5 year old never been to cinema?

[ILikePaperHats]

Hi, AIBU to think it's strange that a 5 year old boy has never been to a cinema before? I'm looking after him tomorrow to help him mum out in the holidays, and thought I would take him and my DS (same age) to see Waterpark but the mum has vetoed it saying he's never been before. My DS has been loads of times and loves it.

Wow. OP. I thought most people were going to agree with you.

Guess you and I are the odd ones out. (Plus all the other 5yo I know. DCs friends and classmates.)

I think every child we know goes to cinema pretty regularly.

Disney/Dreamworks release a new film most school holidays. So we go a lot.

What about stuff like Theatre/Panto etc? Do MN 5 year olds not go to them?

I think it's a little unusual. X

I think it's strange, but I guess until I read this I hadn't given it much thought and assumed that other families were like mine. One went to see The Good Dinosaur aged 3, that may have been his first film

We didn’t go until we were about that age. There wasn’t one near us. My son went as a baby, special showings, but I fell asleep and so did he 😁

It's funny reading these replies. I agree that it's unnecessary to take them to the cinema however i do think most if not all 5 year olds I know have been a lot by now so I'm surprised other people haven't had this experience

They bit I find odd is that his mother thinks he shouldn't go because he hasn't been before

Yabu and judgy.

Judgy, really?

The OP is asking if it's unusual. She's not pretending the cinema is some kind of vital cultural experience without which this child is destined to languish in intellectual poverty forever. She just asked what most people would expect to do.

Conversely, I don't know any 5 year old who hasn't been. That weird mumsnet demographic raises its head once more. No one takes their kids to cinema.

Cross posts with a few people from my tribe.

My 5.5 year old hasn’t been either, its only very recently that they’ve been able to watch the likes of Frozen without being terrified. I can’t think of any film that might be suitable. Especially when sitting in thr dark, with loud surround sound and not being able to run out of the room if it gets too much!

If youd said 10 in would agree but at 5 kids are just beginning to to go to the cinema imo.

I wouldn't waste the money or ruin the time for others on a younger child personally.

6 year old here hasn’t
Hard with a younger sibling plus we have a magic tv box 😊

I know some who have and some who have not. I'm 27 and have never been to a cinema🤷🏼‍♀️

Taking my almost 6 year old for the first time this week. Well technically she first went when she was 2 months old as I used to go to parent and baby screenings when she was tiny I'm surprised to read so many 5 year olds have been numerous times tbh. It would never have occurred to me to take her before now and I definitely don't plan to take 3 year DS any time soon. I find the concept of taking a toddler to see a film a bit odd.

I didn't go to the cinema until I was 11 and I am a massive film fan now so the delay had no lasting impact!

YABU. It's normal for a 5 year old not to have been to the cinema. We didn't take our DDs until they were 5

I was 13 before I went for the time (to see ghost)

It's expensive to go to the cinema round here, esp if you use public transport. Busfair would be £10 at least and the cost of at least one adult and one child tickets. On top of that it's a lot of money to many families.

I think the age has come down because children are used to watching so much tv.

Mine was 10 before I bought a television. Maybe that's weird to some people.

That weird mumsnet demographic raises its head once more. No one takes their kids to cinema.

I don't think anyone has said they wouldn't ever take their child, just that at 5 it's pretty normal not to have been. It's not exactly a fun or enjoyable experience for many youngsters, and when you can replicate it at home for very little cost it doesn't make much sense to take young children to the cinema.

My DC were 6 yrs old when a friend took them. It hadn’t occurred to me to take them before. Plenty of outdoor activities to do, running around out not sitting inside watching a screen.

I don’t imagine DS will have gone by 5 either. We have Disney Life and an HD projector.

I would be surprised OP. My oldest was 2 when I took her for the first time. It was to see the Tigger movie.. I recall it so clearly she and my friends son (age 3) were playing a bit between the seats as the movie started and she went " Ohhhhh" turned around and gave the film her full attention through out the full length.. I had not thought she could manage that but she loved it.. She is 21 and still loves the cinema.

DD2 was 2 months old (she went to " see" the tigger movie too) All of mine have gone from very early age Many cinemas does baby screenings and low noise ones.

I first took my DS when he was 5 and tbh he was more excited by being able to have some pic n mix and struggled to sit through the film. I think he's now been 3 times in about 18 months and only for things he really wants to see, which feels like more than enough.

I think it's pretty normal for a five year old not to have been to the cinema.

Going with my 4 and a half year old is just an expensive way to answer lots of questions in a loud place where it's not socially acceptable to constantly fidget...

My 6 yr old has never been because she is very sensitive to film content and we’ve generally had to pre watch stuff and assure there is nothing scary or shouty in it. She has recently become a bit braver and watched things previously rejected, so may try a film at the cinema soon.

I'm 27 and have never been to a cinema

Seriously? How come?