G-Rated

It has occurred to me recently that I am now a connoisseur so to speak of kids movies. And, I guess not just movies but also kid-friendly tv stations and shows shown on PBS, Sprout, Disney Jr., Nick Jr., etc...When did this happen? I have never been into kid movies especially anything animated that is until, you guessed it, I had kids! They never warn you about this when you become a parent that this will be part of the deal, that as a parent you are signing up for years and years of kid friendly movies, tv stations/shows, etc... You're probably saying, "why is she all worked up about this?" or "who cares?" or "big deal!" but seriously I have not watched an adult TV show (consistently) or seen movies in the theater on a regular basis other than G-rated movies ordered at home from OnDemand or Apple TV since Chase was born in March of 2008.

It's not really a big deal if you think about life and the million things we have to worry about and I'm not complaining, I promise that I am not. I just find it interesting that this is one of the many things we as parents give up when we knowingly, lovingly, and without regret become parents. Just like a restful, peaceful night's sleep, or a few minutes to think and make a decision, use the bathroom, or make an interrupted phone call without kids screaming in the background... just one of those things.


And so, because watching movies and TV are all apart of our everyday lives no matter how much or little we consume (we do all consume in the end no matter how much you try to restrict or not watch it's a part of life) trying to be selective and present in how and when and what your kids watch is what really matters!


For us, our family, we do allow our kids to watch movies and TV with supervision, of course. It helps in the morning when we're all trying to get ready for the day especially on those days when someone woke up late and is off schedule and mommy needs to take over... It is essential when one of us, my husband or I, am at a late night meeting and switching on Sprout or the movie favorite of the week/month (right now it is The Polar Express -- I know it's May!) for a half hour or so to make dinner can really save the day... the only tip that I can say without judgement whatsoever is to limit the time they watch per day, be aware of the violence in everything they watch, and try your best to let them watch TV shows, movies without any commercials/adverstisements. That's a hard one but if you have Tivo, OnDemand (they have free TV shows, movies, etc...), or Apple TV, you can select what your child watches and it's commercial free -- huge!!!




So my point is this, why suffer if you don't have to... find the best of the best when it comes to kids movies and tv. And, of course watch in moderation. This is our quick list of those movies, including a few TVs shows mixed in, that are regulars in our house, car, and have made regular appearances in transit on a few Boeing-737s from Seatac to Orlando International a time or two...our very favorite is listed last. :) 

Dinosaur Train

Sesame Street 
(of course, but Chase is growing bored with this fav, Colby still loves!)

Clifford The Big Red Dog 
(Colby's favorite - the movie and tv shows; he's so cute!)


Super Y

Little Einstein 


Horton Hears A Who

The Incredibles

The Berenstein Bears

Shrek 

(all are fun but Shrek 4 has been our favorite)

Bee Movie

A Bug's Life

Go Diego Go! / Dora The Explorer

The Backyardigans 

(specifically the International Super Spy :-)

Winne the Pooh's Grand Adventure 

(Chase loves this one ever since we met Pooh at WDW last year!)

Up 

(so sweet, I love this one!)

Calliou 

(all his shows but without the puppets, Chase is not a fan of those guys!)

Wall-E 

(one of my new all time favs and not just for kids' movies!)

Curious George 

(Movies and TV shows, these are so great!)

The Lion King 

(we watched this in the theater with Chase, his first real movie/theater experience!)

The Polar Express 

(great movie for anytime of year, I promise!)

Toy Story (1, 2, and 3)

Cars 1 and 2 

(even though the second has some adult content, if you watch with your kiddos and explain, it's not that bad)

Finding Nemo 
(this movie will always be a joy to watch with kiddos and is our ultimate favorite movie; the first "kid" movie we EVER watched with Chase)

Our family's all-time favorit movie! We love Finding Nemo!