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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To think that 6 is too young to watch "Jaws"?

67 replies

Boozilla · 29/06/2011 23:11

A friend recently posted a pic on FB of her 4 children aged 15, 9, 8 and 6 sitting on a sofa. Two looked like they were about to cry and one was covering here yes. To be fair the eldest one looked fairly nonplussed.

The caption was "Lol. The kids are freaked out watching Jaws"

Now I generally refrain from pulling on judgey pants but my first reaction here was along the lines of "WHAT the f....?!"

If I let my 6.5 DS watch that he wouldn't sleep for a week! I would certainly have trouble ever getting him into the sea on holiday ever again!

I am a bit of a wimp when it comes to scary movies but I was pretty shocked!

OP posts:

Georgimama · 30/06/2011 11:52

I watched Jaws when I was about 5 and it really scared me. In fact it really scared my mother too. It's the music I think.

PiousPrat · 30/06/2011 12:00

I watched it as a kid, probably around 7 or so and was terrified of swimming in the deep end of the pool afterwards as i was convinced that a shark was going to come up out of the filter grate.

I got fabulous lap times though as I used to pelt round that bit

gethelp · 30/06/2011 12:44

Tallulah1978 what a dreadful thing to happen, that must have been horrible.

My 6 year old was beside himself with grief at 'Finding Nemo' FGS, he didn't realise you could lose your Dad. . .

aldiwhore · 30/06/2011 12:49

It depends on the kids imo. Both my THREE year old and 7 year old have watched Jaws. It was when I was out shopping, DH text me and I was fuming until I got home mid way through and the boys were loving it, they thought it was awesome and weren't in the least bit traumatised.

I was scared at 13 when I read the book!

I don't think its unsuitable for all children. The severed limbs are about as bad as it gets and the effects are outdated compared to what affects the kids see in other more recent films. The boys see severed limbs on Horrible Histories too.

Its a great film though. Snow White is banned in this house because it gave the boys nightmares. Each parent should use their own judgement as they know themselves and their children the best.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 30/06/2011 13:25

I love Jaws, its one of my all time favourite films!! DS (8) has seen it loads of times (I have the box set ) and really likes it too.......depends on the kid though!

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 30/06/2011 13:27

...meant to say,.....some of the fairy tales I used to read him were more gruesome....Bros Grim..they certainly were. I never noticed as a kid but reading them as an adult, some of them are quite

TheBigJessie · 30/06/2011 13:31

I saw it at 5/6. Wasn't bothered in the least, because I didn't really get what was happening, or the suspenseful music.

Now, however, I would find it scary.

AngryFeet · 30/06/2011 13:38

Depends on the children. My DD (6) is a right scaredy cat but she watched Jurassic Park over and over with her younger brother as DH has been watching PG films with them recently (Short Circuit, Superman, The Mask etc). If they had been frightened I would have turned it off but they found the man being eaten by the dinosaur hilarious

ragged · 30/06/2011 13:42

Kids are so much more used to suspense & gore nowadays.
I watch Disney Snow White & laugh but that was considered fairly sinister in its day, even for adults.
fwiw, my chldren (age 3 & 5) were terrified (crying and cowering in the corner) when they saw The Incredibles. We had never had a TV & they weren't used to watching things with that level of peril in it (seriously).

Now I would let my 3yo watch that movie (and many worse) without blinking because he's seen so much more variety in video in his life (we succombed to the TV God long before he was born).

That said, I'd probably prefer my 6yo not to watch some of Jaws....

Oblomov · 30/06/2011 13:42

Depends on child. per usual. .
ds1(7) seems frightened by nothing. likes indiana jones, karate kid and james bond.
my friends ds(7), gets very frightened by anything other ceebeebies. He can't watch shrek, monsters inc and all sorts of films that ds has been watching for years.

Miggsie · 30/06/2011 13:46

I freaked when the head falls out of the hole in the boat...

DD is terrified by just about anything so we avoid films with her full stop, while my friend's 4 would probably watch a full disembowelling without turning a hair. Their mother worries about this, and frankly, I do too.

jennieflower · 30/06/2011 13:49

I saw it at around 5 or 6, and wasn't frightened by it but vividly remember going into school and being asked to draw a picture of something we'd done at the weekend. I drew a picture of the man on the deck of the boat being eaten by jaws and blood coming out of his mouth, I wonder what a child psychologist would have made of that!

My dd saw it when she was around 6 or 7, and loved it, she wasn't affected by it at all and it definitely depends on the child, she's a bit of an adrenaline junkie though, she loves scary stuff.

On a different note though, has anyone seen Coraline? Bloody terrifying!

CaveMum · 30/06/2011 13:56

Jaws is not a PG - it's a 12 (I thought it was a 15 but a quick Amazon search clarified it).

ddubsgirl · 30/06/2011 13:56

i was 3 when i saw it,still cant watch the part where he finds the tooth and the body pops out and i hate swimming in the sea lol

ddubsgirl · 30/06/2011 13:58

cavemum i think it was 15 when it came out as 12 ceft wasnt about then but they must have lowered it.

Pixieonthemoor · 30/06/2011 14:09

YANBU. I watched it first when I was about 9 and I found it utterly horrifying. I still cannot swim in the sea or even in a still pool on my own without that bloody music popping into my head. This really annoys me as I LOVE swimming and that bloody film has ruined a great deal of my enjoyment. As many people have said, it clearly depends on the child as some will not turn a hair whilst others will be totally freaked out. BUT why take that chance??? Why would you potentially want to ruin what can be one of the most wonderful and life affirming things you can do?? Madness imo.

DooinMeCleanin · 30/06/2011 14:14

It depends on the child. Dd1 has inherited my bordering on unhealthy obsession with sea life, sharks in particular. She watched at about 5 years old. The first thing she said was "Is that Shark dead? That's not a real dead shark is it?" She was more disturbed about the fact that they used an actual dead shark in some scenes than she was about the film. Dd2 is scared of the word 'shark' never mind watching anything about them.

cloudpuff · 30/06/2011 14:22

Probably gonna get flamed but my dd (6(almost 7 if thats any better)) watched some of it not long ago, think it was on tv? she was quite amused by it. It's not like we sat down with popcorn to watch it but she wasn't phased by what she saw.

BettySwollocksandaCrustyRack · 30/06/2011 14:33

Cloud - we watched it with peanuts and a snowball and all snuggled under the quilt

Awomancalledhorse · 30/06/2011 14:37

The only film that scared me as a child was 'Return to Oz'; the wheelies & the mad bint with the heads!!
I would be happy showing Jaws to a 5 year old, depending on if I think they'd enjoy it without screaming the house down (I had an unhealthy obsession with sharks as a child)!

tazmin · 30/06/2011 14:40

i know someone who let the kids watch Saw and whatnot from about 5 onwards

must be a co-incidence that all of them now have "issues"

LieInsAreRarerThanTigers · 30/06/2011 14:49

I strongly discouraged dd (11) from watching it the other week, as she absolutely loves swimming and bodyboarding in the sea, often by herself, (i.e. we are on the shore) and I would not want this to change!
On the subject of other films having 'unsuitable' scenes, language etc I was a bit shocked by a few bits in Mrs Doubtfire.

fantagrape · 30/06/2011 14:50

another one here who was allowed to watch it when I was about 4. I was traumatised for life - still nervous in open water etc etc.

Posters are saying the special effects aren't too scary - IMO the reason Jaws has been famous for 30 years is down to the terrible fear and suspense. Not suitable for small kids!

People also saying their kid watched it and didn't seem too bothered.
Don't be so sure, it may still become apparent your child is fearful in water thanks to that film.

Also very sad the damage the film caused to the reputation of a beautiful animal. Sharks are not man eaters.

Insomnia11 · 30/06/2011 14:51

I wouldn't let my 5 year old watch it. I don't think it's the gore that would bother her - she'd be fascinated, frankly. "What was that bit hanging off mummy?"

It's the psychological stuff that would bother her, the music, the tension. She'd probably never swim in the sea again!

Jaws was the subject of classroom chatter in infant school, I think some kids had seen it. I was terrified at the mere idea of it, though I've always kind of liked sharks in a way. When I finally did see it as an adult I actually quite enjoyed the film. It was a lot better than I thought it would be.

DooinMeCleanin · 30/06/2011 14:54

Also very sad the damage the film caused to the reputation of a beautiful animal. Sharks are not man eaters. - dd1 was very angry about this point while she was watching it. Dd2 is scared of open water because of sharks, but that is more to do with the docu's that dd1 watches, where no-one is eaten. She has never seen Jaws or any other horror film. She is also scared of giant squid and ocotopus. I am not very tolerent of fears and she is made to float about in the sea in her rubber ring, whilst whimpering "A Shark just touched my foot" or "That's a Squid down there"

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