Growing Pains is one of my favourite shows, after randomly stumbling on it flicking the channels last year. Whilst a lot of episodes are fine for children to watch, a lot aren't, and children, especially those under 15, should be supervised.
Mike, the older son of the family, is quite naughty until the later years of the show, notably thanks to Kirk Cameron, the actor who played him, finding God. A few other episodes involve drugs, tattoos, promiscuity, and drinking amongst other adult topics, but there is nothing TOO harmful, and the positive message always prevails at the end of the episode, courtesy of the parents of the family, money-careful Jason and super-woman Maggie.
Carol, the brain of the family and the older daughter, is a good role model for children, teenagers and even young adults like myself, over the course of the series, she learns that outside appearances aren't everything, to not succumb to peer pressure, and to just be herself. The aforementioned Mike and younger brother Ben are great for laughs, whilst younger daughter Chrissy, in all honesty, doesn't add very much to the show.
One more note, to parents of younger viewers of the show, in episodes where Mike, Ben, or in rare cases Carol get up to no good, explain to our children that what they did was wrong, pointing out in particular how Jason and Maggie handled the situation.
By all means, let your kids watch this show, but if they're under 13, watch it with them as a family, like millions of families did back in the 1980s. You'll be sharing the laughter and love for years to come!