Nickelodeon....burping for the Kids Choice Awards....gets a two thumbs down vote from me!!

I too am concerned about recent nicekelodeon commercials. I just
witnessed two commercials where all they do is expell gas. It's
disgusting and tasteless. I too try to raise my kids with manners and
it's harder when we have teachers in our school belching but then to
have commercials and kids shows doing this. I wish I could block
anything that has gassy content. I find it offensive and a slap in
the face. As the message above I to have discussed these commercials
with my children but they want to know why it would be allowed on
television then. I am also curious about this

If you find the commercial offensive, I have a very simple solution
for you.... ready? CHANGE THE CHANNEL WHEN IT COMES ON!!!!

and not letting the TV do it, there shouldn't be a problem.

In this day and age, with all the stuff that is on the TV and in our
children's faces, and you are upset by excess gas and rude manners?
OK?

Do you remember what it was like to be a small kid? These things are
funny to them although not always appropriate. Also, this is a part
of our normal bodily functions, although disgusting to most. Maybe
you could have used that time have a science and manners lesson all
shot. As a parent, I don't have to tell you how valuable multitasking
is.

I think it's great that you are teaching your children values,
especially in a world that fails to educate on that very topic. I just
don't see why you would complain about this. It was an opportunity if
you look at it in the right light.

I was channel surfing this morning and came across Sesame Street. I
have no clue why I stopped to watch for a second, but I did.

The letter of the day was G. Cookie Monster BELCHED very loudly after
eating a huge cookie, said "excuse me", and announced that he was
Gassy.

I damn near fell off my chair laughing. Harmless fun.

I think that this would be a good opportunity to show you children how
NOT to behave, if you choose to allow your children to watch things
like this.

You are in control of the remote, after all.

Change to disney.. some shows have the children pass gas! if your
children are picking up these bad habits.. YOU need to take control
and tell them its not acceptable. TV stations will do whatever to have
their targeted audiences watch. This might sound rude.. but get a
life.

Pfft. That sounds positively tame in comparison to what was on Nick
when I was growing up. You Can't Do That on Television, anyone? Yet,
somehow I managed to develop good manners anyway.

I was just telling some friends about this very thing.

Here I am trying to teach my little ones right from wrong, and here is
this "role model" belching out an entire commercial.

Disgusting to say the very least.

great letter! i agree wholeheartedly. it's hard enough to raise good
kids.

oh, Please. shelter the children from nonsense like this and then when
they grow up they break that shell and go wild. Thats what the problem
is. Conduct your job as a prent appropiately and you wont have that
problem

This one has run it's course for me. I'll still toss in the occasional
post and I will be checking my grammer and spelling very carefully in
the future. I'll give the grammer brigade credit for pointing it all
out and I'll take the steps to fix it. To bad they could not actually
do anything besides zeroing in on that.
I guess that's enough though.

The Kids Choice Awards 2007 is finally over!! Hopefully this
commercial is history as well :)

Hold on to your hats folks! They are about to give a BIGGEST BOOGER
AWARD.

And even I think that's gross. Germs, ew!

"Y-O-U-R
Y-O-U-'-R-E
They're as different as night and day.
Don't you think that night and day are different?
What's wrong with you?"

Even if she was a soccer mom from Texas... so what? Discriminate
much?

Spoken like a bird of the same feather.

I'm sure this has been said...

You let your kids watch Spongebob, (which glorifies in burping,
farting, and potty humor,) but yet you're angry because the ad for the
kid's choice awards featured burping?

If you're worried about your kiddos picking up 'bad habits' turn the
Spongebob off and teach them manners.

-Off Soapbox.

Renee, I have a lot of respect fot you, but don't take this the wrong
way.

If I had kids, and they asked me about this commercial, I would use it
as a learning tool. In the end it's all up to the parents to decide
what to teach their kids.

So I disagree that the commercial is inappropriate, but I do
understand where you are coming from.

Just a tip - don't let your kids watch the kids choice award show
because the burping in the ad will appear on the show - they have a
burp competition with celebrities during the show.....which is likely
why hey did the advertisement that way. It wasn't done to teach your
children bad manners, as you seem to think it was.

My kids are adults now.. but, I had a son and a daughter. When they
were growing up, I would use TV as a "conversation starter" and we
would discuss certain issues that we saw/heard on TV. Manners, being
one of them.

My son had a special talent too..he could burp the alphabet. I would
always tell him "yup! Now that is a resume-able talent that any boss
would love in an employee!!" We would all giggle. My daughter, the
fragile, cute one.. could burp like a big ol' grizzly man..and then
smirk while saying "whoa!! that was a good one!".. However, both did
this in the privacy of a family setting! They never embarrassed
themselves in public with those things.

We had many a talk thanks to TV! And alot of our values were instilled
in them after watching some shows.

My point being: YOu seem to be doing a very good job.. take the
opportunity you have and teach them what you think is right, by using
a "live" example of what NOT to do..which TV shows now-a-days have
alot of! :)

Remember you are raising adults, not children. You are also creating
memories. Have fun, joke, do silly things.. they grow up too quickly
not to! Enjoy your kids. but, keep up the good work!!

Good Luck to you! :)

I just saw this commercial while my kids were watching SpongeBob. They
thought it was funny. I told them that sometimes things that are on
television might be funny but we wouldn't do them in real life. My 7
year old thought about it and asked me when he got married and moved
out if he could do that. I told him he would have to discuss it with
his future wife.

My point is, we don't want our children to do lots of things they see
on television. It is our responsiblity to let them know what is
appropriate and what is not.

When I was a kid, my best friend had this amazing ability. He could
burp the alphabet, the Star Spangled Banner, Christmas carols, you
name it. I remember we would beg him to do it, and he was thrilled to
oblige us, mainly because he liked the attention.

A few years later, I can remember going to the movies with that same
beastly little boy, now a beastly teenager. He would tap me on the
shoulder and beckon me to lean close, ostensibly so he could whisper
something to me. Perhaps predictably, he would then burp and blow it
in my face, taking great pleasure in my attempts to take revenge
without disrupting the theatre.

That same little boy is now a high school chemistry teacher married to
a very cool veterinarian. He was a "bridesman" in my wedding last
October. He is possibly the smartest, kindest, and most responsible
person I know, and he hardly ever burps on me anymore. For the most
part, anyway. :) And when I have kids, he and his wife will be my
first pick for godparents, because I know that if gods forbid
something happened to my husband and I they would raise my children to
be just like them: honest, caring, educated, and fun.

I guess my point is that children that burp the alphabet don't
necessarily grow up to be crass crude adults, just as children that
are raised to be ceaselessly proper don't always end up well-behaved
adults (just look at Prince Charles for proof of that!).

I do want to point out one thing, though. Even if I don't necessarily
agree with you on this one, I think it's great that you obviously care
a great deal about the effect of mass media on your kids. You would
be amazed at how many parents seem to have no clue what their children
are watching, reading and listening to. You are to be commended for
taking an interest! :)

Wow. Let's see, where do I start?

When he was a child, I let my son watch the Power Rangers, Beavis &
Butthead, South Park, and all of the Freddy, Jason, and Michael Myers'
movies.

He loved to eat bacon when we went out to eat, because then he would
laugh like heck when he 'stunk us out' later.

We told him it was a shame that he couldn't make a living burping
phrases on command, as he sure was talented at it.

I have really happy memories of my husband, son, and I having times of
uncontrolled laughter over things that others here have called
classless and crass.

That being said -

Has my son ever embarrassed me in public doing these things? No,
because he was taught not to.

Have I ever gotten a call from an irate parent because my son taught
their child to do these things? No, because he was taught not to.

One of the funniest scenes in movie history is from "Blazing Saddles",
as they sit around the campfire after eating beans and just toot
away.

Passing gas can be funny. Burping can be funny. It is our job as a
parent to teach our kids the difference between appropriate and
inappropriate.

I'm glad I have (and my son will always have) memories of us all being
silly when he was a child, and not that he grew up with a militant
Miss Manners who critiqued every move he made.

Oh, and my 'baby' is now 17 - every teacher, every church leader,
every boss, every customer of his that I have ever spoken with
compliments me on how polite and well-mannered he is.

I am proud of my son, and when I go home I'm going to ask him to belt
out some of the ABC's just for old times' sake.

I broke wind when I was 10 years old and I thought it was funny. Now
I squeeze my cheeks because I don't find it funny and I don't think
most other adults do (except some husbands who enjoy embarrassing
their wives).

Maybe you could watch a tv in another room, with more appropriate
programming for your tastes?

I am sure your children have plenty of annoying habits. That is part
of being a child. If you eliminate this one, they'll come up with
something else to annoy you.

SBSP rules, and IS funny.

Oh, come on. Kids think burping is funny. Trust me, they're "being
exposed" to plenty of burping without Nickelodeon. There's plenty of
other things to worry about letting your kids see... is this really
all that big a deal?

oh dear lord, lighten up! are kids just not even allowed to be kids
anymore?? I highly doubt seeing people burping on tv is going to
affect them one little bit when they're adults. Kids find burps funny,
hell lots of so called "grownups" do too. It is NOT that big of a
deal, i promise you. The kids are just having fun. Now lighten up and
just let kids be kids for god's sake. Plenty of time to shape them
into mature adults later in life.

I guess this means no one wants to see how far I can spit a watermelon
seed, huh?

It is definately my least favorite commercial on Nick.

My favorite show is JIMMY NEUTRON, but I love Sheen. "We all can
sing. We all can sing. We all can sing, 'cept Sheen."

I really don't think it's that big of a deal. I watched Nickelodeon
religiously when I was a kid, and I turned out okay.

I'm sorry- I just couldn't resist!!!

Great Letter and Excellent Responses BTW. It really IS a shame these
networks don't screen the commercials and what shows they're put with,
I guess it just happens to reach a target audience of consumers...but
it isn't o.k. to teach poor behavior. Even if Justin Timberlake covers
his mouth and says excuse me after. That's not you're run of the mill
burp!!!
Not being a parent, but knowing others who are, I leave you with this
gem:

Please inform your children that if they try the soda/ mento's mint
trick...that they try it OUTDOORS. My cousin's kids tried it on the
kitchen table. Priceless.

While I appreciate the intent of your letter, you mention that your
children watch Sponge Bob regularly. As a parent of a five year old,
I've seen it quite a bit myself. I'm sorry, but Sponge Bob has much
more negative content than the burping commercial even approaches.

Thanks everyone I appreciate all the responses. The point in
particular that I was trying to make is while children may think this
is funny it is not appropriate behavior in public. I will agree the
burping and tooting are natural functions, what is not a natural
function is burping out words or the alphabet, etc. While children
may do this on the playground does not mean that they will not exhibit
this behavior at the wrong time. Imagine how mortified you and the
people around you will be if they let something like this rip during
church or at a wedding or a funeral or any other place where it may
not be appropriate.

It is our jobs as parents to let children be children, but it is also
our job to discourage rude behavior and mold our children into
respectable polite adults. Yes there are other things in the world
that may be more important, and I usually do pick my battles as a
parent,I have a daughter who is in first grade who is picking up bad
habits from other children and I am constantly battling against that.
Yes this is my job, but seriously this kind of behavior is not really
socially acceptable and I am sure is frowned upon in most schools. If
this behavior is left unchecked and even encouraged by parents, then
there will be parents explaining their take on "kids will be kids" to
a school principal in the future or the pastor of a church when their
child disrupts sermon.

This is not really that big of a deal. I was simply pointing out that
I feel this is inappropriate behavior at any age and do not feel it
should be encouraged. As far as spongebob goes, this show is really
not that bad compared to alot of stuff on today. I saw this
commercial today during Dora and yesterday during Blues Clues, so
showing it at that time is really questionable in my opinion.

Oh and also......my children do read books many of them I INSIST upon
it. Also before anyone says anything it is not like my kids are
camped out in front of the TV constantly, that is far from the case.
Now that the weather is warmer I get my kids outside as much as
possible.

Again I appreciate the debate on this, and I knew there would be some
(my hubby is someone who thinks this behavior is funny). I do
appreciate the differing view points!! Thanks!!

I completely agree with you that children need to be polite and
use manners in their daily life, however, they also still need to be
kids and laugh at things that they find silly or that they know is
unacceptable or "taboo" in the polite adult world. You can bet that
many are already singing the alphabet in burps on the playground and
using body humor (farting, armpit noises, etc.) among themselves.
Nickelodeon is simply capitalizing on what they know will grab kid's
interest and get a giggle, and in the end, gave you the perfect
opportunity to point out what isn't appropriate no matter who's doing
it, and open a dialog with them about it.

I tend to agree with you. Many people find this sort of nonsense
funny. I say that i'm glad my child is beyond Nick because i wouldn't
appreciate it either. Yes, kids find it funny. They find a lot of
stuff funny that isn't. They think lots of really bad things are good
ideas. This is what parents are for. If kids didn't need guidance,
they would not need parents. Continue to teach your kids manners,
though, and i think they will look to you for guidance. Then turn off
the tv and read a book.

Burps can be funny. So can farts. I'm 39, my boyfriend is 48, and we
still giggle when farts happen.

There is so much worse on TV -- burping hardly seems like something to
complain about!

Hmm...burping/farting is natural. And yes, it is potty humor. But kids
think these noises are funny. It's natural to laugh when someone lets
our a good belly burp. It's a funny sound. I'll admit, I burp and fart
to induce humor, but, sometimes...I really gotta do it!

Spongebob (while I love the show) isnt the BEST kids show in the world
for kids to learn from. I mean, there is a lot of adult humor in this
show that kids, while they may get it, it may not be appropriate.
Spongebob has called Sandy a "Catch u next Tuesday" (figure that one
out!) and there is an episode devoted to Spongebob and Patrick
finding, and using, curse words (Sailor Mouth, by far my favorite
episode!) Nick has always been known for crude humor shows. Remember
You Can't Do That on Television? The show where you said "I dont know"
and were slimed? Or how about Ren & Stimpy? Or Rocko's Modern Life?
Those are along the same lines as Spongebob.

Getting back to Justin. I, personally, like the fact that he's
burping. It shows, that while he's an adult, hes not afraid to let a
"kid side" show. Thats the whole purpose of the commercial.

Wait, your kids watch Spongebob and you're worried about some burping?


I hate to point out that the network is geared exclusively to kids.
While adults might be offended by burping, the whole point of the Kids
Choice Awards is that its NOT like "regular" award shows - it's meant
to be an awards show that kids would present.

They hand out surfboards instead of trophies, no one is dressed in
Louis Vuitton with Jimmy Choo's and the majority of the recipients and
presenters are UNDER the age of 25.

I can completely understand as an adult thinking its vulgar and
uncouth, but its not meant for adults, it's meant for kids.

Keep in mind, this is the network that started its existence with
Alanis Morissette getting green slimed for saying "I don't know."

Burping is natural. There is going to come a time in my children's
lives that they will be forced to stiffle their farts and burps, but
for now, we let loose (within reason).

We were in Wendy's one day, and there was a group of 4 highschool
kids, 3 boys and a girl. The boys were having a burp off. My kids were
giggling (sorry, the Nick commerical in question just came on, what a
coinkie-dink), and the boys kind of looked at me for approval, seeing
that they had gotten the attention of my sons. So, I finished slugging
my diet Coke, and let loose with a burp to end all burps.

Nickelodeon is the source for mildly crude humor, especially
SpongeBob!! Kids will learn manners from you, don't worry. But it's
also OK to allow them to be kids. A little burp, giggling at a fart,
playing the "armpit orchestra", or whatever. Let them enjoy it before
they grow too old.

BURRPPPP!!

Oh, man, did you hear that? That was awesome! Somebody just try and
top that!

I completely agree with everything you say in your letter! My kids
like spongebob even though I can't stand the whining and crying in
spongebob and usually wind up changing the channel away from that.
Luckily my children haven't picked up anything from there as I've
taught them well, and do not burp but I agree completely about having
it in the first place. I don't find it funny at all.

I haven't seen the commercial, but they're probably doing it to remind
everyone that there's a burping contest on the Kids Choice Awards
show. Needless to say, that's not my favorite part.

Renee! Imagine my surprise when I had seen you wrote this letter...

I have to agree and also disagree with you in your letter. Nick has
always been a bit gross. When I was a kid there was a lot of nose
picking (Double Dare), farting and other wholly tummy churning
grossities (yes, I made that word up). For this reason I steer my
children clear of Nick whenever possible. Additionally I steer them
from SpongeBob whenever possible. I find SpongeBob to be just as
vulgar as just about everything else on Nick, especially in the
afternoons when they no longer run Nick Jr. As fun and laid back as I
am as a person, I'm a strict parent and I monitor everything my
children watch.

I do agree with you that the commercial is inappropriate and thank
goodness my kids don't watch Nick because my boys would run around
trying to do it. Icky boys... :)