Parents Share How They Really Feel About Kids’ TV Shows

Being a parent is great because you always have a kid to take with you when a new Disney movie comes out in theaters. You imagined yourself getting to relive all your favorite movies with them, but what you didn't realize is that children's TV programs are the worst.

Peppa Pig, Dora, Elmo—you're going to grow to hate them just a little bit, and then you'll have to question why you feel resentment toward a cartoon character. The only upside is eventually they'll move on from Paw Patrol, but you'll never forget it.

And Today He's Going To Tell You About It 81 Times

parenting TV tweet #2 elmo 80 times
Photo Credit: Twitter / @Dadpression
Photo Credit: Twitter / @Dadpression

Once your kid finds their favorite show, you're going to do everything you can to change that show, because you never want to hear about Elmo, or listen to Elmo, or sing with Elmo, or tickle Elmo again for as long you live.

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This Is Setting Unrealistic Expectations For Life

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parenting TV tweet #3 bert and ernie apartment
Photo Credit: Twitter / @KenJennings
Photo Credit: Twitter / @KenJennings
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There are so many things that happen in kids' TV shows that simply aren't viable, and yet we're all just supposed to move on and pretend it's fine that there are basically no parental figures or supervision for any of these kids' cartoon characters.

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Oscar Was Just Misunderstood

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parenting TV tweet #4 oscar the grouch
Photo Credit: Twitter / @copymama
Photo Credit: Twitter / @copymama
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The storylines from your kid's shows start to mirror your own life, until one day, your kid compares you to Oscar the Grouch and you realize you can't even argue with them.

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You Can Quote Every Episode

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parenting TV tweet #1 the ring
Photo Credit: Twitter / @HomeWithPeanut
Photo Credit: Twitter / @HomeWithPeanut
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The biggest problem with children's television shows is that the episodes are too short. They go by too quickly, which is how you end up watching an entire season of one show on repeat for weeks.

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An Unsolvable Dilemma

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parenting tv tweet #6 max and ruby
Photo Credit: Twitter / @EverydayGirlDad
Photo Credit: Twitter / @EverydayGirlDad
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The correct answer is both, because you're never going to get to watch an adult show on TV again, but you're going to spend what feels like eternity watching Max try to find his shadow in 20-minute increments.

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Hopefully, It's Out Of Sight Out Of Mind

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parenting TV tweet #7 absence makes the heart grow
Photo Credit: Twitter / @daddydoinwork
Photo Credit: Twitter / @daddydoinwork
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You can toss Peppa Pig into the trash along with those two. The key is to periodically hide DVDs that your kids watch too much, then cycle through "finding" them and "losing" other ones so you don't go crazy.

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Okay, But Why Is Caillou Bald?

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parenting TV tweet #8 killing me softly
Photo Credit: Twitter / @yenniwhite
Photo Credit: Twitter / @yenniwhite
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Literally no adult enjoys watching Caillou. There are some TV shows that are bearable and you don't mind watching them with your kids, but Caillou is not one of them.

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Why Does He Live In A Pineapple Under The Sea?

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parenting TV tweet #9 thomas the train
Photo Credit: Twitter / @cheeseboy22
Photo Credit: Twitter / @cheeseboy22
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A lot of children's TV shows have some weird characters or wacky storylines, and you can't help but wonder: Who is in charge of creating these shows, and why exactly are they the ones in charge?

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These Are The Questions That Haunt You

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parenting TV tweet #10 meaning of life
Photo Credit: Twitter / @thetonihammer
Photo Credit: Twitter / @thetonihammer
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The more you watch, the more confusion there is. Your adult brain is going to overthink all of it, and soon you'll find yourself debating whether DW needed to go to anger management classes.

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What Are They Teaching These Kids?

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parenting TV tweet #11 power corrupts
Photo Credit: Twitter / @GregorTheFinn
Photo Credit: Twitter / @GregorTheFinn
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Sometimes, you're going to watch a few episodes of a show with your daughter and you're going to end up leaving more confused than she is. Mostly, you'll be confused about what this show is teaching her about society.

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It's A Glorious Moment

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parenting TV tweet #20 caillou theme song
Photo Credit: Twitter / @jnyemb
Photo Credit: Twitter / @jnyemb
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The day will come when your child decides on their own that they no longer like the show you've spent days, weeks, or months watching, and that day will be great for all of you.

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Is She Wrong?

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parenting TV tweet #24 Elmo Hellmo
Photo Credit: Twitter / @Playing_Dad
Photo Credit: Twitter / @Playing_Dad
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You have to pick your battles as a parent, and in this particular instance, there's nothing to fight about because she's absolutely right. There's no battle here, Elmo is torture.

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Old Habits Die Hard

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parenting tv tweet #21 phone a friend
Photo credit: Twitter / @DrakeGatsby
Photo credit: Twitter / @DrakeGatsby
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You tell yourself that you hate your kid's TV shows and that you can't wait to watch something for adults, but then your kids are gone, you're overwhelmed by the choices on Netflix, and you end up watching Paw Patrol anyway.

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It's Half Past Daniel Tiger

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parenting tv tweet #12 daniel tiger
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MyMomologue
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MyMomologue
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Since kids' TV shows play at the wonkiest times and nothing is ever a full half an hour or hour long, your sense of time is all messed up, but you still know exactly when the next episode of Toopy and Binoo is coming on.

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Making Your Dreams Come True

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parenting TV tweet #27 changing the voice
Photo Credit: Twitter / @RodLacroix
Photo Credit: Twitter / @RodLacroix
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Have you ever dreamed of hearing Cookie Monster tell you to turn left at the next intersection? No? Well, it's going to happen anyway, so you might as well embrace it.

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Mickey Mouse Is Ageist

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parenting TV tweet #13 mickey mouse clubhouse
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MotherPlaylist
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MotherPlaylist
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If your kid watches more modern shows that have been released recently, chances are they're going to make you feel seriously old. The other option is they watch older shows and you have to explain basic things to them, so either way you're dating yourself.

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They Slowly Wear You Down

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parenting TV tweet #5 paw patrol again?
Photo Credit: Twitter / @juliemaidadotme
Photo Credit: Twitter / @juliemaidadotme
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While you might think that things like paying for college tuition or trying to get three toddlers to bed are going to be what breaks you, TV shows are really going to be the things that do it. Try watching Paw Patrol every day for a year and tell us you haven't lost your mind.

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Every Episode Is A Feature Film

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parenting tv tweet #14 paw patrol 24 minutes
Photo Credit: Twitter / @simoncholland
Photo Credit: Twitter / @simoncholland
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Listening to your son try to tell you a story about his day is hard enough, but listening to your son try to tell you what just happened on an episode of anything is 10 times worse.

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Asking The Important Questions

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parenting tv tweet #26 where are you
Photo Credit: Twitter / @JimGaffigan
Photo Credit: Twitter / @JimGaffigan
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Children's TV shows leave adults with a lot more questions than answers, and the more episodes you watch, the more questions you're going to have, so don't think about it too hard.

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Watch It All Burn

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parenting TV tweet #15 bonfire of tv shows
Photo Credit: Twitter / @TheCatWhisprer
Photo Credit: Twitter / @TheCatWhisprer
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Your daughter might absolutely love Dora, but that probably means that you absolutely hate her and her dumb backpack, because she's the one you have to spend your life listening to.

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It Hits Different With Someone Else's Kid

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parenting TV tweet #16 airplane watching
Photo Credit: Twitter / @FatherWithTwins
Photo Credit: Twitter / @FatherWithTwins
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You're going to lose your mind if your kids ask you to watch one more episode of Paw Patrol, but if someone else's kid asks you, you're ready to roll out everything you know.

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Are You Still Watching?

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parenting tv tweet #17 dora the explorer
Photo Credit: Twitter / @ramblinma
Photo Credit: Twitter / @ramblinma
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You put on a TV show to entertain your kids, then you get into the plot of the episode and when it ends, you realize your kids wandered off approximately 19 minutes ago.

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Selective Remembering

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parenting tv tweet #18 name 5 characters
Photo Credit: Twitter / @AndyHerald
Photo Credit: Twitter / @AndyHerald
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You have a wealth of knowledge surrounding the plots of your child's favorite TV shows, but if you were asked to name five of your coworkers, you probably wouldn't be able to do it.

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When The Time Is Right

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parenting tv tweet #19 karaoke theme song
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PerfectPending
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PerfectPending
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When the songs start to seep deep into your everyday life, that's when you know you've hit rock bottom, so you might as well embrace it and enjoy the song.

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A Private Purgatory

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parenting TV tweet #22 daniel tiger episodes
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MyMomologue
Photo Credit: Twitter / @MyMomologue
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Nothing is as bad as getting a song or a scene from one of your kid's shows stuck in your head, especially if the people around you don't understand it or don't know the song.

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A Blessing And A Curse

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parenting tv tweet #23 no screens allowed
Photo Credit: Twitter / @adult_mom
Photo Credit: Twitter / @adult_mom
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Once you give up on the whole "no screens" parenting method, you'll learn that having screens is just as bad as not, because now you have to watch children's television shows instead of no television at all.

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The Soundtrack Of Your Life

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parenting tv tweet #25 went for a run
Photo credit: Twitter / @gfishandnuggets
Photo credit: Twitter / @gfishandnuggets
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Even when the TV is turned off, the soundtrack of your kid's favorite show is going to take over your life. The soundtrack will play in the car, in the bathroom, everywhere. You can never be without a Sesame Street song.

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You Can Pretend They're The Same

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parenting tv tweet #28 law and order
Photo Credit: Twitter / @jeanniegaffigan
Photo Credit: Twitter / @jeanniegaffigan
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Or so you've heard. You don't have the chance to ever watch Law & Order since you're busy wrangling your kids back into bed at night, but you imagine you're watching it while Scooby-Doo plays.

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You Said They Could Watch, Not Pick

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parenting tv tweet #29 can we watch a show
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PJTLynch
Photo Credit: Twitter / @PJTLynch
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You may have agreed to let your kids watch TV before bed, but if you're going to have to sit and listen to it, it might as well be something you want to watch, right?

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The Rules Of The Game Have Changed

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parenting TV tweet #30 cookie monster
Photo Credit: Twitter / @HonestToddler
Photo Credit: Twitter / @HonestToddler
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Chances are if your kid is watching a show that's been on since you were a child, or even one that's been on for a couple of years, something will have changed since it first aired. Nothing stays the same.