We recently ran into one of Alex’s preschool buddies and his mom at Target. Alex couldn’t resist announcing to his friend that he was buying a Ben 10 toy. “Ooh,” the mom said to him, “you’re lucky. My kids don’t get to watch that show.” (Translation: “We’re more responsible about limits than in your house.”) And I doubt my protest, “Oh, he hardly ever watches it. I don’t even know what channel it’s on,” rang true. For the uninitiated, Ben 10 is on Cartoon Network and rated Y7. (OK, so I do know.)

When you have a wide span between children (ours is six years) or a large brood, how do you keep TV age-appropriate? And how do you prevent family movie night from slipping into a Dora Film Festival?

In our house, I’ve permitted Andy to watch his favorite shows while Alex is around. And Alex is interested enough that he almost always sits (and gets into it). For now, the older content isn’t racey or even suggestive, but it’s not as sweet as preschool content. (And I do have some regrets about funneling a coarser level of reality into his innocent brain.)

Maybe another approach would be to go with the youngest common denominator, only allowing programs suitable for everyone. I guess I haven’t mustered the courage for that — not wanting Andy to “suffer” in yet another way (his opinion) because of his brother.

Another option, I imagine, is segregation by age. I prefer one TV on at a time in the house, figuring there’s a togetherness quotient in shared viewing. But these days, I’m not sure. Could the solution be that the living room is rated Y7 and the kitchen is rated Y?

I’d love to hear from other parents about how their kids share TV and movies. Because before I know it, I’ll be facing PG14. And it’s a giant leap from Ben 10 to CSI.