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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to think "how to train your dragon" is not suitable for a 3.5 year old?

160 replies

alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:07

Lots of it is fine, but specifically the scenes with the fight with the big scary dragon at the end. DP thinks I'm putting ideas into DS's head by suggesting it is scary.

I think he's just too young to see those kind of images?

Please could I ask, if you've seen it, what age do you think it's suitable for?

Also, if you think IANBU, please could you help me explain why to DP?!

OP posts:
Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:49

We skipped that bit, but they have a big fight with it and ulyimaty kill it, don't they?

We stopped not long after they were sitting on the big dragon's head bashing him in his eyes with a hammer. I don't want my DS watching that!

OP posts:
Jenny70 · 07/07/2012 21:49

Totally depends on the child.

My youngest saw it around the time he turned 3 - can't recall if it was before or after his birthday, but he was fine.

I don't think is a reasonable/unreasonable thing, just a judgement for your child.

Dprince · 07/07/2012 21:50

star wars should always be watched episode 4,5,6,1,2,3.
The way it was intended. :)

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:50

*ultimately! (sorry on iPhone)

OP posts:
YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 21:50

So you stopped at the scary bit without letting ds see them overcome the. If scary thing, surely that's the whole point?

As for hitting it in the eye, I think that was an entirely proportionate response in the circumstances. Grin

YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 21:51

Bloody iPad. Grr.

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:51

I find lumberjacks quite sinister! I reckon it'll put some kids off maths for life! ;)

OP posts:
StripyMagicDragon · 07/07/2012 21:51

My dd is 3.5 and loves how to train your dragon. She isn't scared at all, but all kids are different. If you think your ds is too young, then he has the rest of his life to watch it. I think I liked how to train your dragon just as much as dd to be honest haha.

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/07/2012 21:52

DS was 4 and he loved it but then again he was enjoying Jurassic Park from an early age which Ithnk is far scarier than HTTYD.

It's funny, I took him to the cinema today to see Journey to the mysterious Island and for thefirst time ever, he was hiding!

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:53

We skipped to the bit where the main boy and his dragon are found by the others. I don't think DS noticed. He didn't need to see the fight.

OP posts:
TheWalkingDead · 07/07/2012 21:54

If you really think your DS would be scared by it, then don't put it on. DS1 watched this when he was about 3 and he loved it, as did my cousin, who was about 3.6 at the time I gave it to her brother as a present.

I watch films with DS1 (and hope that they're ones that I'll enjoy too) and if he seems a bit worked up, or asks for it to be turned off I do so and we have a little chat about it. He's never complained of nightmares or anything and watches all sorts (Thundercats, Star Wars), but was terrified of the 'Numberjacks' baddies. I think they have their own ideas of what's scary.

DS2 (1.4) likes the dragons, too, but he doesn't really know what's going on as to him it's just a funny dragon jumping all over the place but it may turn out that he is scared in the future, in which case we won't watch it.

YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 21:58

But now that bit is now built up as scary and you have reinforced that idea instead of reiterating that dragons aren't real and isn't it funny blah.

I think if you don't like any form of violence then stick to dumbo or whatever though be warned that dd finds that absolutely heartbreaking.

The real issue as you know is between you and dh and you need to sit down and try and thrash that out or it will keep on happening.

JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2012 21:58

Haha the bit where the dragon gets the hammer in the eye is DSs favourite bit :)

"hey buddy, you got something in your eye"

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 21:59

I don't see the need for DS to see anything so violent at his age.

There are many films out there for kids which aren't, why expose then to it so young?

Like Totoro, for example, beautiful film for DCs.

OP posts:
JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2012 21:59

..and Grin at 'lumberjacks'

AmazingBouncingFerret · 07/07/2012 22:01

The one film to ever stick withmy DS and make him upset and extra cuddley at bedtime was The Secret Garden, cert U.

He wont even have theDVD with the rest of his collection. Sad

JarethTheGoblinKing · 07/07/2012 22:01

Totoro scared DS at that age. Always started sobbing when Mei disappeared. Oddly he was fine with Mononoke (though I did forward the very violent bits in that)

thisisyesterday · 07/07/2012 22:01

my 3 year old has seen it and isn't bothered by it

admittedly it's probably not something I'd have put on for DS1 at the same age (pfb!) but it does become hard to avoid whent hey have older siblings

i would say it's totally your call though. you know him better than any of us, and if you'd rather he didn't watch it then that's fine

YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 22:02

It's fine to think so OP, commendable even but then you need to think about when that time will be and you need to agree with dh.

Personally I would rather they watch a film with animated comedy dragon bashing in it at home so you can give context if needed than wait until they are 7?8? And at someone else's house or whatever.

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 22:04

I'd have no problem with him watching it at 7 or 8.

And dragons are definitely not seen as scary creatures in this house, generally. My parents are Welsh, DS comed across plenty of dragons!

OP posts:
DowagersHump · 07/07/2012 22:06

My DS is much more frightened when the boy is making friends with the injured dragon.

We watch a lot of stuff on DVD and he just asks me to fast-forward if it's too scary for him - I can never predict what he finds frightening.

He thinks HTTYD is great and much less scary than Monsters Inc!

YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 22:09

But why? Am not trying to be arsey, just to understand. Do you think that it would make him more violent or are you just worried about him being frightened.

Why is 7 or 8 so much better? Without context it would surely have the same affect.

At 8 ds was far more affected. But it wasn't the fight, it was Hiccups father that unnerved him. Dc generally don't see the same things as scary as we would think, until we have told them that they could be scary which is where your dh is coming from.

Original poster
alicethehorse · 07/07/2012 22:16

"Do you think that it would make him more violent or are you just worried about him being frightened"

Both. I also think it's giving him scary images that could stick with him and freak him out.

When he's older we can talk about anything he finds scary. He'll also be better at explaining what he finds scary it not. Also i'll be able to explain stuff to him. But he's too young to really follow the narrative or have an in depth conversation about it.

OP posts:
YouBrokeMySmoulder · 07/07/2012 22:21

Interestingly my dd is scared of monsters inc too, it is the fact that Randall wants to take a child away that she clearly identifies with. And that is scary to be fair.

I think any peers hitting and biting and spitting at nursery is much more influential ime than DVDs like how to train your dragon.

EugenesAxe · 07/07/2012 22:24

My DS watched age about 2yrs but I agree the end is scary. I kind of distracted him for that bit. He doesn't ask to watch it (the other two films he is happy to watch are Nemo and Ratatouille) so I think it probably did scare him a bit.

You could try it but I don't think YABU to hold off. Once images are in heads it's damned hard to shift or annul (?) them.

My DS watches too much TV I realise.

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