"Sorry, I Am Not Mickey Mouse."

Sorry but you really need to start parenting and stop trying to be her unconditional friend. She is not going to hate you for it, she will actually love you more.

The problem isn't the show, the problem is that there is no parent-child relationship here. You need to fix that more than what she is watching.

If you hate it than why is she watching it? You're the mom, you make the decisions. Trust me, she will love the Backyardigans, too! She is three! All you have to tell her is that Mickey isn't on today so watch XXX instead. She won't care. And if she does, then the TV goes off.

ES--
You've written about this so many times.
Your daughter is becoming rude. It is not appropriate or cute for children to be continually correcting their parents. My six year old toes the line on this one and we shut it down quickly.

Her future teachers will not like it. You need to get some backbone with your daughter soon, or she's going to have a hell of a reality check when she enters preschool and kindergarten. I've experienced this as a preschool teacher as well. It isn't pretty or a treat putting a kid back on track when they are used to bossing adults around. It's not a good way to start a relationship with a child.

When she reprimands you or bosses you, the playtime is over. Get up and go do something else. Being called 'girl' (I don't know, is this what's on Mickey Mouse these days?)-- I would have turned around and said "excuse me, my name is mom and you may ask a question: 'Mom, would you please come out?' calm and matter of fact.

If you don't like what the tv is teaching her, turn it off. Very simple solution. Kids will not die without tv. But they will have a lot of struggles in school if they don't learn to be respectful enough to adults. Kids don't need to be demeaned, however, they do need to know their place enough to function well with adults outside the home. I'm not writing this to be mean, but to give you a clear heads-up... if you've posted repeated questions about her behavior and the conflict it has caused in your family, something needs to change.

You're not overreacting. I hope you're starting to realize that your daughter sees you more as a sibling or playmate than as a parent, and THAT is something to worry about :-(

Wait, she reprimanded YOU? It's YOUR television, you have the right to ban any TV show you want.

I think I've said this in every question similar you've asked. Your child is running your house and dictating your actions. You will immensely regret that.

You are not a puppet, a playmate, an equal. You are a parent. I'm sorry to say, I think you have an incredibly tough road ahead for you. I don't say that to be harsh. I say that out of concern, because I think you deserve better.

ES:

So here's my take.....it's not about over-reacting...it's about your daughter seeing you as her friend, NOT her parent - that's why there are no boundaries so she feels she can reprimand you and call you names. In several of your other posts - you talk about your daughter being rude, waking up before you, etc. instead of complaining about it - WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO **DO** about it?

From where I stand? You need to parent-up. YOU are the parent. YOU make the decisions. YOU decide what she can and cannot watch. There ARE other shows she can watch. So YOU need to tell her NO.

Yes, I know I tell people on here not to say "YOU", in this case? YOU ASKED. I'm going to tell you.

Your daughter is a mirror image of you. She is learning these behaviors from someone. Who else is around her as much as you? Yes, it's a hard truth to swallow.

Your daughter does NOT see you as the parent. She sees you as a friend. And THIS is what happens when parents DO NOT parent their child.

She will NOT die if you tell her no.
She will NOT die if you give her boundaries and rules.
She will NOT die if you don't give her everything she wants.

So pick up the remote and turn the show off. Tell her that show is no longer allowed in our home. PERIOD. If she wants to watch TV - there is Dora The Explorer, Winnie the Pooh, Pooh's Corner, Backyardigans, Diego, and so many others....

So parent-up! Stop trying to be her friend and cater to her - be the parent! Set rules, boundaries, rules and consequences....your life as well as hers will be MUCH better for it!!

Good luck!

I don't think you are losing it when you tell her you don't want to be called "girl".

don't be afraid to parent her. once you do that I think you will find she stops this scripting.

just wanted to mention if she ends up having some sort of diagnosis later down the road you might find that avoiding the TV all together would help her with breaking the habit of repeating lines from the show. most kids can handle it but for some reason she seems obsessive about it. since I think this is at least your third post on her scripts, although this post is my fav by far, as I also am not a Mouse!

You can turn the tv off. I can't stand Spongebob, so we don't watch it.

My daughter went through a phase where everything was inexplicably called "chicken." it was chicken this and chicken that and whatever. I couldn't stand it and neither could my husband (and it wasn't like "you're a chicken!" It was like she was a smurf using "smurf" for everything. Only it was chicken). After a couple of weeks of us telling her every time we heard it that she needed to stop saying chicken unless it was referring to the bird when we went to the farm, she stopped. Now she catches herself saying it and will say "oops, you don't want me to say that." You need to be firm with behaviors you want to weed out.

Nervy Girl had some great advice!

I have read your other posts, and totally agree that you need to nip this in the bud. It sounds like she is the boss of the house, and you definitely want to take control now. She's never going to respect you if she knows she can walk all over you.

You are the mom. You are in charge. Don't let her dictate to you.

My husband and I made the mistake of letting our oldest have too much control when she was young, and now we have an 11 yr old who is very controlling and very hard to discipline. It's a constant struggle. If I could turn back time, I would change the way I dealt with her completely.

It sounds like your daughter could benefit from 1-2-3 Magic. It's an excellent book, and it's so simple. Figure out the behaviors that you'd like to work on (just one or two things work best at her age). Sit her down and tell her that if she does xyz you're going to say "That's one...That's two...." and if she gets to three, she has a timeout or whatever you use for discipline. After a couple of times, they usually stop when you get to 1. This is because you have followed through with the timeouts the first couple of times. Consistency, consistency, consistency is the name of the game.

That's how I feel about Sponge Bob. My kids never watched it because it irritated me. There are plenty of other shows kids can watch that aren't irritating to all of the adults around them.

No, you are not. And it is good that you are noticing how much influence TV programming has on children. Where do you think preteens learn how to talk to their parents (as if they are morons)? I could name a string of "kid" (older kid) shows that depict kids speaking down to their parents and other adults. But because they are put out by Disney or other "kid" networks, parents don't seem to notice.

Glad your eyes are opened. I would limit her time watching the program if she can't differentiate between what she sees on it and what is inappropriate when talking to/interacting with you.

----

Maybe you should introduce her to something like Dora the Explorer. That show is pretty respectful and somewhat educational. It isn't a "fast" show (constantly changing images that reduce attention span), and is geared for that age. I have never found anything offensive in it (but that is not to say that I haven't wanted to pull my hair out from hearing the "backpack backpack" song, or "the map!")

When my kiddos were around that age, we mostly stuck to videos, so I KNEW exactly what they were getting. Winnie the Pooh, Rescuers Down Under, Fox and the Hound, etc.
There were a few other TV shows, but not sure if they are still on. "Franklin" and "Little Bear" were great shows for little kids. Gender neutral, too.

If it bugs you that much, just turn it off. You control the remote, not her! I've never watched it myself, but there are a couple shows I don't let my son watch because I find them annoying and I don't want him to become obsessed with them like other kids I know (Thomas the Train, sorry, we are not going to watch you).

No, when she grows up that is how she will talk and she will expect everyone else to talk that way too. She will look...not very smart.

I'd just block the show from your tv. I did that with a few shows that my kids liked, that my husband enables, but I despise. In a few weeks it should fade away.

At this age some kids are parrots.
So now at this age, you tell her no talking that way, it is rude and crude.
Tell her, some shows are not good influences.
And she cannot watch it.
Just turn it off.

And then just teach her proper words etc.
Is she in Preschool?
If not maybe send her.

Just a story: I have a friend who has 3 boys. The youngest (who was 6 at the time) by default I guess, ends up watching tv shows that his older brothers watch. They are Tweens.
So then, one day she gets a call from his Teacher. Telling her that her son.... is speaking in inappropriate ways for a 6 year old.... and uses words that are, "teen" ways of talking etc. and jargon that is not age appropriate. And yes, listening to the son, is like hearing a "tv show" or commercial. Because, he is such a parrot.

But anyway, if it bugs you, just teach her appropriate ways of speaking and proper vocabulary. You are the Mom.
What you say, is.

Then, when my son was in 1st grade, he comes home from school saying "boot-ay" to me. (ya know, "bootie"). And wiggling his rear end. So then I looked at him, raised my eyebrow and ask him "where did you pick up that word from?" and he tells me "from school...." a couple of the kids were saying that and telling the other kids what it is.
So I clearly and bluntly explained to him, that that word is:
1) crude
2) trashy talk
3) inappropriate
4) not funny
5) not funny if he continues to use this word at school, nor allowed at school
6) NOT classy at all
7) and that this word is used for adults. NOT children. And still, it is crude.
And in addition to that, I told the Teacher as a head's up. Because I know her and I know, she does NOT allow, talk like that. In her, classroom.
And then she spoke... to the entire classroom about proper behavior and words.

Anyway, teach your daughter proper words.
Not slang.

I don't know you and I don't know about Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, but when a show has a negative influence on the child, you focus on the child and eliminate the negative influence.

Don't blow up about it any more. Your attitude is important in this matter. Just find something else to do with your daughter at program time for a while - preferably outside the house. That gives you a chance to investigate other TV programs, if you want to let her have that time, or eliminate them, if you and your husband would rather do that. (Do you and he watch television?)

Let your your husband in on the influence the program is having on your daughter. "I'd just as soon not have to battle a mouse over how people ought to speak to one another. I'm going to look for something more fun."

Back in the dinosaur days when I was little, we had story records (anybody remember records?) and one of them was the fairy story of Cinderella. In that particular adaptation the nasty stepmother gave the girl some orders for chores and finished, "...And shut the door behind you!" It was impressive. I tried that line on my sister's piano teacher - who came to our house for the lessons - as she was about to leave one afternoon. I still remember how puzzled I was when my mother got mad about it.

So yes, children do absorb what they see and hear, without thinking. Your daughter is absorbed in that show. Since you're the grown-up, you get to filter what is absorbing her, for the most part. "Sorry, Sweetie, but I'm not going to talk like a make-believe mouse. Let's go find a book to read."

Your constantly being annoyed is over reacting. You're making a mountain out of a molehill.

What I see is a normal little child using Imaginative Play Role Playing. Every time I see it called "Scripting" I see it like looking for a medical diagnosis, looking for something to be wrong.
Do you have Fisher Price Little People type playsets or a doll house or some other type toy where your daughter can explore her imagination and role play? My daughter is 4. She has several little playsets, some are new and some are from her brothers when they were little. One is a Sesame Street one that looks like the Fairy School that comes with Abby Cadaby and another character plus a couple simple pieces of furniture. She can have the characters talking and playing with each other. This gives her an outlet to play out things she sees in her life, both in real life and on TV. My niece is a little younger and does the same thing.
There is a rule in our house. If the kids watch something on TV and we see behaviours we don't like in the house we first talk about how they are not acceptable and our wishes for them to stop. If they do not stop they no longer get to watch the show. Very easy. We help direct them to something that we find appropriate. We sit and watch any new shows with them the first time or two, both to see what the show is like and to discuss anything we didn't care for. My kids were always telling us at a very early age that what a character did wasn't very nice or would ask why they do not talk in complete sentences (Oobie comes to mind when they asked that).
How much time do you actually spend with your daughter not being annoyed by what she does? You do realize that she can pick up on that, right? It sounds like she's hit a point where she has learned that she has to annoy you in order to get your attention. Negative attention is still attention.

I'm sorry. I don't blame you for losing your cool.
Honestly, until these frequent posts about "scripting," I'd never heard if it.
I'm quite sure it would drive me completely bananas.
And from what you describe it's pretty constant.
God bless you!

Just pull the plug on the show.

This is another tally mark for why we don't miss cable. Our children don't get as many choices or influences.

We used to allow my son to watch Max and Ruby. He LOVED it. I thought it was a clever little show...until we realized that after watching Max and Ruby our son would walk around all day saying one word like Max...so no more Max and Ruby. Sponge Bob was never allowed because I didn't like the attitudes and sarcasm.

Your the boss, turn it off.

PBS has some great, education kid's shows. I can't tell you that they aren't annoying for adults, but they are much more educational. My daughter loves Calliou right now. We have Amazon Prime and she just can't get enough!

You're not overreacting. You might want to tell her that she should never refer to any grown woman as "girl" - it's slang. (And obviously "fella" is slang too.)

I'm not sure, but, I bet that when Mickey characters say "girl" they are talking to or about a child!

BTW, I'm sorry that I said you were "pouting" in my answer to your last post. I haven't read all of your past posts as other post-ers on here have done. It sounds like you've been dealing with a bunch of these issues, and any frustration you have makes sense!!

I still say she's only three. When she's 5, this stuff matters more. At 3, their brains are still developing and IMO it's cute.

ah, now i see where the 'annoyed' question came from.
i think that if you simply have some firm boundaries, you won't have to spend so much time playing scripted games when you don't want to, or having a lot of rules ('i will play if i can say 'fellow'.....really?) when you do.
she's only 3. please stop letting her run everything. it's not fair to her. she's too young, and then doesn't understand when you've been pushed too far and lose it.
khairete
S.

Ah, reading this now, I finally understand your later post.

Look, I'll be honest. I think you should STOP role playing with your daughter. And yes, I think that Mickey should not be on the TV anymore.

When my older son was little, we watched videos of dinosaurs (I can't remember the name.) There were adult parent dinosaurs and the little dinosaurs. Life revolved around "people problems" except for the part about making sure they didn't get eaten by carnivores. (Gotta throw in the danger aspect to make it interesting, I guess!) Anyway, one of the dinosaurs was a bully. After a while, it was apparent that the bully was very insecure and his "parents" weren't paying much attention to him. During a scene that dealt with his bad behavior, he blurted out something that was very negative (something akin to not caring about anyone ever). To my surprise, my son, who didn't like this character, said that same sentence to me when he was upset. I told him that parroting the dinosaur bully was inappropriate, and if he said it again, we would NOT be watching the dinosaur videos anymore. He didn't say it again.

I still remember from childhood that I watched the original Batman TV show (tells you how old I am!) I ran around the house singing the lead song "Batman!" to the top of my lungs. My mom told me point blank that if I did it again, there would be no more Batman. I forgot and did it again. Boom - no more Batman. She said what she meant, and she meant what she said.

I urge you to set a standard in your home and stand by it. No more Mickey Mouse on TV. No more role playing. When she screams at you, put her in her room. If she corrects you, you need to tell her that children are not allowed to correct adults. I promise you that if she continues to do this, she's going to mouth off to someone who is going to let her have it. When I was in 3rd grade, my Sunday School teacher used bad grammar during a lesson and I told her the correct way to say it. She lectured me for half the class, in front of everyone, about my attitude and the fact that children don't correct adults. She was right, by the way...

You really need to stop worrying about if you are being mean. Being a parent doesn't mean always being nice and worrying about your child's feelings. The world itself is going to hurt your child's feelings. Best that you prepare your daughter for that by not treating her like a princess and allowing her to walk all over you. Other people won't put up with it.

Please get your husband to go to a child psychologist with you and work out your parenting differences. If you don't, things are going to get so hard in your home...

I get so confused when you refer to "scripting" because it means something entirely different than what you're using it to mean. I say this as a mother who has to give her autistic child scripts in order to help her get through her day. Her teachers are required to give her daily scripts as part of her daily routine so that she can get through her day. I have to script brand new situations and all possible outcomes for her, including possible conversations for her, to help ease her anxiety so that she knows what to expect before it occurs.

That is scripting.

What your daughter is doing is role playing. It may annoy you, and so you have to set some boundaries. Setting boundaries isn't mean. It's parenting. YOU get to script by saying, "I expect you to _____ or else ______ will be the consequence." or "If you _______, then I will stop playing this game with you." See?

Wow! Some people can be a bit rude in their posts! I just say to my daughter. In this house we don't speak like that and model what would be appropriate. Then after that I just say try again. If she doesn't follow with something appropriate, then I model again. I use the try again approach for snooty tone of voice as well. As far as fella for fellow I wouldn't make too much of a big deal out of that. If you draw too much attention too it, she will do it to irritate you. When she says it I would just just repeat what she says using fella instead of fellow. "Yes, he is a nice fellow." Eventually she will ditch fella.