The Violence of Tom and Jerry A Mothers Perspective

Tag : Jerry Can
I remember watching the Tom and Jerry cartoons as a kid. I lovedthe wild cat and mouse antics, the way the mouse would always get the better ofthe cat, and the bare bones slapstick comedy. Needless to say, I was excited when I saw thatsome channels were bringing the old Tom and Jerry cartoons back. Atthe time, I decided that my kids, ages 3 and 5, were at the right age to enjoy the Tom and Jerry cartoons. I was eagerly anticipatingtheir reactions to one of my childhood favorites. What I was notexpecting was the outright violence between the cat and mouse.

There were three, eight minute cartoons. In the first cartoon, Iwitnessed Jerry hit Tom with an iron distorting his face, making my kids giggle. Jerry also hit Tom with a frying pan, knocking out histeeth. My oldest let out a belly laugh. I was getting concerned andcontemplating hiding all of my pots and pans.

The second cartoon involved scissors. Tom took off after Jerrytrying to snip off his head. Jerry then turned the scissors on Tomcutting his tale into a row of paper dolls. Then the chasing wentoutside. Tom flattened Jerry with a shovel. Jerry found a lead pipeand beat Tom in the shins. In the next scene, Tom was chasing Jerrywith lawn mower. By this point, my kids were literally rolling on floor laughing.

Scissors are not readily available to my kids so I was not as concerned. However, I was going to keep an eye onthe dog for the next few days just in case my two kids got any ideas. I was also going to lock every yard tool in thegarage, including their plastic garden hoe and rake.

The last cartoon featured a goldfish. Tom was intent on having afish dinner and Jerry was just as focused on saving the fish. By the end ofthe third cartoon, I had put a pad lock on the fish tank. I couldsee them trying to fry up our itty-bitty tetras for lunch.

I always thought that Tom and Jerry were funny, but watching it nowas a parent, I had my doubts. I was surprised and concerned withhow my kids would interpret these cartoons. Since I became a parent, I haveheard advice on how you should never buy your kids toy guns and they should only watch PBS for the first ten years oflife.