AIBU to let my son skip this at school?

[Redcliff]

My DS is 10 and has been doing WW2 at school. Tomorrow the class are watching "boy in the striped pyjamas". We had to sign a consent slip last week and were happy to do so. Tonight he has been in tears saying he doesn't want to see it.

My DP has made some good points about how important a film it is but I hate to think of him so upset. AIBU to tell his teacher that he can sit it out?

Sorry watching stand up comedy and heard this (thought you guys might like)

"War house walks into a bar, the barman says 'why the long film?' "

It's too young my dd did the holocaust in gcse history and watched it at 15

I watched this about 4 years ago and I've never forgotten the harrowing final scenes.
I wouldn't want to watch it again and I'm 44.
I found it very disturbing,especially the scenes involving the family and the young boy giving food to his friend who lived in the "special place"

my mum didnt let me watch the film til i had read the book. read it and thought was sad... watched the film and cried for days. I was 15 ....
10 is way too young in my opinion, by all means tell them about it but to make them watch such a sad film is in my eyes like showing a child a horror film because to them ... it is a horror and could easily cause a lot of damage seeing it.

Absolutely inappropriate at that age although unless they have been taught the holicaust they will have absolutely no idea what is going to happen to the boy until explained.

Graphista

Graphista, I know where you are coming from. My Grandad was a submariner and his crew was the first onsite at one of the Japanese prisoner of war camps. He didn't talk about it. We only learnt much later. The crew basically gave up their own rations to feed the folks in the camp.

Difficult decision, but if the rest of his class watch it he will have to listen to their accounts of what they have seen which might be just as traumatic for him.

Perhaps you should talk to some of the other parents and if they too have concerns then the teacher might reconsider showing the film. As a primary school teacher of many years, I don't think it an appropriate film to show to Y6 although I would not avoid talking to them about the holocaust as part of a WWII topic, a teacher knows his/her class and can pitch the discussion at the right level, where as such a film will be too much for most children of this age.

Mrsmortis I dread to think! The grandfather concerned was very much a 'hard man' came from serious poverty & deprivation himself and I think in the arrogance of youth thought he'd already seen the worst of mans inhumanity to man only to discover he'd barely seen anything.

Other grandfather also thought he'd experienced pretty dire poverty & deprivation and was shocked by what he witnessed. Around the time of band aid my mother says he'd drummed into his kids that they didn't know how lucky they were (and they REALLY weren't well off either then) because they had a proper roof over their heads, sanitation, decent food, warm clothes etc compared to what he'd seen in the war.

I write having only discovered a few years ago that four members of my family died in the Holocaust.

I think that referring to real sources and indeed, whilst they are still alive, hearing from survivors or their families, would be better. In teaching about this to children, we should not forget that a wide range of groups of people that the Nazis hated were targeted.

Been so interesting reading everyone's comments. Just to update they played the film today - he watched half of it and when it looked like some men were going to the gas chamber he sllippex out and did some drawing until the film was done. He said none of the other children seemed upset which surprised me.

the boy in the striped pyjamers, makes you think and ask questions

I'm afraid the only thing it made me ask was "How on earth did this dross get published?"

A film that upset me was 'Charlotte Gray' --which ends with the two small boys on the train to a camp. Enough to make anyone cry, especially if they have small boys.

I remember that Frankley. It broke my heart, too. I couldn't get it out of my mind for weeks, nor the behaviour of the teacher-collaborator who made it his business to seek them out and betray them.

Redcliff Glad your son is OK.

"He said none of the other children seemed upset which surprised me." And seems to suggest that this is not a very effective way to teach about a very upsetting incident from human history. Surely teaching about these things should elicit a response! Which is why I think there are better ways to teach it and it should be taught at a later age.

I wonder if the other children in the class are really not affected. Was there a discussion about the film and what they made of it afterwards? I can not believe that not one of them will think about it later and be really upset, Agree Italian
I thought 'Charlotte Gray' film was very well done. Happy I still think about it. Recommend to others interested in this subject

I think what the teacher would/should be aiming for is not just upset or raw emotion but rather, as you say Frankley discussion. How can we be a generation that thinks and acts differently. What good things can we continue, what can we challenge etc. I think watching a long film kind of kills debate in children so you, an hour and a half or whatever seems so long and then maybe less time for discussion.

Has there been any feedback, since, OP.

so you have an hour and a half, or whatever ...

He shouldn't have to watch it if he is that upset and crying about it.