11 Plus Exams Forum

My kids tend to play on the wii and ds, but are always pleading to go on the pc. Anyway, as my eldest has no brother at home now and was very bored I said he could play on the laptop in the living room. I come down to find him on a website called "adultswim" and he was playing a game called "how to kill yourself in 5 minutes"!!!

I then had a look at other games advertised on this page which included an alternate version of Rock, Paper, Scissors and Giggolo Assassin to name but a few!

I'm beginning to find that he is gaining a lot of his information from children who have much older siblings. Its rather worrying to think that we may not be teaching our eldest children to be responsible and careful around their younger siblings, and just assume that because they are good kids that they won't always have a positive influence. He went to a friends house the other day and watched Borat - they are only 8 and 9, so why is this even accessible to them in the house? My other son also came home and told me a number of things not repeatable.

Hi Tipsy

I would agree that some of the things you are describing are not appropriate. However life does seem very different when comparing children with younger siblings and those with older. I wouldn't have dreamt of letting my eldest child watch Borat at the age of 10, but did let my younger children. The younger ones with older siblings are so much more "grown up" in many ways and although still vetting what they do, you have to let them get involved in what the older ones are talking about.

Having said that if we have their friends round and are watching a DVD, I would always check with the parents first if they were happy to watch something aimed at an older age group.

I have also drilled into my kids that there will always be things that they pick up from the older kids at school, but they need to make the distinction between what is acceptable within their peer group and within their family. They have become pretty good at this. I don't think you can hide your kids from what is going on around them, fortunately the oldest of siblings will retain some innocence for longer.

There are a few absolute no-nos in our house, mainly because I am too embarrassed to watch them with the kids

When you consider what can come up on adverts in the middle of totally innocuous programmes, you wonder if it's worth worrying at all about what they choose to watch. I hardly ever watch TV these days, but when I do I am regularly mortified by adverts concerning subjects that I would not dream of referring to in the presence of teenage boys, or anyone else apart from a doctor for that matter.

Have I got this wrong - I looked up the film classification for Borat on the web and found it was R ----- I've never heard of this so I looked that up too ---- a restricted 18.

Is Borat really a restricted 18 .... if so, did the film censors get it badly wrong, or is TIPSY really quite right to be concerned about the viewing on offer at her young son's friend's house. If it was my child I would only let him go round there during a power cut.

Don't say I didn't warn you about all this!

I just looked it up and Borat is a 15.

That said..

It is still no justification for another parent to assume it is ok for other children to watch.

AM

I do admit that my parenting skills are less strict than my mothers and at times we let things go when they shouldn't. I suppose I'm just a little depressed knowing that my boys are out of my influence at boarding school and although the boys at the school are niave compared to many children, they are still around 10 years ahead than I was at the same age!

This website was bad but it was the way my son seemed so immune to it all and not perturbed in any way. I agree with some adverts - which really shock me at times. I told you I would become morbid when I hit 30!

T.i.p.s.y wrote: I told you I would become morbid when I hit 30!

Who are you kidding, Tipsy? I don't believe I'm old enough to be your mother!!

No, no. She REALLY is! She was a child bride.

I found my 9 year old watching a singing willy on you tube. Was not at all offensive but I was quite shocked. Had apparently been told about it by a class mate.

Also - went to pick him up from a friend's house when he was 5 and found him watching Batman (certificate 12). He still has nightmares...

Course you're not old enough to be my mother KES as you're only 31!

er....what site is the singing....er....willy on? Its just so I can...well...put a ban on that...um....page...