AIBU to not let my 6yr old dd watch Watership Down?

[CherryPie3]

Because my husband thinks I am.

She is prone to bad dreams and letting things play on her mind and I remember WD being a bit bloody...

i've never seen WD, I've never read it either

Warhorse OTOH i cried buckets! but i think its a nice enough book so the film shouldn't be too bad, i'd let children watch it.

you know your child and you should go with your gut feeling. I have older boys and I am always having to question what they watch and pressure from other people. I don't know why people want to put their children through seeing upsetting scenes, they are after all children

Thank you do much to everyone who replied - many varied opinions of it which is always good. I never expected so many replies!!

I didn't let her watch it, I couldn't. So many things give her nightmares that I couldn't add to it.

I can't remember who asked about my children not watching things together but this weekend was the first time they didn't both snuggle up together with a movie. Tbh she's more of a music person and is very content just listening to her radio in her bedroom whilst drawing/colouring. She's always been very independent.

I was speaking to my mum about WD and she said it was actually banned when I was little (I was born '85) because of a certificate review? I don't know how true this is as she could easily still be trying to pull the wool over my eyes with it all.

Usually my dc's watch movies like Tinkerbell, Search for Santa Paws/ Polar Express (recently), Ben10, Power Rangers, Barbie, Alice in Wonderland (a favourite), Space Buddies...

I have no problem reading them Disney books but the movies cause upset with both of my sensitive little creatures. I already have a non-sleeping 18mth old ds2 who is up 5-6 times a night, to then get up with dd or ds1 to try and comfort them would for a tired and cranky mummy the day after which isn't good either!

Overall I'm happy with the decision not to let her watch it. My dh refuses to watch it and refuses to read this thread (I did inform him of the general opinion, he says "But it's a U!!!" [exasperated emoticon]

Thanks again everyone :) xx

oh WD is horrific i dont think i ever let my kids watch it i can remember dead bunnies and that horrible bunny even now if i hear Bright eyes my stomach turns , i know im being dramatic but it really upset me when i watched it My mum thought it was a nice cartoon and left me to watch it alone ,

I'd be tempted to find one of the most shocking bits of the film, keep it on pause and then just show your DP that bit, just to see his face! I mean yes it's logical to think that U film are suitable for all ages, but in reality that's just not true!

YANBU, I remember watching it at about that age. It scared me (slight over reaction there ) I had nightmares for weeks after.

A few months ago it was on and DH left it on for DD1 (DD2 was only a few months old) I turned it off as soon as I realised what it was. I couldn't have brought myself to watch it at the grand age on 31 let alone let DD1 who would have been 3 watch it. DH had never seen it so didn't realise how awful it was.

Migratingsouth - I thought about doing that but only after I'd posted it back through blockbusters letterbox. Why do the good ideas click into your head when it's too late?

Maybe we should round up all those dh's who haven't seen it and force it on them?

*scarred

MIL bought wd for my dds first birthday .

Dp keeps asking why it's still in the cellophane and huffs that his dm wouldn't buy something inappropriate for her gd so he doesn't see what's wrong with the film

well if he thinks that i would do as somebody else said and put the dvd on leave your fella to it come back to clean up the sniviling mess and give him the phone to rant at his mother for buying her GD such a horrible film , oh and warhorse is out on friday ,

Crikey Acceptable - first birthday?

I take it your dp hasn't seen it either? X

No he hasn't seen it. Tbf, he respects my thoughts on it not being appropriate viewing and has never put on for the dc but it was his mother who bought it so he can't believe it could be that bad iyswim?

Me and mil don't always see eye to eye putting it mildly so I think he thinks I'm over reacting slightly and his dm would be offended if she realised it hadn't been watched.

Think you could be right about making certain people watch it first, maybe sky sports could have a showing, if it was on sky sports 1 dp would definitely see it!

Parents' guide from IMDB

I'm sure you can find some of the highlights on Youtube to show your DH!

It may sound like I'm backpeddling, but after nattering to my friend about this, a friend who like traumatic stories, and doesn' bubble wrap her kids, she pointed out that I was BU.

Whilst I still stand my ground on, in general, thinking that some sadness is not only acceptable but important, if my children would spend a month sleeping badly and being severely distressed then I'd make the same judgement call as the OP.

Don't like admitting I may be wrong (as well as partially right in general) I thought I'd make this confessional! Thinking further, I got rid of Disney's Snow White precisely because it upset my eldest, forgot about that, though he also watches things well above the recommended age that don't affect him negatively at all.! So I'm a hypocrite too. lol

we all are about some things, aldiwhore! I agreed with your more general points though.

Definitely show your dh the IMDB breakdown. I read it and have been (yay) reminded of some scenes I'd forgotten.

Really - I am the unfluffiest mother I know in some respects. Don't sugar coat things all that much. Pretty direct about "bad things happening". But I would definitely not show my 8 year old the film - it would be too upsetting for her. And even my gore-obsessed ds1 (6) would find the film very hard to process.

I have such such strong memories of sitting in the school hall watching it. And then the second time, just staring at a point to the left of the projector screen while trying not to cry. :( It wasn't that I was an especially sensitive child, in the same way as dd is not prone to hysteria or over-emoting. It was just such a bleak and sad film interspersed with horror. As an adult I can appreciate the narrative and the animation. But my adult appreciation of it is tainted by the stomach contracting feeling I get which I suppose is my memories of watching the film.

I remember being given a WD jigsaw by my grandparents the year after and while it showed happy scene of rabbits gambolling, I shoved it under my bed because I didn't even want to look at it.

Am aware I sound like an over-emotional over-sentimental loon!

Sorry pooka

aldi I did agree with your points to some extent but by that argument there'd be no point censoring anything from your DC. (Btw I think Snow White was the first thing I saw at the cinema, I was terrified of the witch and utterly baffled by my aunt telling me not to worry as she was only paper )

well i've just started watching it for the first time ever as a 30yo on you tube, so far I'm bored, but tbf I'm only 30 mins in and the only 'gruesome?' thing I've seen is bigwig getting snared and nearly dying.

so far I reckon dd age 6 could watch it with me but i defo wouldn't leave her to watch it alone, how long is it btw? and when does it start getting bad?

What did you think Daenerys? did you give up on it or are you now sobbing?!

According to wiki its been ranked 15th greatest tearjerker. Great cast list - some excellent actors as rabbit, rabbit ... black headed gull, rabbit, rabbit ... deity, deity

1978 ... so, I was 17 when I saw it with friends and for sure snivelled a lot.

'U' certificate is no garantee against nightmares. I remember being taken to a film called 'Run Wild, Run Free' - I must have been 8 - and was terrified by one particular scene which seared itself on my mind.

It might well be classed as U, but it is about the oppression of a police state (at Efrafa), attempted genocide (following their escape), and so much death and fear... With the white blindness (imagine explaining mixy to the kids afterwards!), Bigwig getting caught in the snare and nearly dying, Hazel dying at the end... I wouldn't let a sensitive child watch it. They get too absorbed in a film and can't always distance themselves.

I saw the film at 9 and that was early enough. I cried, but could cope. There is a very big difference between 6 and 9!

I didn't know there was a film of Plague Dogs too! I won't be watching that one. Read the book as a teenager and can't bring myself to read it again even now. That one was about escaping from an animal testing lab, with mental disorders as a result of the tests. And then discovering they had been betrayed by the person their owners had left them with. When DC1 arrives, I think I'll be censoring that one too... I'd never get the kids to agree to go away on holiday, leaving the pets!

I'm still only 30 mins in, i had to collect dd from school and she's floating around so I'm gonna wait until she's gone to bed to watch the rest.

I think as a child the looks on the bunnies faces of innocence/fear would have really got to me and i'd have identified with them. I think that's what makes it so upsetting, for example dd will watch all sorts of things with dp that many would call innappropriate for children with a fair bit of violence/blood/gore but its the fact that these are cute little bunnies.

I will let you know later if i cry or not!

YANBU, my parents let me watch it and I wish they hadn't, it's too much!