Censorship

Joe and I have never been the censoring type of parents. Ever since Caitlynn was a baby, we have not censored any shows or movies. She was exposed to The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and many R-rated movies. When Miles came along, we started watching Dexter and other shows on HBO, complete with cursing, violence, and adult situations.

Why? Well... the kids really could care less about these shows and movies. They might be in the room but they rarely pay attention to what is happening on the screen.

But it wasn't until we started watching the evening news (both CBS and NBC nightly news casts... yes, we are news junkies) that I felt we needed to censor the programming. It wasn't because of the content of the news casts. It's because of the commercials.

Caitlynn, being an inquisitive 10-year-old, likes to watch the news with us. I'm guessing she has a crush on Brian Williams. He is quite handsome. But Caitlynn has definitely noticed commercials like this one:



It leaves her pondering out loud ... "Why are they in bathtubs?" Yeah, I'm wondering that, too. What's up with the bathtubs?

Not only am I faced with discussing the birds and the bees with Caitlynn, but I somehow have to discuss issues men may have as they get older. Obviously advertisers feel the primary demographic watching the news are Baby Boomers, not Gen-Xers or 10-yr-old kids. That's probably true, but I could do without any prescription drug ads. Not only is Caitlynn noticing Cialis commercials but she notices all drug commercials. She loves listening to the side effects and wonders why we need all these drugs in the first place.

Perhaps it time to start listing side effects for all products advertised on TV. It would make watching commercials a little more entertaining.

For instance, Oreos, America's favorite cookie, would have a list of side effects that sound like this: You may experience weight gain, black specks in your teeth, and intense feeling of thirstiness, especially for a large glass of milk.

Or for Budweiser beer... Consuming large quantities of beer may cause weight gain in the abdomen making it hard to see your lower half. Some users of beer have experienced periods of stumbling and slurring. Vomiting has occurred, especially after large amounts are consumed.

Or, better yet... if we advertised marijuana on TV. Side effects for smoking pot include uncontrollable giggling, consuming large quantities of Funyuns, and bloodshot eyes, making others wonder if you are a Stoner or a Vampire.

But for now, I'm faced with censoring Cialis (and Viagra) commercials or instead of censoring, I just ignore Caitlynn's questions. Huh? What? I don't understand you. Je ne parle pas Anglais. 

I'm just not ready to have that discussion yet.








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