Dads: what cartoons does your 4-7 year old watch?

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally Posted by the

Spongebob is mostly about friendship and tolerance, but it is true, it is light on Mozart, the Mona Lisa and the depiction of beautiful locations around the world.

He is, alas, a yellow sponge who lives under the sea. A frivolous waste of time, esp. for a five year old. I can now see why you would forbid any watching of it in your household.

Do you work for the show or something? Do you think my kids are being harmed in some way because they can't watch Sponge Bob? My kids watch too much TV as it is, between Dora, Little Einsteins, Backyardigans, Dragon Tales, Clifford, etc. All of those shows teach good lessons that I think are appropriate for the age of my children. Sponge Bob does not. I'm sorry if I offend you by not letting my kids watch it, you act like your bedroom is a big pineapple and you sleep on Sponge Bob sheets or something...

The bottom line is that they are my kids and I raise them as I see fit. If you want to let your kids watch Sponge Bob, the Simpsons or Debbie Does Dallas I don't care, they're your kids.

[the]

Yes, I am the creator of Spongebob.

I guessed your kids probably watch too much TV, as your list of their favorite cartoons was just about the longest.

I guess I was just curious about why, given the amt of TV your kids watch, SB was singled out to be forbidden in your household. Simpsons, Family Guy, etc. I could see. But SB? It just such a weird reaction to a very non-controversial, popular, plain vanilla, values-oriented show.

I know lots of overprotective, helicopter parents who forbid exposure to just about anything that even has the remote possibility of corrupting or harming Precious, but I can't say I've ever known anyone who has SB on their hit list.

[Wickd89]

My 5 year twins love the following (especially my daughter):

-- Hillytown Heros
-- Little Bear
-- Sagwa
-- Mickey Mouse clubhouse
-- Scooby Doo
-- and all the Disney Videos

[varmint]

this is my hollywood career in a nutshell. ten years ago or so, i had two job offers. one was storyboarding on this kick ass animated starship troopers show. the other was backgrounds and props on this retarded looking thing called spongebob.

starship troopers/roughnecks is now a legendary tale in studio cluster ****ism. guess which one i chose.



nothing really that wrong with spongebob. just an acquired taste.



spend a few bucks and get some of the classic warner's cartoons. or old disney. i was on a thing called "cats can't dance". really a great movie that no one knows about. look it up.

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally Posted by the

Yes, I am the creator of Spongebob.

I guessed your kids probably watch too much TV, as your list of their favorite cartoons was just about the longest.

I guess I was just curious about why, given the amt of TV your kids watch, SB was singled out to be forbidden in your household. Simpsons, Family Guy, etc. I could see. But SB? It just such a weird reaction to a very non-controversial, popular, plain vanilla, values-oriented show.

I know lots of overprotective, helicopter parents who forbid exposure to just about anything that even has the remote possibility of corrupting or harming Precious, but I can't say I've ever known anyone who has SB on their hit list.

Wow, well I can't say I've seen someone be so judgemental in so few words. I'll take your opinion about my parenting for exactly what it is worth...

[berettafan]

'the' from my perspective spongebob is exactly how i don't want my 3 1/2yr old acting. spastic and obnoxious. I haven't sat through an entire show because i don't need to.

have you watched higgleytown, Dora, Backyardigans or little einsteins? the difference in attitude and behaviour of the characters is amazing.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by kstarnes

I'm not digging this negative vibe on the Sponge.

I guess some folks misunderstand or do not comprehend the deeper meanings.

We are talking about preschoolers watching tv, not 40 somethings.

[the]

Originally Posted by berettafan

'the' from my perspective spongebob is exactly how i don't want my 3 1/2yr old acting. spastic and obnoxious. I haven't sat through an entire show because i don't need to.

have you watched higgleytown, Dora, Backyardigans or little einsteins? the difference in attitude and behaviour of the characters is amazing.

I've seem most of them. To be honest, none of my kids act like any of those characters. They don't really take behaviorial lessons, or try to emulate, cartoon characters. They somehow have this amazing ability to simply be entertained by a cartoon character, without trying to copy it. They were all able to distinguish cartoon silly entertainment from reality at a very early age. They are little geniuses, I guess.

(I think they take after me. I grew up on Bugs Bunny, Roadrunner, etc., yet I never actually dropped an anvil on anyone's head, never tried to blow someone up with Acme TNT, never hit anyone in the head with a baseball bat to see if that giant lump would rise up, etc.)

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally Posted by the

I've seem most of them. To be honest, none of my kids act like any of those characters. They don't really take behaviorial lessons, or try to emulate, cartoon characters. They somehow have this amazing ability to simply be entertained by a cartoon character, without trying to copy it. They were all able to distinguish cartoon silly entertainment from reality at a very early age. They are little geniuses, I guess.

Well gee, then just pop in Dirty Harry or Saw and let them have at it!! It's only entertainment after all.

I agree 100% with BerettaFan, I'm not saying Sponge Bob isn't appropriate for someone else's kid or even that my kids won't start watching it in a few years. I just don't think that the behaviors shown on Sponge Bob are what I want to have my 5 and 3 year old watching. For the record, our kids get 60-90 minutes of TV daily, we have TiVo so they have a large selection to choose from, hence the large list.

I do the best I know how with my kids, we are involved in what they watch, how they act, and what they say. If that means that I don't want my kid watching Sponge Bob or whatever else then that is MY prerogative. I could really care less what your kids watch or whether you think my stance on Sponge Bob is nuts. They're MY kids and it is MY responsibility to raise them....

[dtw]

My father, who is over 60, watches Spongebob intently. My four year old daughter can't stand him.

Me, I don't trust that show. A sponge that lives in a bikini bottom? Best friends with a crab? I just don't trust that show.

[Nathans_Dad]

dtw you are seeing all the innuendos that are supposed to be going over the kid's heads...

[the]

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad

dtw you are seeing all the innuendos that are supposed to be going over the kid's heads...

LOL.

Yeah, they live in Bikini Bottoms. And his squirrel friend's name is Sandy Cheeks.

Someone protect the children from such filth!

(Alas, I think the crab character is . . . just a crab, no evil hidden innuendo, I don't think Mr. Krabs is intended to represent sexually transmitted disease. You also might want to check to make sure DTW isn't taking you for a ride).

[the]

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad

I do the best I know how with my kids, we are involved in what they watch, how they act, and what they say. If that means that I don't want my kid watching Sponge Bob or whatever else then that is MY prerogative. I could really care less what your kids watch or whether you think my stance on Sponge Bob is nuts. They're MY kids and it is MY responsibility to raise them....

No one disagrees with that.

But you should recognize the *objective* extremity of your position. SB has been one of the most popular, award winning (including Emmy) shows of the past decade. It is on Nickelodeon, an exclusively kid's station. The character's humor is based on over-the-top friendliness and tolerance. Your position of banning it in your house is something that likely 99% of parents of kids your age do NOT do.

I'm not saying you are right or wrong, I don't think it really matters. But it is an extreme position.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by berettafan

We are talking about preschoolers watching tv, not 40 somethings.

don't underestimate the ability of preschoolers to grok the deeper meanings...

Spongebob exhibits some of the best moral fiber I've seen on tv. He always shows up for work, is enthusiastic, a loyal friend, honest, etc. And all in an environment that somewhat reflects the real world...his boss is a tightwad, his friends can be idiots, there is criminal behavior that he foils, etc.

Dora, etc are fine but different and in some ways can be worse for a kid. Spongebob presents these moral issues in abstraction so the "meaning" actually comes through without the baggage of realism. Something like Dora or a more "realistic" but clean show is kind of problematic in that the real world isn't so clean, but the show links the experiences to the lessons so there can be some disconnect.

We've seen this type of problem with "serious games" for education. Abstraction can be critical, and semi-realism can be problematic.

[livi]

3 year old watches Disney. 10 and 12 year old are on the Internet.

Me and my 8 year old son catch Girls of the Playboy Mansion.

[Nathans_Dad]

Originally Posted by the

No one disagrees with that.

But you should recognize the *objective* extremity of your position. SB has been one of the most popular, award winning (including Emmy) shows of the past decade. It is on Nickelodeon, an exclusively kid's station. The character's humor is based on over-the-top friendliness and tolerance. Your position of banning it in your house is something that likely 99% of parents of kids your age do NOT do.

I'm not saying you are right or wrong, I don't think it really matters. But it is an extreme position.

I'm not sure where you got your data from, but given that about 20% of households (at least according to these surveys) do not allow toddlers to watch TV AT ALL, I'm pretty sure that 99% of households aren't letting their kids watch Sponge Bob. My position may seem extreme to you, that's ok. They aren't your kids. I guess the 20% of parents who don't let their kids watch any TV are SUPER extreme...

http://www.lilsugar.com/1011284

http://www.athomedad.org/node/269

The funny thing is that this discussion is really all about where you draw the lines in your family. I draw the line at Sponge Bob, you do not. However, you choose to draw the line at the Simpsons. I am sure there are a lot of parents out there who let their kids watch the Simpsons and would call YOUR position extreme and silly. Some parents don't allow TV at all and would call us both extreme.

I'm still not sure where your horse in this race is, you seem to have a pretty strong reaction to someone else's decision about a cartoon, especially when that person lives halfway across the country from you and you don't know them or their kids from Adam.

[the]

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad

I'm not sure where you got your data from, but given that about 20% of households (at least according to these surveys) do not allow toddlers to watch TV AT ALL, I'm pretty sure that 99% of households aren't letting their kids watch Sponge Bob. My position may seem extreme to you, that's ok. They aren't your kids. I guess the 20% of parents who don't let their kids watch any TV are SUPER extreme...

Now I know why in those ads, they always said "4 out of 5 dentists recommend Dentyne to their patients who chew gum." Never overestimate the obviousness of something.

[the]

Originally Posted by Nathans_Dad

The funny thing is that this discussion is really all about where you draw the lines in your family. I draw the line at Sponge Bob, you do not. However, you choose to draw the line at the Simpsons. I am sure there are a lot of parents out there who let their kids watch the Simpsons and would call YOUR position extreme and silly. Some parents don't allow TV at all and would call us both extreme.

Did I say that about the Simpsons? If so, "I misspoke." I let my kids watch the simpsons. I'm not real big on shielding them, and if I err, it is usually on the side of not shielding. Bart Simpson isn't exactly Freddy Krueger.

But the simpsons, I could see why someone wouldn't let their kids watch it. I don't necessarily agree (depends on how mature, clever, naive and impressionable the kids are - some obviously can handle things others cannot), but I could at least see the argument.

Your statement that you forbid SB because he is "rude" and "crass," I guess that's just I find puzzling. I suppose SB could be criticized for some things (dances too much? too enthusiastic to the point of being annoying?), but "rude" and "crass," that just comes so far out of left field. I thought at first for sure you must have been confusing him with some other cartoon character, but you say you are not. Just find it odd. Kind of like if someone said "I don't let them watch Barney because of the violence."

[Nathans_Dad]

I didn't say Sponge Bob was rude and crass I said the show was sometimes rude and crass. I believe there is one character who consistently puts down Sponge Bob and his friend, often using words like "stupid" and "idiot". I also understand that the characters on Sponge Bob sometimes resort to violence to solve their disputes. These things are not what I want my kids to be watching right now.

Plain and simple.

[berettafan]

Originally Posted by the

SB has been one of the most popular, award winning (including Emmy) shows of the past decade. It is on Nickelodeon, an exclusively kid's station.

I am absolutely stunned that this would be offered as a reason for letting small children watch anything.