Supernanny - General Discussion

[Grrarrggh]

I am completely against using children as props for an adult to make money, especially when that adult is their parent. 

[overtherainbow]

On 2/1/2020 at 5:51 PM, Grrarrggh said:

I am completely against using children as props for an adult to make money, especially when that adult is their parent. 

Cue the swarm of youtube "family vloggers". Many of those kids could absolutely use Supernanny and their exploitative parents could learn a thing or two about how to put down the camera and actually parent. 

[hookedontv]

More about the Garcia family..... I mean, the kids' names were ridiculous, I mean, Harlem (stupidly spelled Harlym) isn't an actually NY borough, but come on now. Those parents are setting up their kids to be made fun of their entire lives. 

Can we also talk about how the parents apparently ordered in food for EVERY MEAL? At least lunch and dinner, I suppose. They said they spend $3-4K on a monthly basis ordering out. WTF? What a waste! If they actually have that amount of disposable income (which I highly doubt) they could be putting that towards their kids' college funds. I couldn't wrap my head around the stupidity of it all. 

[camom]

The family last night -- kids with severe food allergies.  I can understand why the parents were so anxious and how it transferred to the children.  I think Jo handled that situation very well.  It's necessary to be vigilant, but they have to let the kids live without constant fear.  I think the dad expected Jo to come in and tell his wife how to handle the kids and was surprised/offended when she suggested that he make some changes.  

[Grrarrggh]

The Anderson family didn't really need Jo. All they needed was common sense and a father who gave a crap. 

[MoreCoffeePlease]

Quote

 I think the dad expected Jo to come in and tell his wife how to handle the kids and was surprised/offended when she suggested that he make some changes.  

Totally this. Many of the wives on this show seem really unhappy, and the husbands are in denial about the state of their marriages.

The dads, "Parenting is so much work! Wah, wah, wah"  "You mean I actually am supposed to do stuff with my kids?!?"  What did you think having kids was all about? And if you don't want to do the work, why are you having 2, 3, or 4 kids!!!

Think of the moms who read books, talk to pediatricians, go online, and talk to other parents to learn how to parent, come up with fun activities, figure out how to discipline kids, and the dads who just want to sit there and watch TV and threaten to hit their kids and call their wives names.  Auggh!

[Boston]

Ok, I just watched the Richardson family.. I watch Supernanny here and there but it is a MARATHON today on Lifetime.. Mother, 30 yrs. old, with 6 kids (what???.. ok).. and the biological father died.  The kids are so out of control.. but then, Jo talks to them and OMG.. I have to say, I CRIED.. these kids were so angry and hurt.. the oldest boy was being "whipped" by the stepfather.. UGH.. really?  in this day and age?  and the oldest little girl was acting like a "mom" (I said it before I heard Jo say it). That girl was very mature for her age, I can relate.  The kids were all polite, but acting out.  I hope they make it.  I don't usually get into a show this much.

[movingtargetgal]

Boston, I have thought a lot about this family too.  The stepfather, mother and the four oldest children were dealing with a huge amount of grief.  The children were acting out for understandable reasons but the parents did not have the tools to help them.  Then you add a new baby and a mum with postpartum depression.  It is no wonder why things spiraled out of control.  I love the way Jo was able to help this family.  They were good people.  I would love to see an update for this family.   

[StatisticalOutlier]

Is there a Pinterest called "Words on Walls" that is all the rage?  In many decades occupying this earth, I have never had any random words on any wall where I've lived, and I think every family this season has.  Family.  Love.  Togetherness.  Pride. 

I don't know...it makes me think of people who have terrible lives but Facebook pages that would never tip you off.  In this case, it's families that are being torn apart by horrible kids caused by bad parenting.  Parenting bad enough that they're willing to expose themselves on TV in order to get help (although I wonder how many of them think they're going to be the exception, that Jo will tell them they're doing everything right and their kids are just incorrigible, or more likely that they're the parent who's doing it right and it's the other one who's screwing up).  

That said, I did like the sign in the kitchen in one episode that said, "Many have eaten here.  Few have died."

 

[PupCal]

For this family with the three kids in Hawa'ii why aren't they using that nice huge backyard more? don't have those screaming gremlins run in the hallway, have 'em run outside. And god that "playroom" looked horrible. A box of magnets, white walls, white furniture, 5 books, some stuffed animals and that's it? At least put down like kiddie rug, like that city one or something.

[Dani-Ellie]

I thought it was rude that neither one of the parents met Jo at the door the day they invited her back.

5 hours ago, PupCal said:

A box of magnets, white walls, white furniture, 5 books, some stuffed animals and that's it? At least put down like kiddie rug, like that city one or something.

Also, YES. If the kids had some more activities to do or a couple more toys to play with, they might not be running around like little hellions. Give them something to occupy their time and their minds, for crying out loud.

[Grrarrggh]

I wonder during all that time the Hawaiian couple spent trying to have children if they talked at all about what they would do with the child(ren) once they were there? Dad should have been seeing a therapist and parenting expert to deal with his abusive childhood. It's like people who spend a year or two planning the "perfect" wedding but never think about their marriage. 

I don't think kids need a lot of stuff to not be badly behaved. It was more how they were being treated by their parents, especially dad, than that they don't have lots of toys. 

[camom]

The mom was a child shrink?  I doubt I'd take my child to her after seeing this.

[hookedontv]

I just watched the one with the 9 year old twin girls, I think it was the Collins family. It felt like something was completely “off” with that mom. She was so anxious about everything, she barely cracked a smile and at times seemed like she was on something. She had a flat affect. She also looked like a man (ok, that was mean, but I wasn’t a fan of hers at all). 

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, hookedontv said:

I just watched the one with the 9 year old twin girls, I think it was the Collins family. It felt like something was completely “off” with that mom. She was so anxious about everything, she barely cracked a smile and at times seemed like she was on something. She had a flat affect. She also looked like a man (ok, that was mean, but I wasn’t a fan of hers at all). 

She AND her husband were so focused on getting children that they didn't put much thought into raising them. Not to mention she was taking on everything while the hubby did diddlysquat. 

[slasherboy]

Did the parents seriously ask their 9-year-old girls if they went to "potty" before bed?  That couple was waaaaaay out of their element here.

[overtherainbow]

I felt bad for those twins. With the sheer amount of smothering and hovering, she was the literal nightmare definition of a helicopter mom. Maybe overcompensating due to adopting so late in life? That mom clearly needed Jo more farrr more than the girls. The family that used cameras to spy on their kids was super cringy but using actual doorbells to alert the parents if they left their rooms at night is definitely a new one.

Also found it ironic about how worried and uncomfortable she was with taking them to a psychiatrist and the possibility of medicating them more when.. you’ve already had them on medication since they were FIVE and apparently haven’t bothered to see a doctor since.

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, overtherainbow said:

 That mom clearly needed Jo more farrr more than the girls. 

That is ALWAYS the case. Every.... single.... episode. It's the parents not the children. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

That is ALWAYS the case. Every.... single.... episode. It's the parents not the children. 

I agree, but this season's focus on fixing the parents is boring to me.  I much prefer watching Jo breaking the kids like you do a horse.  I don't think we've had a single example of wordlessly dragging a kid back to the naughty stool 800 times before he finally stays there for the required 4 minutes, followed by an apology, hugs, and then life goes on.

[Grrarrggh]

3 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I agree, but this season's focus on fixing the parents is boring to me.  I much prefer watching Jo breaking the kids like you do a horse.  I don't think we've had a single example of wordlessly dragging a kid back to the naughty stool 800 times before he finally stays there for the required 4 minutes, followed by an apology, hugs, and then life goes on.

Why is publicly shaming a child because the parents suck entertaining? Thankfully Jo and producers have realised how horrible that is and are putting the blame and spotlight on the correct characters. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

2 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

Why is publicly shaming a child because the parents suck entertaining? Thankfully Jo and producers have realised how horrible that is and are putting the blame and spotlight on the correct characters. 

I can see that it could be embarrassing for the children, but I don't think that means they are being shamed.  It's just a fact--they're acting like that, and everybody knows it's the parents' fault, and the parents are going to learn how to stop it.  

Don't forget--the premise of the whole thing is that children aren't happy when they act like that--they want boundaries and responsibilities and accountability.  If some embarrassment is necessary to get there, then so be it.  

But more importantly for the show, nobody is learning, for example, how to do a proper time out, which at least theoretically did happen on past seasons.  (I say theoretically because it always astounds me that people who presumably have seen previous episodes STILL don't do it right.)  But I learned a lot about how to get kids to stop being hellions, or to go to bed on their own, or to behave in the grocery store, from watching the show in the past.  In fact, I had a friend who had a kid who wouldn't stay in her bed, and my friend asked me, because she knew I watched the show, what she should do.  I told her about Jo's technique, and it was an instant success.

I care only mildly about why the parents are the way they are, and find getting to the root of it boring.  Everybody's got issues, and theirs just happen to manifest in execrable parenting.  I'm here for seeing how kids' bad behavior can be corrected, not for the parents exploring their own issues.  The only thing I'm interested in when it comes to the parents themselves is convincing them to stop spanking hitting their kids.  And even then, I don't care why they do it. 

And speaking of bad parenting...how horrible was it that the twins said the doorbells on their bedrooms were to alert them if a robber is coming in?  The hell???  He'd already be in the fucking house and at their bedroom door, blocking their escape when ding-dong wakes them up.  

I sincerely hope that they just inferred that after finding out a neighbor got robbed (which I'm not sure they should have known in the first place), but I wouldn't put it past those parents to have told those poor kids that was the reason, instead of saying it was so they would know if the kids came out of their rooms at night. 

[Grrarrggh]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

It's just a fact--they're acting like that, and everybody knows it's the parents' fault, and the parents are going to learn how to stop it.  

I care only mildly about why the parents are the way they are, and find getting to the root of it boring.  Everybody's got issues, and theirs just happen to manifest in execrable parenting.  I'm here for seeing how kids' bad behavior can be corrected, not for the parents exploring their own issues.  

Everybody doesn't know, that's the problem. Too many people think children act out just because they're brats. Too many parents think their badly behaved children wake up in the morning wanting to personally annoy them. 

Children's bad behaviour is most easily corrected by correcting the parents. Not the children. 

She had the sleep technique in a previous episode, not to mention at least a dozen episodes over the years. Same with time outs. 

It's time for parents to stop blaming their children and start looking at themselves. 

[absolutelyido]

Watching the Brown family with 4 kids. It always amazes me that people get to 4 children before they realize that they don't really know how to handle them. However, in this case, it seems like the older two, Ethan and Millie, were pretty easy going. Then Xander came along and was more obstinate, and the parents didn't know how to deal with him.

[Grrarrggh]

Of the last three episodes it wonder how many of those couples will be divorced in five years? Seems like all of them imo. One was too young (the Esquvel couple, four children and the mum is 28) one was too immature (the Browns, both mom and dad) and one needs serious therapy time (the Bailey couple, especially Christina). 

Once again it's the parents behaving badly, and the children are just collateral damage.

[PupCal]

I feel like Giuseppe's problems go a bit deeper than just being babied all the time.

[readheaded]

8 hours ago, PupCal said:

I feel like Giuseppe's problems go a bit deeper than just being babied all the time.

Agreed.  And, I don't think I've ever disliked a mother on Supernanny as much as I disliked Angela.  I was glad Jo so forcefully called her on her shit parenting.

[tabloidlover]

Angela was a disaster and I’m fairly certain life went back to giving in and the easy route.  Lazy.  Yes, it’s exhausting!  But you should have caught on to that before you got to kid 4 for crying out loud.

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, readheaded said:

Agreed.  And, I don't think I've ever disliked a mother on Supernanny as much as I disliked Angela.  I was glad Jo so forcefully called her on her shit parenting.

Forcefully called her on it?  She threw a chicken nugget at her!  They need to use that clip to advertise the show.

Also, in the blanket fight, when Jo asked the mom how to handle the conflict, I realized I had no clue.  Jo's approach was brilliant--the little girl obviously wasn't going to be using the blanket that night, since she was putting it away in her drawer.  So she should have no objection to the boy using it that night, and let's revisit the situation tomorrow.  That's why I watch this show.

Anybody else skeeved by at the young dad who wouldn't let his 12-year-old daughter cut her hair?  For one, shouldn't kids that age (or almost any age, for that matter, but definitely 12) get to decide how long they want their hair?  It's not like she was wanting a purple mohawk--she wanted something that is within acceptable norms (assuming she didn't mean a buzz cut--I assumed she wanted a pixie or the like).

But for another, she was complaining that it took her too much time for upkeep (and something was said that indicated her mother had to help).  So it's that, versus the dad who I got typical "I like women with long hair" vibes from.  For example, see his wife. 

I was surprised Jo made the girl compromise at shoulder length.  She wanted it cut real short.  Why not let her?  She even said that it's just hair, it'll grow back if it turns out she doesn't like it real short.  I'm disappointed that she was forced to remain a victim of the women's hair industrial complex.

[readheaded]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Forcefully called her on it?  She threw a chicken nugget at her!  They need to use that clip to advertise the show.

Also, in the blanket fight, when Jo asked the mom how to handle the conflict, I realized I had no clue.  Jo's approach was brilliant--the little girl obviously wasn't going to be using the blanket that night, since she was putting it away in her drawer.  So she should have no objection to the boy using it that night, and let's revisit the situation tomorrow.  That's why I watch this show.

Anybody else skeeved by at the young dad who wouldn't let his 12-year-old daughter cut her hair?  For one, shouldn't kids that age (or almost any age, for that matter, but definitely 12) get to decide how long they want their hair?  It's not like she was wanting a purple mohawk--she wanted something that is within acceptable norms (assuming she didn't mean a buzz cut--I assumed she wanted a pixie or the like).

But for another, she was complaining that it took her too much time for upkeep (and something was said that indicated her mother had to help).  So it's that, versus the dad who I got typical "I like women with long hair" vibes from.  For example, see his wife. 

I was surprised Jo made the girl compromise at shoulder length.  She wanted it cut real short.  Why not let her?  She even said that it's just hair, it'll grow back if it turns out she doesn't like it real short.  I'm disappointed that she was forced to remain a victim of the women's hair industrial complex.

Jo seemed uncharacteristically pissed at Angela, lol.  The nugget scene was beautiful. I wonder if Angela did more that we didn't see that made Jo so irritated?  

I agree wholeheartedly that Presleigh should be able to cut her hair short, but thought Jo was trying to help her learn how to negotiate with her parents.  In the end, I had a lot of hope for that family.  The parents really seemed to have made a nice life for themselves, despite having been teen parents, and they really seemed open to being better parents than they had.  

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 minutes ago, readheaded said:

I agree wholeheartedly that Presleigh should be able to cut her hair short, but thought Jo was trying to help her learn how to negotiate with her parents. 

Good point.  I just wish it had been something that shouldn't even be negotiable. 

 

4 minutes ago, readheaded said:

In the end, I had a lot of hope for that family.  The parents really seemed to have made a nice life for themselves, despite having been teen parents, and they really seemed open to being better parents than they had.  

I hope so.  But I just have to wonder about the video game dad.  Sure, you can teach him that he's addicted to video games and that his pre-school kid shouldn't be playing Zombie video games (not to mention that sitting back-to-back while playing video games isn't "bonding,") but that falls too far into the category of "Duh" to make me comfortable with any of his other impulses.  But if he's teachable, and there's someone who can keep teaching him, maybe there's a chance.

And....more words on walls.  I don't have a single saying posted anywhere in my house, and Mr. Outlier and I don't need to be reminded of our names or initials.  One of the houses had "PASTA" in the kitchen. 

[Grrarrggh]

I think Angela was, rightly, overwhelmed. She worked a full time job AND had to do everything at home. Why wasn't dad doing stuff? If he was so sure what they should be eating why didn't he grocery shop and cook? Why was this all on mom?

 

I think that moron who not only plays violent video games all the time but encourages his five year old (starting when he was THREE!!) to as well should be whipped. How can someone be THAT stupid? I was also very side eye on his need for his daughter's hair to be long. That felt a bit religious cult creepy. And I'm not even going into those poor children's names... 

[readheaded]

7 hours ago, Grrarrggh said:

I think Angela was, rightly, overwhelmed. She worked a full time job AND had to do everything at home. Why wasn't dad doing stuff? If he was so sure what they should be eating why didn't he grocery shop and cook? Why was this all on mom?

 

I think that moron who not only plays violent video games all the time but encourages his five year old (starting when he was THREE!!) to as well should be whipped. How can someone be THAT stupid? I was also very side eye on his need for his daughter's hair to be long. That felt a bit religious cult creepy. And I'm not even going into those poor children's names... 

Dad should have been helping Angela and I understand why she was overwhelmed, but at the same time, I wonder if dad had helped more earlier on and got tired of being undermined.  He certainly seemed to step up when Jo asked him to, whereas, Angela continued to put alleviating her own guilt first and giving into whatever made her kids shut up.

I think the video game dad was truly ignorant.  They said that neither he, nor the mom, had great parenting and that they were teen parents.  He did step up once Jo showed him the light; when he knew better. he did better.

Edited September 17, 2020 by readheaded

[readheaded]

Tonight, the children in the Sutherland family are named Rio, Tex, Jett, and Crosby.  I must be getting old because I'm shaking my head over both the names and the fact that the parents seems surprised that they're overwhelmed by having 4 small children to take care of.

[StatisticalOutlier]

I can't believe it took the Supernanny to inform them that letting very small children stay up until midnight isn't a good idea.  That's almost as dumb as the video-game-playing dad.

The mom's constant smile gave me the creeps, and can't help when trying to make the kids know you mean business.

[readheaded]

20 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

I can't believe it took the Supernanny to inform them that letting very small children stay up until midnight isn't a good idea.  That's almost as dumb as the video-game-playing dad.

The mom's constant smile gave me the creeps, and can't help when trying to make the kids know you mean business.

Do parents not bother to read parenting books and web resources?  I know you can't find all the answers to all the parenting questions and that sometimes, the guidance differs amongst sources, but I'd be willing to be most reputable parenting resources would advise against allowing small children to decide their own bedtimes.

[Grrarrggh]

1 hour ago, readheaded said:

Do parents not bother to read parenting books and web resources?  I know you can't find all the answers to all the parenting questions and that sometimes, the guidance differs amongst sources, but I'd be willing to be most reputable parenting resources would advise against allowing small children to decide their own bedtimes.

There are more laws requiring how not to be a parent than how to be one, to the detriment of many children. 

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, readheaded said:

I'd be willing to be most reputable parenting resources would advise against allowing small children to decide their own bedtimes.

I'd be willing to bet that even non-reputable parenting resources don't go so far as allowing small children to stay up until midnight if that's what they want to do. 

That family seemed to turn things around pretty well, but I honestly think that it's because their choices were so obviously and clearly wrong that even I could have straightened them out in a jiffy.  There was almost no drama getting that older one to go from going to bed with them in their bed to going to bed hours earlier in his own bed.  That's a double whammy, and was more easily accomplished than with most kids who are already going to sleep in their own beds, and just need to do it at a certain time without delay tactics. 

Poor kid probably didn't really want to stay up that late, but wasn't going to pass up the opportunity they gave him.  

[Grrarrggh]

I can't believe the last two families were real. Who is THAT stupid and that easily changed? 

[LGraves65]

This is driving me mad -- does anyone remember a family that was on the original Supernanny who had a child who constantly ran away/out of the house?  And we all said "He's going to get hit by a car!" AND HE DID. (Later! Not on Supernanny)

Edited September 16, 2021 by LGraves65