It is every parent’s dilemma - you are sitting on your sofa when one of the super bowl ads known to be provocative starts playing out. While you are squirming, your kids are growing more curious.

There are many sexual innuendos in the advertisements that play during the game. Many of these ads are targeting a much older audience; while it is true that the Super Bowl is not always a child’s cup of tea, there are children watching. Christy Buchanan, professor of psychology at Wake Forest University and an expert on parent-child relationships is quick to point out where parents are faltering. Instead of squirming in their couch when something like this happens, parents can take action and turn the uncomfortable moments into ‘value moments,’ she says.

Transferring values to kids

Parents should share their values and views with their kids instead of pretending nothing is wrong when adult-themed commercials play during the game. When such ads come on, talk about your views about the subject matter. For example, each day we see many societal messages that imply ‘Drinking is fun’. This is a perfect opportunity for parents to tell their kids what they think and start a discussion.

Leave the TV on and talk to your kids about family values. If you have older children, like middle school aged kids or higher school students, then this can be a great opportunity for you to engage them in a conversation about your views on a particular activity. Ask your kids to tell you what they think about what they are watching and hearing. Then respond to their perceptions and reactions.

For younger kids, switch the channel to Animal Planet or SpongeBob. You can go back to the game in two minutes. It is important to understand that dealing with uncomfortable content on the TV is inevitable if your child has become an unfortunate audience, but this in no way means you should do nothing to try to protect them from such content in the first place.

You can watch super bowl commercials all you want, a lot of them indeed hilarious. However, taking caution with kids is never a bad idea.