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Parenting
Is Spongebob really THAT bad?
I walked in to pick up the kids from daycare yesterday and I hear Ethan asking if he could watch Spongebob. She says no, Spongebob is a very bad show that I do not want you watching, he teaches bad habits and says very nasty things.
We watch a lot of Spongebob and previously kind of didn't want to admit it to anyone but after hearing it outloud, I got to thinking exactly how is Spongebob bad. I thought and thought. Asked Patrick (hehe, patrick...) and he had nothing. Analyzed a few episodes we watched last evening and nothing.
Is something going over my head? I see where it's not educational (hence the term brainless television hour) but I don't see where it's really bad.
This discussion has been closed.
Re: Is Spongebob really THAT bad?
I think it's mouthy, and too slapstick/violent for little kids. DS has been squirrely the few times that he's watched it.
There are so many other shows out there that I don't think he'll miss Spongebob.
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
I am not a fan of any show that the main character is constantly rude to the people (sea creatures) around him/her.
It is hard enough to raise polite, empathic, compassionate children. But even harder when their tv shows not only show poor behavior but glorify it.
BTW - Bugs Bunny and the Loony Tunes were never children cartoons. They were actually created for adults and were reactions to what was happening to our country at that time. So I won't let Monks watch them either.
My 21 mo. old daughter LOVES Spongebob..and I love that she loves it. She dances to the song, she has a Spongebob "baby" that she sleeps with.
I see nothing wrong with it.
I'm actually surprised at the reactions to CARTOONS here.
Seriously???
What's so surprising about it? ?Cartoons can teach bad behavior just like any other show. ?Would you let your kids watch Family Guy just because it's a cartoon? ?And even for the cartoons marketed towards children, just because one person is alright with their kids watching them, it doesn't mean everyone will be.
I don't think Spongebob is the devil or anything, but I'm not a huge fan for the reasons listed above. ?He just seems to model rude and impolite behavior.?
Sorry, I think that's ridiculous.
And yes, my daughter watched Family Guy.
And she is well-behaved...imagine that!
YOU may think a cartoon is "just a cartoon", but a 2 year old doesn't have that level of discrimination. If he sees something on TV, he will think it's OK. I don't particularly want my 2 year old being rude to people because Spongebob does it.
I think the "it's not that bad" attitude from parents is why I had classrooms full of rude and mouthy students. If you are raised thinking that flip answers and rudeness are a part of the way people communicate, then you are in for it when you are older.
It started with Rugrats and shows like Full House with those stupid Olsen twins, and has come to be common in kid's shows now. I think it's sad.
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
I wish I had a desk to pound my head on.
Seriously.
One of my daughter's first words was "Homer"
Guess I have a different view of TV......
She's 21 months old. All I have to say is wait until she gets older. I'm pretty sure you're going to change your tune.
Highly doubtful.
I'm a TV junkie, have been all my life.
My husband is as well. I think there are some good points to television.
I didn't suffer any ill effects from my childhood TV watching. I think your PARENTING skills should probably override the influence of a cartoon sponge.
FWIW - Brooke has a bad mouth because Ethan does - she's a 3 second delay off of anything he does or says. Ethan's nasty mouth came from God only knows where. This began while Noggin was THE only thing on my television.
That said, I think regardless of television, while I do believe it is an influence to some small degree, one - as long as parents still teach what is right and what is wrong, I see nothing wrong with it, and two - people are who they are regardless of what is one television.
And THAT said, would I let my E&B watch violent movies, no, because it would scare them and give them nightmares and I don't want them to be scared. The difference - real people versus cartoon characters.
OK, you'll think what you think. Your kid is still young. Brush up on those parenting skills.
I guess that degree in education and more than a decade of teaching experience make me totally unqualified to voice an opinion.
DS - December 2006
DD - December 2008
DH and I are tv junkies as well. I still think that kids can pick up behaviors from tv even if they are offset by your parenting skills. I'm guessing that it wasn't your goal as a parent to have one of your childs first words be "Homer."
And not only the violence... there is a lot of very sexual, rude, and racist stuff said on that show, too. I am not bad-mouthing the show itself - honestly, DH and I love it! My DH's 9 year old daughter's mom lets her watch it and I think it is horribly inappropriate for kids.
OK, you'll think what you think. Your kid is still young. Brush up on those parenting skills.
I guess that degree in education and more than a decade of teaching experience make me totally unqualified to voice an opinion.
LOL!!!!! You have to be kidding me.
I guess I'll have to have a chat with my daughter about her fun sense of humor and great language skills....let her know that I don't appreciate what she's gaining from cartoons and TV.
Honestly, childhood is supposed to be fun!
My daughter is 11, so do I win?
I don't know where to begin in this thread.
maybe a link?
www.getthestickouttayourass.com
I think that was uncalled for. We all parent differently and just because you don't agree doesn't make her an unexperienced parent.
FWIW, I am with So Long Astoria on this one. I grew up the same way, watching a lot of tv and I was never rude or impolite. I was rather the goody goody. I guess because my parents taught me right from wrong, not tv
yeah. my kids have always known that tv is not real, and it was never a really hard thing for them to grasp that you cant act the way a (for example, sponge) cartoon behaves on tv.
But girls...she has DECADES of experience.
Our kids are going to end up brainless, rude, criminals....and it's all the fault of those wretched sponges and Olsen Twins!
I think everything in moderation when it comes to television for children. If your child's behavior is so drastically modified by a single half-hour of cartoons every few days, that's definitely a problem and perhaps you should listen to whats-her-face with the decade of experience and the degree and, you know, the giant ego.
Otherwise, I'm a bit shruggy about cartoons. Eh. My son watches Spongebob and old Scooby Doo reruns and while he may sometimes act out and be impolite, well, that's the domain of three-year-olds testing their boundaries and finding out what they can get away with.
I watched television as a child -- not much, but enough -- and frankly don't see the harm in it as long as you're willing to do an adequate job as parents in setting boundaries for behavior.
Updated September 2012.
so, what was it about full house that really got under your skin? the treacle-y messages of family? uncle jesse's mullet? the fact that at the end of every episode danny sits down with one or all of his daughters and tells them how much he loves them and teaches them a lesson about being a good kid?
OR was it the episode where DJ accidentally got MARRIED to that greek guy by walking around a table. that must be it! child brides! greeks! tables! BAD BEHAVIOR ALL AROUND.
I once saw an episode of Full House where Michelle got a big-girl pencil bed and was JUMPING on it....even AFTER her Uncle Jesse told her not to.
It was cheekiness all around and I do NOT need my precious child seeing such hooligan behavior.
I don't think its really any more violent than Road Runner or Bugs Bunny were in our day.
Zoe loves "Bob Bob"!
Do you guys really think that your 3 year olds know the difference between reality and cartoons? Every three year old I know thinks the princesses are real, spiderman saves lives and that Hannah Montana can really sing (just kidding about that one!)
This post is SO worth the amount of havoc my children are wrecking as I ignore them to nest. I'm prettttttty sure post like this are how the Parenting board gets such a bad rap.
Do what you want with YOUR kids. Don't pretend that because you have experience as a teacher, you know what's best for all kids. Honestly, Spongebob is not that bad! I think he's actually a really nice character. Some of the other characters can be snarky, but Spongebob and Patrick are just dumb, nice guys. You have to watch a lot of SB, I guess, to pick up on that. I let my children watch it because I think it's funny and if I have to watch all the other mind-numbing shiit they like, I might as well throw a few shows in that don't make me want to perform my own lobotomy. They also love The Simpsons, which we watch regularly as well.
They are nice, friendly, well-behaved(within the bounds of their young age) children because of the job my husband and I do to raise them. TV is entertainment ONLY. To presume that we allow it to affect our children is really smug and insulting.