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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be disapointed my son watched Frozen in reception class yesterday?

208 replies

Jude76 · 09/10/2014 11:52

I hate to moan but we don't do Disney in our house. Not yet anyway. But yesterday my reception aged child came home singing Frozen after apparently watching it in class as a treat. I just don't feel comfortable with it. Am I being unreasonable?

OP posts:
Original poster
Jude76 · 09/10/2014 14:31

I don't want to complain so I will probably 'let it go' cos I respect the teachers and want to continue the positive start we've had. But I might donate some other DVD alternatives...
As for why I don't do Disney. It's a personal choice that suits our family at the moment. I don't think I'm depriving my children of the magic of childhood. I can think of many magical things to do with them. Reading stories, crafty stuff, getting out to the park, bouncing on the trampoline, building lego fill our time fine. Don't get me wrong. They do have screen time - I just try to limit it to Cbeebies stuff I know they can handle for limited amounts to time a day.
I didn't realise starting school was going to compromise my screen time ideals. I thought limiting screen time was an agenda most people signed up to? It's pretty well known that it doesn't do children any favours.
Anyway. I didn't get into this to have a debate. I just wanted some feedback. Thanks everyone.

OP posts:
MollyHooper · 09/10/2014 14:37

As nice as your walk in the park sounds, can't you just be happy that your son did a full day? He may have watched a film but he was in school with his class mates getting used to things.

He came home from his first full day singing, I think that's brilliant. It could have been very tough on him.

Thebodyloveschocolateandwine · 09/10/2014 14:39

Think that sounds very reasonable op.

It's bloody hard actually letting other people into your parenting and I think we all struggle with that.

Schools are bound by health and safety requirements that do stifle creative fun.

Seriously if I knew then what I know now I would have home educated but there we are. Smile

BrandyAlexander · 09/10/2014 14:50

River, for a combination of reasons. I get approx 200 emails a day. It would be easy to stick the dcs in front of the TV and distractedly answer emails instead of having quality time with them. Blush Also, I wanted consistency with our nanny who can be a softie. If they were allowed to watch TV in her time, they would run rings round her. Also in the morning, I prefer us to sit down for breakfast together for 30 mins. That time would be rushed and we wouldn't talk to each other if any of us were distracted by tv so it doesn't go on. They are quite busy after school! They do watch TV at the weekends or we play the wii together or they play games/watch stuff on their iPad and leappads - we mix a lot of other things we do together as a family so they probably have 2/3 hours screen time per week.

TortoiseUpATreeAgain · 09/10/2014 14:51

"I bet you would complain if your child came home soaking wet, and with wet shoes, with a sniffle, from playing outdoors in the pouring rain too.

Some parents always moan and complain. Nothing is good enough for their precious. I reckon you are one of those."

That's rather unfair, QS -- by and large if you take the category of "parents who want to seriously curtail TV watching" there's a pretty big crossover with "parents who think their children should be outside doing wholesome outdoorsy stuff instead".

And the DVD wasn't shown during a wet playtime, so the relevance of your rant isn't entirely clear anyway.

klmnop · 09/10/2014 14:52

Oo there are so many crafy Frozen inspired things you can do, baking too!We've also made a lego ice palace too. And a walk in the woods or the park can easily become a trip up the North Mountain ;)

Aeroflotgirl · 09/10/2014 14:53

Yabvvu fine in your house, but you cannot control other children.

FloatIsRechargedNow · 09/10/2014 15:01

I didn't realise starting school was going to compromise my screen time ideals

There's going to be a lot of compromising of ideals for the next few years....I'm afraid you're going to have to get used to it.

SoggyOldBiscuit · 09/10/2014 15:20

OP, when I read the part about compromising on your screen-time ideals, I did have a little chuckle to myself...

It gets far more complicated that worrying about your DC being shown a Disney film without your consent.

I once took my DS1 to a birthday party that he was invited to, where I didn't really know the birthday child or his family very well. Everything seemed fine when I dropped off. When I picked him up, the house was full of teenagers as well (older siblings of the birthday boy).

As soon as we left, my DS cheerfully announced "We have been playing Call of Duty" and "there were teenagers drinking beer and snogging on the sofa". He was 6. Shock

maddy68 · 09/10/2014 15:24

They have probably watched it as part of golden tine, where if they have been good they do a fun non educational activity. Carrot is better than a stick.

Strongecoffeeismydrug · 09/10/2014 15:30

Pootles your a legend Grin
(But you owe me a new laptop as I've soar coffee all over mine)

BingBong36 · 09/10/2014 16:03

YABU

they are 4/5 it would do them good to switch off from school work and have some fun.

At our school if they get enough marbles in the jar for good behaviour etc they get a treat usually in the form of a film - maybe that's why?!

Singmetosleepzzz · 09/10/2014 16:11

Yanbu. I would be annoyed by it - although not because it is Disney but because I agree that it is lazy - there was a thread on here a couple of weeks ago where a pre-school played tv to the children and the overwhelming consensus was it was unacceptable - these kids are only just out of pre-school, I agree that they should have been doing other things.

Flyingbytheseatofmypullups · 09/10/2014 16:25

I'd be annoyed that 4yr olds were watching a PG film without their parents permission. I know the teacher was there but at this stage in the term the teachers can't have possibly worked out whether every kid would be ok with it. I would speak to the teacher about this.

Peppageorge · 09/10/2014 16:31

I'm with you OP - I would not be happy with this at face value and I would want to find out why it was being used. Its not even half term yet. They are so many other activities, toys and games that Reception children can be playing with - even if a rainy day. It sounds like a lazy option to me and I say that as a parent of Reception child and as someone who trains teachers. I would have a word with the class teacher to find out why this film was being used. In my old life as a secondary school teacher, watching DVDs at Xmas time became so much of a problem that our school banned them totally.

MrsHathaway · 09/10/2014 16:46

Well, given that a friend's Reception daughter was shown Harry Potter without notice or permission during a project on magic I think you got off lightly.

I think challenging on the basis that he's sensitive so you'd rather he wasn't watching PG films, with a good helping of "we are very happy with the school so far, glad you've been able to accommodate our phased start, glad he's now happily going full-time, he reckons they watched the whole film but I'm sure it will only have been part" might be considered slightly pfb but not unreasonable.

Children are absolutely fine with playing out in weather ... it's the supervising adults who melt.

sourdrawers · 09/10/2014 17:07

They will do and have done interesting things in class I'm sure. Why would you want to forbid them an innocent pleasure? Disney and their movies are a part of the world our kids grow up in, they get a lot from them. This is pure snobbery on your part I'd say OP, is it because they're vulgar and showy?

Ericaequites · 09/10/2014 17:09

Why should they be watching an non educational film in school anyhow? For Wet Play, the children have wellies and raincoats.

Sirzy · 09/10/2014 17:23

I work in a reception class. The downtime is very much needed by the children sometimes, if the occasional DVD helps with that then great. They get plenty of time to run around and learn through discovery but as people are always so quick to point out - indeed the OP has mentioned it - these children are only little, they are still adpating to the big ask which is full time school so if some calm, relaxing time watching a DVD can help them then great!

DogCalledRudis · 09/10/2014 17:37

Out of all things in the world people have to complain about Disney.
Well, not surprising. Plenty of info online that Disney is somehow satanic.

VermillionPorcupine · 09/10/2014 17:43

YABU. And if you have a child in school you'll have to get used to them watching the odd DVD.

Last Friday, ds1 in Reception spent 2.5 hours after lunch watching DVDs Shock in school. They had been on a school trip from 9-12.30 to the local park to learn about Autumn and had walked a few miles.

The teacher told me when they got back they were all so tired she couldn't get any sense out of them - there were crying, whinging kids, they were getting naughty and some were falling asleep on their desks.

I think putting a DVD on and letting them all relax/do nothing was a very sensible idea, especially for 4 year olds who were tired anyway as they're just getting used to ft.

nicename · 09/10/2014 17:47

I love the rain but I know that no amount of telling from the teacher would cause him to don wellies and raincoat. He would be charging around in school shoes and coatless and spend the rest of the day wet and smelling like a damp dog.

Whatever they showed the kids, there'd be complaints. You can't win. Its not like they showed them an 18 certificate, or something with animals dressed like people and walking on 2 paws (deeply disturbing).

FreckledLeopard · 09/10/2014 17:50

I'd hate a childhood without Disney. DD and I used to have 'movie night' on a Friday evening, watching various Disney movies (and others). She still talks about it now, even though she's a teenager.

DrSeuss · 09/10/2014 17:50

Maybe the teacher didn't wanna build a snowman?

VermillionPorcupine · 09/10/2014 17:52

I assume the 'Let it gooo' joke has been done?

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