Discover Yahoo! With Your Friends

Explore news, videos, and much more based on what your friends are reading and watching. Publish your own activity and retain full control.

To get started, first

YOUR FRIENDS' ACTIVITY

    No 'Values Moments' During Super Bowl Commercials

    By Cathy A Montville | Yahoo! Contributor Network – Tue, Jan 31, 2012
    This story comes from the Yahoo! Contributor Network, where individuals publish their unique perspectives on some of the world’s most popular websites.
    Do you have a story to tell? Become a Yahoo! contributor

    COMMENTARY | Super Bowl Sunday is huge for me. It rivals the excitement of some of my major family holidays. In all honesty, though, I've never watched the Super Bowl with my four grandkids: I'd be exhausted from trying to explain away the awkwardness of the commercials. However, a professor of psychology and expert in parent-child relationships at Wake Forest University doesn't believe it has to be that way.

    Christy Buchanan views the Super Bowl commercials as an opportune time for adults to create "values moments" with children. Buchanan encourages parents to seize that awkward commercial moment and rework it in a favorable way through discussion. I'm no party pooper, but let's not forget the Super Bowl is a family-focused event, too.

    I find the alcohol-related commercials can be outrageously funny and sometimes even moving. But I realize they might lead children to think (based on the commercials' messages) that drinking is what makes an event fun.

    What's Buchanan's advice? Don't blow off the beer commercials. Instead, if the children are an age at which they can comprehend the issue, such as teens, initiate a discussion with them about consuming alcohol. Express your feelings as they relate to "values" about alcohol. Engage the kids in sharing their interpretation of drinking.

    As far as children, a difficult aspect of any of the Super Bowl commercials is the sexual connotations in many ads. I recall the discomfort I felt during some of the commercials when my daughters were young. And the advertisements back then were timid compared to now.

    The blatantly sexy Super Bowl ads today get the nod of approval from plenty of viewers. Those sexually candid ads are not so embraceable when you're sharing the TV with small kids.

    You don't need a professor of psychology to advise you to change the channel until the game returns. Buchanan notes that turning the TV volume off will help the offending commercial lose its impact -- and use chatter about the game as a distraction.

    When my kids were little, I could stand in front of the TV and block out distasteful Super Bowl commercials. Now, with 50- and 60-inch screens, that's not an option for my grandkids. Besides, I'm not ready to spend the day creating "values moments" with my grandchildren. I'll leave that task to their parents on Super Bowl Sunday.

     

    7 comments

    • Patricia
      Patricia  •  New York, New York  •  3 mths ago
      I was very disappointed with the commercials this year, they're usually very entertaining.
    • LadyQ
      LadyQ  •  3 mths ago
      I didn't watch it.
    • Pearl Grace
      Pearl Grace  •  St James City, Florida  •  3 mths ago
      Very well said. If you find me near the TV when the SuperBowl is on, it's for the commercials only! Nice writing!
    • J P Whickson
      J P Whickson  •  Elkhart, Indiana  •  3 mths ago
      I'm always amazed at the commercials and what they allow on tv. I remember when Ricky and Lucy slept in separate beds.
    • Lori Gunn
      Lori Gunn  •  Reno, Nevada  •  3 mths ago
      good reporting
    • Malina Debrie
      Malina Debrie  •  3 mths ago
      It's like controversial movies. when my boys were young, i di dnot try to hide these movies from them., I saw them as an opportunity to teach them the facts and challenges of life. I used the actions of the characters to show them actions that could cause them tremendous problems in life versus the ones that would make their lives easy and fun. They have never been in trouble and each one has avoided the children who stay in trouble. I'm not saying they are perfect. I'm saying they remember the movies and we talk about the ones they saw when other children were sheltered from them and it only made them more interested in doing the things the parents hid from them.
    • Carol
      Carol  •  3 mths ago
      It's amazing what can be said and shown on primetime TV. Good commentary!
     Post a comment
    [ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['Titanic', 7]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/titanic-anniversary/', ' ', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/b/4e/b4e5ad9f00b5dfeeec2226d53e173569.jpeg', '550', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]
    [ [ [['did not go as far his colleague', 8]], '29438204', '0' ], [ [[' the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 4]], '28924649', '0' ], [ [['because I know God protects me', 14], ['Brian Snow was at a nearby credit union', 5]], '28811216', '0' ], [ [['The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted Rosaviatsiya', 6]], '28805461', '0' ], [ [['measure all but certain to fail in the face of bipartisan', 4]], '28771014', '0' ], [ [['matter what you do in this case', 5]], '28759848', '0' ], [ [['presume laws are constitutional', 7]], '28747556', '0' ], [ [['has destroyed 15 to 25 houses', 7]], '28744868', '0' ], [ [['short answer is yes', 7]], '28746030', '0' ], [ [['opportunity to tell the real story', 7]], '28731764', '0' ], [ [['entirely respectable way to put off the searing constitutional controversy', 7]], '28723797', '0' ], [ [['point of my campaign is that big ideas matter', 9]], '28712293', '0' ], [ [['As the standoff dragged into a second day', 7]], '28687424', '0' ], [ [['French police stepped up the search', 17]], '28667224', '0' ], [ [['Seeking to elevate his candidacy back to a general', 8]], '28660934', '0' ], [ [['The tragic story of Trayvon Martin', 4]], '28647343', '0' ], [ [['Karzai will get a chance soon to express', 8]], '28630306', '0' ], [ [['powerful storms stretching', 8]], '28493546', '0' ], [ [['basic norm that death is private', 6]], '28413590', '0' ], [ [['songwriter also saw a surge in sales for her debut album', 6]], '28413590', '1', 'Watch music videos from Whitney Houston ', 'on Yahoo! Music', 'http://music.yahoo.com' ], [ [['keyword', 99999999999999999999999]], 'videoID', '1', 'overwrite-pre-description', 'overwrite-link-string', 'overwrite-link-url' ] ]

    News For You

    Loading...

    US News »

    • World War Two battleship USS Iowa sets off on final voyage Laird Harrison
      Retired military vessel USS Iowa prepares for departure from Richmond, CA en route to Los Angeles

      RICHMOND, California (Reuters) - The battleship USS Iowa, which served the United States through victory and tragedy during six decades at sea, set off on its final voyage on Saturday, a trip to Los Angeles to become a museum. With a cheer, volunteers in hard hats cast off the last of a dozen thick lines that had moored …

    • Wildfires hit six U.S. states, small towns evacuated Zelie Pollon
      Smoke rises into the air from a large forest fire in Gila National Forest, New Mexico

      Santa Fe, New Mexico (Reuters) - A wildfire burned out of control for a fourth day in the steep mountains of southwestern New Mexico on Saturday, one of several blazes that have consumed more than 200 square miles (520 square km) of rugged land in six U.S. states. Efforts to contain the blazes spreading in sparsely populated …

    • Subtropical Storm Beryl swirls toward southeast coast Kevin Gray

      MIAMI (Reuters) - Subtropical Storm Beryl moved slowly toward the U.S. southeastern coast on Saturday, threatening heavy rains and dangerous surf for Memorial Day weekend beachgoers in northern Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. Beryl was centered about 220 miles east-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, carrying …

    • Gunman in Indiana standoff had three bullet wounds: coroner
      Snipers sit trained on a real estate office where authorities said a gunman was holding an unknown number of hostages in Valparaiso

      (Reuters) - A Texas gunman who held hostages in an eight-hour standoff with police in an Indiana real estate office suffered three gunshot wounds, including two to the head, a coroner said on Saturday. Police have said he shot himself twice in the head after the standoff on Friday in Valparaiso, about 40 miles southeast …

    • Colorado farm linked to listeria outbreak files for bankruptcy Keith Coffman

      DENVER (Reuters) - The Colorado farm that grew cantaloupes linked to a listeria outbreak that killed more than 30 people last year has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, court documents showed. Jensen Farms of Holly, Colorado, listed $2.1 million in assets and more than $2.5 million in liabilities in documents …

     
    One money saving tip you probably haven't tried
    Add your ideas and help make it happen. Join the conversation.
    Episode 11: Hard times for Hometown Hardware
    Should Bill and Donna take on more risk to boost their business?
    One small business owner surprises Bill and Donna
    How Josh's comment on a Remake America video laid the groundwork for something bigger.
    Learn more about Remake America »