to be fed up with other parents letting my kid watch violent films and games?

[redandblack]

I seem to be in the minority amongst the parents of the kids my sons are friendly with. Mine are 10 and 12 and I check all games or films they are going to watch and stop them seeing any that are too gory or violent - language I can tolerate as my two know what they are allowed and not allowed to say so that doesn't bother me so much.

All games and films have a clear rating on but of course you have to judge your own child and what you think they can and can't handle. I just don't get why my kids are coming home and telling me that they have seen really, really horrible things that have clearly upset them at other kids houses.

My youngest had a sleepover at friend's last night and they watched a film rated 12+ because of 'gore and violence' - he was too embarrassed in front of the other boys to say the film was upsetting him and was later sick in the night.

Sadly it seems I am in the minority but if my 10 year old was NOT bothered by really nasty scenes of a man having his face burnt off, faces being smashed into the ground with blood spurting out etc THEN I would be really worried. Just really, really bugs me.

YANBU - what was the film just out of interest?

I know what you mean. When I was 10 and had people round to watch a video it was 'All Dogs Go To Heaven,' which I'm pretty sure is a U. There's no way my mum would have let me watch a 12 (although I had seen some by then) with other people's children around.

I don't think people think of other children when they buy things for their kids. They buy 18 games for 12 year olds because 'he's my child and I know if he's ready for it' but forget that every weekend and many evenings the child has friends over who then play the game too, when their own parents wouldn't have allowed it.

I remember refusing to let my nephew play a certain x box game when he was about 10 because it was a 12 or 15 rated game and he had a friend over who was a year younger than him. Plus I knew the other boy's mother and was pretty sure she wouldn't allow the game.

It annoyed me a few years ago when someone was telling me that all of the Year 5s in her child's school were going to the cinema to see the latest at the time Harry Potter film. The film was a 12A and the school had asked the parents' permission, but I don't think they should have put the parents in that situation of wanting to agree because their child didn't want to seem like a 'baby' in front of friends, but not really wanting their child to see it because their child was quite sensitive etc. I just didn't think there was any need for the school to choose that film.

YANBU I am the same with my dc. My dd (9) went to a sleepover and the mother of the other girl had let them watch the True Blood boxset (cert 18) i was so cross so no YANBU at all!

God True Blood's a bit racy for 9 year olds - I would have been fuming at that onwards

True Blood

yanbu OP

Film was Battle Los Angeles which was a 12A in the cinema and this is part of the parental warning for it:

MANY dead bodies are seen throughout.

There are gory and bloody skeletons of aliens.

A police station that was attacked by aliens is shown. Dead bodies with blood around them are scene.

A man gets graphically burned in the face, but is alive. He shouts in agony.

A man gets shot in the gut. Bloody and emotional.

A gruesome shot of the scorched body of a man in his truck that was blown up by aliens. Viewers see blood and his body is charred.

Well, that sounds like a fun doesn't it?!!! I know I am biased as I myself don't like gory films so I wonder if I am over reacting at times yet why would anyone think their 10 year old would be fine to watch the above for entertainment? Whenever I have tried to bring this up with other parents they look at me like I am being really wet...

Fuming was not the word, last time she went to a sleepover at the same house they watched elf so didnt think this time would be any different!

The trouble is, when children have watched violent films all their lives they become desensitised to the violence, so by ten that kind of film really doesn't bother them anymore. I remember being horrified a couple of years ago when my then 2 year old nephew was being shown the scenes from Jaws where people are killed, on YouTube. When he's ten he probably won't be bothered by the type of film your child had to watch, which is sad really I think.

Have you seen Battle Los Angeles? or are you just going on the blurb on the back of the sleeve.

I have seen it and i cant really think that it would upset a 10 year old so much that he was sick. Are you sure he didn't just eat to much crap whilst he was watching the film?

Cantspel - I haven't seen the film but I can't imagine that from the decriptions I have read that it is really too far fetched that a 10 year old might find some of those images play on his mind and make him feel a bit ill? Granted some kids can watch things like that and not bat an eyelid but not everyone enjoys watching that kind of violence and my kid just finds it makes him feel unwell. The age ratings are put on for a reason, to advise people what ages are emotionally able to handle seeing some scenes. I still find it baffling that people think young children watching blood, gore and death as great entertainment for them.