education board no less.

 

 

Agreed.  F.ex. I'm a political conservative, but am giving my kids a "liberal education"- meaning plentiful, varied...  

 

From wikipedia...

 

 

A liberal education is a system or course of education suitable for the cultivation of a free (Latin: liber) human being. It is based on the medieval concept of the liberal arts or, more commonly now, the liberalismof the Age of Enlightenment.^[1] It has been described as "a philosophy of education that empowers individuals with broad knowledge and transferable skills, and a stronger sense of values, ethics, and civic engagement ... characterised by challenging encounters with important issues, and more a way of studying than a specific course or field of study" by the Association of American Colleges and Universities.^[2]

[goldberry]

I can't find the name of the movie you are referring to? what is it called? and if I didn't want to watch all of it is the part you are referencing towards the beginning, middle, or end?

 

She said in the OP it was Sahara on Netflix.  I'm curious too now!

[vonfirmath]

Secret Life Of Pets blew me away. I expected it to be this sweetsie little film about pets and how cute/mischievous they are when they're living their lives outside of human eyes based on the trailer. BWAHAHA. No. So violent.

 

Woah. Thanks for the warning. My daughter loves animals so I've been meaning to rent this one to see together.

[athomeontheprairie]

She said in the OP it was Sahara on Netflix.  I'm curious too now!

I saw this title, but thought it referred to the live action film with Matthew McConaughey. I'll try and check it out once kids are in bed.

 

[Mom-ninja.]

I will watch Sahara and see what I think. 

[aggie96]

I listened to a podcast about the history of swearing today (and laughed and laughed with my 10 y.o. while we waited for his ballet recital, but I won't go telling you it was kid appropriate.)  They covered the F word.  No mention of sucking, but I have ALWAYS assumed it was a sexual reference. 

 

 

I recently listened to a podcast on this topic.  Really, really interesting and enlightening.  It was a Stuff You Should Know podcast.

 

ETA Link in case anyone wants to listen.  From Stuff You Should Know: How Swearing Works  http://www.stuffyoushouldknow.com/podcasts/swearing.htm

Edited June 19, 2017 by aggie96

[Hilltopmom]

Wait- you can set the ratings of different Netflix lists.,?!

 

Off to google...

[Tangerine]

Wait- you can set the ratings of different Netflix lists.,?!

 

Off to google...

Profiles, yes. Adult, big kid, and little kid. It ends up being weird sometimes. Like Finding Dory wouldn't show up on the little kid list. And I had to set our school profile to adult, or totally benign documentaries wouldn't show up.

[Katy]

Yes, it was Sahara on Netflix.  I think it was the first third.  We definitely didn't watch the whole thing.