Tuesday, June 29, 2010

Commercials Should Have Their Own Rating Systems

Noise.     That is how I feel about television.     It is just noise so much of the time.      I am lucky that my boys really don't like television that much.    

Big Guy could care less about television.    Even on nights when we have family nights, he just isn't excited when we decide to have movie night.     So obviously we don't have those very often.

Little Guy watches more television than Big Guy.      He has always had a routine of waking up really early -- around 6 or 6:30 and climbing into the big chair with a blanket and the cat and watching something to wake up.    In general, if Little Guy is watching television the station is on Food Network, the History Channel or Discovery Channel.       I can't tell you how many mornings I have come out to get some coffee only to hear his first words be, "Mom, I just saw how to make some delicious fish/chicken/pork.    Can we go to the store and get ingredients?"   

My problem is not with the television the boys watch, but with commercials.     Just because you approve the television shows does not mean that the commercials will have the same approval.     

This summer Little Guy has been on a kick watching Full House in the morning.    Nothing wrong with that.   I gave him approval and have even watched it with him, but then they began showing commercials for a television series on the same station.    This was a tween-directed show and some of the scenes were shocking.      6:45 in the morning I am drinking my coffee and I don't need to see teenage scenes of pregnancy and two boys kissing. 

It is every station too.    Commercials have prompted questions like this:  "Mom, what does sitting in separate bathtubs have to do with sex?"   and  "Mom, what is ED?"       See?   Commercials should have their own rating systems.      And when did they see these commercials?   While watching the "innocent" shows like Full House or Andy Griffith.    

We have programmed The Weather Channel into our remote so that we can quickly flip over to that channel any time commercials come on.     Better yet, we just tell the boys to reserve their chores for commercial times.       Have to unload the dishwasher?    Make up your bed?     Brush your teeth?    Take out the trash?    Do it during the commercial break.

Our favorite way to avoid commercials is to record any shows we want to watch and just fast forward through them all together!

How do you deal with and feel about commercials?   Have you gotten awkward questions because of commercials?

8 comments:

Allison said...

Hate hate HATE commercials. UGH! I know the channel you are referring to and I think it's ABSURD that it's called ABC Family - puhleez!

I'm like you, I generally record a lot of what Mini-me watches so we can just forward through commercials or I reserve her TV time to 1 movie, on a DVD, that I don't have to worry about screening because I've already seen it!

Wanda M said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Wanda M said...

I hate them too and TV itself is so bad that I very rarely watch anything. I actually laugh because they feel the need to discuss feminine products - ladies WILL buy them because they are necessity - so do they have to show them, describe them in detail for all to see? I also agree about the advertisements for other shows....it's sad that our country has become immune to immorality and immodesty in the shows that we watch.

Anonymous said...

Oh so true and well said.

I'm still bugged by the fact that a few months ago while watching 19 Kids and Counting there was an ad for the morning after pill. Here we have a show that promotes everything about family togetherness and the blessing that children are, but they show a commercial like that.

That's why I'd rather watch things online - usually only one sponsor and its a cleaning product or food.

Thanks for the great post.

Sandy

Dr. Wifey said...

i hate commercials! there is just so much trash on tv that i hardly even watch it anymore. like you said, it is just noise

Susan B said...

I agree with you 100% and I am a grown married woman!! The commercials are mostly R rated.. there is TMI in them ... I cringe at many of them and turn immediately..I cannot bear to think of children being exposed to them.. Hope you are feeling better..

K Storm said...

I have to agree...how much innocence has been lost because of a commercial! ABC Family is one of the worst ones because it is so misleading. When we listen to a radio station other than KLOVE I get questions too.

Patti Lacy said...

I could throw the TV out the window...except for Wimbledon, which is now on, and Law & Order when I'm exercising, and--

Captialism decrees commercials, but you are right--they're unpleasant, and many, downright unsavory these days.