DS scared of commercials

howzitbn

howzitbn

Cathlete
I'm concerned for my 4 yr old. Lately when we have on the tv, he wants it turned off or runs to another room and covers his ears/hides his eyes when commercials come on. I'm not a big tv watcher so when I have the tv on it's usually nickjr, noggin or pbs. Sometimes I'll turn on Speed Channel, because he's a huge NASCAR nut and likes to watch (or used to) qualifying or races. Anyways, something's happened in the past two weeks. DH thinks it was the day after DS's bday (9/30), and he was flipping between football and a race. I was at work and have no idea what would commercials would have aired (or should have been turned). I've watched noggin with him and he's fine, but when DH (or me) turns it to another channel he acts scared.

We're both really concerned, but he won't tell us what is wrong. We ask if it's the commercials and he says 'no'. We tell him he can tell us anything and he "doesn't want to talk about it." So tonight I told him we won't have the tv on any more, but that also means no computer. (Ugh...not sure if I did the right thing there.) He likes to watch race highlights/videos on nascar.com. The only thing different between it and a race are the commercials.

Has anyone else had a child scared of commercials? TV? I don't know how to get him to open up and talk about it. Or should I just let it lay for a while and hope it's a fear he'll eventually want to talk about?

I'm sorry this is so long, but I'm at my wit's end...and totally heartbroken that my little guy is scared and won't tell me about it.

Thank you,
Tana
 
Just my opinion, but my gut is telling me that you should let this go for now. Try to avoid whatever it is that is the problem for a little while, like a few weeks. Cut back on the TV, or only watch Noggin, for a few weeks, and let him do other things. Let him watch races on the computer if that works better for him. Maybe he will forget about whatever is bothering him, or at least with some distance it won't bother him so much. It could have just been a loud commercial, or maybe a commercial for a scary movie. (Last year DD was in a bathroom that had very loud-flushing toilets, and for a few months afterwards, every time someone flushed a toilet she would look down, shut her eyes, and cover her ears. Her teachers were very concerned, and ended up reinforcing it by asking her about it, but it was really not a big deal, and once we all started ignoring it, she got over it.)

He might eventually want to discuss it, but I wouldn't continue trying to get him to talk about it. It will only reinforce whatever it was. If after a few weeks of no commercials you try again and he still seems skittish about it, then maybe think more about what next steps to take. But in general kids this age often have minor fears that they get over pretty quickly, as long as they are not reinforced.

Hope that helps!
 
Something on a commercial freaked him out. I was wondering if it was because the commercials are always louder but that didn't just start so that can't be it. It has to be a particular commercial that featured something that scared him. Maybe he'll eventually tell you what it was and, since that's about the only way you're going to find out, that's all you can hope for. I vaguely recall being scared by certain actors in commercials when I was a kid but it didn't last (and commercials don't generally air for more than 4 or 5 months anymore, anyway). My (late) mother said both my brother and I loved commercials so much we would often drop our toys and run TO the tv when the commercials came on. She said I danced whenever there was funky music. I still do ;).

Really, it was probably some actor's expression that, for whatever reason bugged your son. I wouldn't dewll on it or react to it because then he'll be upset that you're upset. I think he will eventually tell you some actor scares him, the commercial will be off the air, and he will have gotten over it.
 
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Thanks!

I just wanted to say thank you to the two that responded. We've kept the tv off (most of the time). DH turned on the tv for short periods during the Nascar Cup race yesterday. Our son peaked to see who was winning and then would take off. DH thinks he knows which commercials scared him. There were two Jack Links commercials during the football game that would be really scary to DS. The "messin' with Sasquatch" commercials. One had a man and a boy flying a radio control plane and another with two men on a golf course. After the people mess with Sasquatch, he attacks/yells at them. Funny as an adult, but scary to a little one. We'll keep the tv off until he asks to watch a race or a kids show.

Thank you again for the advice.
Tana
 
I have a few thoughts for you to consider:

1. I hope that I get the terminology right but....Since we hooked up the base box to our surround sound system, I learned that TV commericals always are in stereo (and sometimes, a lot of times TV is not) and always have base in them. Our box (base) kicks off when it is in not needed and often kicks off during a game or show. Yet, EVERY commercial kicks it back on. I assume it is the "in stereo" thing but it might be something different. Whatever it is, it means that it needs based during commercials and that means that maybe that was what scared your little guy.

2. Its October and that means scary commercials. When I was a kid I hated TV during this time of year for that very reason (still do if I am home alone! ha ha!). I still remember covering my ears, closing eyes or running from the room to avoid them. Certainly another possibility.

3. Kids get scared over things that aren't scary to us. He coudl have seen something that you'd never think would bug him.

4. He could have made a weird connection that you aren't aware of. When I was a kid (remember fro, above that this time of year challenged me), my brother told me some stupid story to scare me. I remember like it was yesterday that I opened up "The Light in the Attic" (a poen book) and there was a kid that was headless and he was sitting on his head (ad if it were a rock). The poem was supposed to be funny and make you laugh. It was about something silly like losing a head (ie forgetting) or something. I screamed and went crazy crying (of course, the completed opposite intent of the writer!) b/c I made that connection with what my brother had told me. He got in trouble ha ha!

Anyway, good to hear you see some improvement. Hope it continues to go better for your little one!
 
Tana:

I wonder if it's the commercial for the movie Quarantine. It's been airing a lot lately, and while I don't watch the Speed Channel, it has been getting a lot of air time on other sporting events. My son is 13, and he commented that it looked like a really scary movie. The images are scary and upsetting. I don't know how this could help you, but when I read your thread, it's the first thing that popped into my mind, and that says something about the way the commercial stuck with me.

lynda
 
I agree it could've been a commercial for a movie - Quarantine, Saw, etc.

howzitbn said:
IThe "messin' with Sasquatch" commercials. One had a man and a boy flying a radio control plane and another with two men on a golf course.
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LOL! I love the "messin with Sasquatch" commercials...NOW. However, when I was kid back in the 70's, a movie came out about Bigfoot (can't remember the name) and the commercials for it freaked me out big time!! So I can completely sympathize.
 
Thanks everyone for the replies! I hadn't even thought about it being "Halloween season". I know some decorations and costumes scare him. Last year we quit trick or treating early because there was a kid in a black Spider Man costume/mask that freaked him out. He saw the kid and said he was "done".

Our commercials are louder than the shows too. We've got surround sound speakers. I wonder if there's a way to lower/turn off the bass. Ah...I do remember a button for it. Hadn't thought of that. Good idea!

I've caught part of the ad for Quarantine. I think I changed it, because it was freaking me out. Not a fan of horror movies. Also, ads for some of the drama shows seem a little scary to me. The teaser ads for House, ER, Grey's Anatomy, etc. (I've heard they're all great shows, but we don't watch them) that show an emergency/disaster that is going to happen on the next episode can be scary for a kid.

It had to be something that played on one of the major networks. Speed Channel usually just shows car/race car driver related commercials. I usually feel pretty safe with that channel.

On the positive side, we're playing a lot more outside!! This 'no tv' thing may not have been such a bad thing. It was off all day (very proud of DH!). But, hopefully he's over it before it snows here. = )
Thanks again!
Tana
 
I'm guessing it's probably the loud volume of the commercials more than anything. It bothers me, too so I usually watch tv with remote in hand so I can turn the volume down during commercials. When my daughter was little she used to get upset and cover her ears when the toilet flushed in a public restroom. Some of those toilets are pretty loud and their industrial strength flushing power makes it even scarier for a child. She's 13 now and no longer afraid of public toilets. ;)
 
shakeubooty said:
I'm guessing it's probably the loud volume of the commercials more than anything. It bothers me, too so I usually watch tv with remote in hand so I can turn the volume down during commercials. When my daughter was little she used to get upset and cover her ears when the toilet flushed in a public restroom. Some of those toilets are pretty loud and their industrial strength flushing power makes it even scarier for a child. She's 13 now and no longer afraid of public toilets. ;)
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LOL, Sue, see my post above about my daughter...same thing with the loud toilets. (LOL at the fact that we had the same thought, not LOL that your daughter was scared, of course.) Perhaps the "loud toilet" fear is more common than we thought!:eek:

Tana, that could be a nice benefit of your DS's fear...more playtime outside is always a good thing, right?:)
 
Maybe it was the Burger King commercial. Those commercials disturb me, I can imagine what they do to younger children. :eek:

I sure hope you can resolve this, it must be driving you crazy not knowing what is causing this. Poor little guy.
 
:D!!! Okay, so I'm not the only one who finds the BK commercials creepy. *whew!*

Both of my kids dislike public toilets for the same reason ~ too loud and too aggressive. The 13 year old is obviously over it, but the 9 year old still needs me in the stall with her, especially with the auto flushing toilets that could go off at any time. Those totally freak her out.
 
LaughingWater said:
:D!!! Okay, so I'm not the only one who finds the BK commercials creepy. *whew!*

Both of my kids dislike public toilets for the same reason ~ too loud and too aggressive. The 13 year old is obviously over it, but the 9 year old still needs me in the stall with her, especially with the auto flushing toilets that could go off at any time. Those totally freak her out.
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I agree about the BK commercialls too! That guy is so freaky!

Oh, and I'm terrified of those darn auto-flushing toilets! They always flush when I don't want them to. :mad::eek:
 
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