9yo watched JAWS on sleepover

[VikingBlonde]

I've just picked up my DD from a sleepover, she's just 9 and a gentle, fairly sensitive sort. First thing she says to me is "I really didn't like Jaws mummy!" And the dad is like "oh yeah that might not have been the best choice of movie ..."

I'm fewwwmin! Jaws is a horror film. I watched it recently and jumped out of my skin a few times. And I'm not bloody well 9. There's a shed load of claret and kids being eaten alive and realistic limbs being severed and we are - to cap it all off - going on our ONLY holiday of the whole year (cos we are skint) camping at the beach tomorrow. She's already told me she won't be getting in the water when she normally loves bodyboarding. CHEERS FOR THAT!!!

The kid who's house the sleepover happened at is a child who can't have sleepovers at anyone else's cos she gets anxious and stressed if she's away from her own home so how the effing chuff have they managed to show MY kid a horror movie while she's there!!!??? Grrrrrrrr

We have had a talk about there NOT being great whites around the UK and that the film is just pretend but she just recounted the part about the little boy getting eaten and burst into tears.


What would you do?

[Egg]

Ethylred! Us too. Maybe not quite as young as six but mine have had all watched it by ages 8 and 10. Benchwarmers, Talladego Nights and Blades of Glory are also favourites!

We also showed Jaws on a sleepover with 9 year olds. I did text the mums first. The kids found it entertaining. They jumped when the face appears suddenly in the boat underwater but otherwise didn’t find it frightening.

[KC225]

Oh dear. Mine were 10 when DH showed them Jaws. My only concern was that they would find it a little lame after watching the Sharknado box set my DH got Christmas and showed them whklst I was visiting my elderly mother back in the uk.

Tell her it is a work of fiction. Make believe. Although it seems real it was liken to her favourite programme and Minecraft etc. Tell her their is no pressure to get in the water on holiday but it may be a little boring sitting on the beach and watching everyone have fun in the water especially when she knows rher is no sharks. I am sure she will come round.

I know it doesn't seem like it at the moment but she will laugh about it in time to come. So will you. And seriously, Jaws is an excellent first film to scare the crap out of you.

The Dad was a bit of an idiot showing a film like that without checking if it was okay with you. All kids are different. Don't know if it's worth mentioning it as the damage is done now but maybe check what films are been planned in future.

[VikingBlonde]

@Twistella you said it yourself love

There's the severed arm on the beach (roughly 3 seconds)
Bllod in the water
Head falling out of boat (yes that is a jump scare)
Robert Shaw blood in mouth when he's being munched.
There might be a leg as well.

[Freshstart19]

Just reminded me my 10 year old is begging me to watch this.
He has seen Jurassic world, the new one in a 4D cinema which is way more scary than this. So I'm going to let him watch it.
He loves stuff like this and I'd say wierd child, but he gets it from his mother I suppose

[DemocracyDiesInDarkness]

It's very obviously a mechanical shark.

My 6 year old has watched it and understands it's not real.

Can't imagine getting too upset about this. Just play it down, yes yes darling I'm sure it was scary but it's not real, off you pop.

[Mari50]

Hmm, tricky.
I’d definitely not show it on a sleepover but my own dd saw it when she was 6 (I did zoom through the Quint mauling though)
Dd absolutely loves Jaws and has no fear of the water, in fact in a recent holiday she was determined to get in the water and snorkel with a 3m tiger shark.
Just give her lots of reassurance and maybe watch some documentaries about sharks so that she sees the truth rather than the nonsense that is jaws.
Either that or let her watch Jaws 3, it’s so shit she’ll soon realise that it’s all nonsense.

[Nikephorus]

I watched it on tv when I was about 7/8 - I remember because my mum was up at the primary school for parents' evening & my dad was home with us. Best film ever!!!

[Itchytights]

Oh please.

It’s Jaws. She’s 9 not 3.

I must have watched it about that age- no big deal.

Really.

Get over it

Oh and it’s fuming, not feeewmin

[Twistella]

I think it was an AA

LOVE the name murun

[LeftRightCentre]

This thread just shows that people will make a mountain out of any molehill. YABU.

[NaomiNagata]

She's old enough that you can couple educate her about sharks. Even the author of the source novel said "If I'd known anything about shark behaviour, I wouldn't have written the book".

They simply don't behave like that. If they do attack, it's because they've mistaken us for a seal of something. We're too bony and don't have enough fat or meat to be enjoyable to a shark. Just explain to her how sharks really behave and that this is all pretend to scare us for fun. If it was a cartoon, she wouldn't be as scared.

[Itchytights]

Might put it on now to watch..

[ZanyMobster]

Definitely not as scary as the Jurassic Park films, honestly no need for such drama. It's happened now and she will be fine I'm sure, I suspect she senses your anxiety about it. Now if they had showed her Saw that would be totally different. Jaws is a relatively suitable for kids so I imagine she'll be over it pretty quickly.

[VikingBlonde]

Cheers for all the helpful advice. And cheers for all the as expected STFU AIBU "advice" too cos I always like a laugh.

Is there blood in minecraft? She loves that (but it's at her dads, I'm not all that up to date with what they do there she just seems to collect wolves and tame them?) so maybe that's a good angle.

We've already spoken about it being all pretend. I'll show her some cool David Attenborough blue planet stuff about sharks too. I will reassure. It's just annoying and bloody rubbish timing with the beach holiday tomorrow we've all been looking forward to.

I still hate being in the sea after watching that movie.

[Twistella]

Just don't let her read the book

[PatrolThat]

@VikingBlonde I'm shit at accents. I have a friend from Liverpool though, so I'll ask her when I next see her.

You could show her some of the prop photos, that might ease her mind that it's definitely fake.
Like this media.aintitcool.com/media/legacy/images/jawsfest/smBarrels&Fins.jpg

[Rapidash]

Crumbs, jaws was one of my favourite films when I was little. think I've seen more blood watching the news tbh.

[SkunkButtRug]

Depends on the child surely? Some kids don't worry about these sorts of films and some do.

I remember seeing jaws at a young age and it really got into my head. I really don't like the sea at all since and I think watching it affected me. That and the fantastic John Williams score. He made a fibre glass pretend shark seem genuinely terrifying with that iconic music.

As an adult I got over it but sharks still scare me. Everyone's different.

I think if she's getting upset about it show her the making of doc. It can help.

[Livruns]

My 11 year old watched IT on a sleepover. Can’t say I’d get that worked up over Jaws.

[ZanyMobster]

I am sure I have heard my boys killing piggies on minecraft, not sure there is blood in it though

[VikingBlonde]

@PatrolThat we did just say that sharks prefer to eat seals not humans because a humans come in wetsuits which are really disgusting tasting and their air canisters make the sharks fart. It's all good.

I just needed a vent.

Probably being unreasonable for wanting a vent. YABVU blahhhh

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

It's a pg?!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My DD would not handle jaws at all and she's 10 soon.

[Siennamiller]

YA (absolutely) NBU. I would be completely fuming too. Just because it’s a PG does not mean it’s suitable. Pg was a lot different then to now.
I won’t even let my 11 year old watch it as he’s a bit sensitive and would prob never go in the sea again!

[ZanyMobster]

Liveruns - I am not sure I'd be ok with IT at 11, that one would really depend on the child, I watched the original but haven't been brave enough to watch the new one lol.

[TheFrendo]

was first released uncut in 1975 with an ‘A’ certificate – which meant that the film may be unsuitable for younger children. Following its theatrical release, Jaws was then later certified as ‘PG’ for all subsequent releases on VHS and DVD.

www.slashfilm.com/jaws-bits-jaws-documentary-trailer-jaws-reclassified-pg-pg13-uk/