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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

...to not let a 5yo watch Doctor Who?

96 replies

Tinkjon · 02/07/2008 14:51

DD is obsessed with Doctor Who, despite never having seen it. DH and I are huuuuuge fans so there are DVD boxsets, mugs, calendars and whatnot around the house which she's seen and asked about. Anyway, I don't let her watch it and whenever I have mentioned this to people they all think it's really strange and they say I'm being mean! But aside from it being too complex for a 5yo to understand anyway, I think it's completely inappropriate! I'm sure there are some 5yo's who could handle it but I know my DD would be bothered by it. Surely someone else must agree?!

OP posts:

Spidermama · 02/07/2008 22:45

My 3.5 year old absolutely loves it. He is never without his sonic screwdriver (which could be a pen, a bit of lego) and it's the game he wants to play most. He ropes anyone in that he can in order to play some sort of Dr Who rescue role play game.

My 9 year old dd is a bit scared of it. My 8 year old ds says it's boring and my 6 year old ds likes it.

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 22:46

Desi's right, the doctor never uses violence (and occasionally does a big anti-gun speech) but he just happens to hang around with lots of people who do. Like Rose, and Jack, and Mickey, and the rest...

(I hated Colin Baker as the Doctor - he's the only one who has actually used a gun in anger, isn't he?)

Ds is nearly 5 and has been watching most episodes from the latest series - we avoided Blink and I was kicking myself for letting him see the Library (the Vashta Nerada thing is a very scary concept). He sees the comics and we watch Confidential so he knows it's not real. We let him watch it because we love it, it's a formative part of our childhoods, and it's wonderful to be able to share that with him. But I'd can it tomorrow if if was worrying him or keeping him awake at nights.

Desiderata · 02/07/2008 22:46

Sounds like we share the same boy, spider!

Spidermama · 02/07/2008 22:47

MorocconOil · 02/07/2008 22:47

DD who is 3 watches it and enjoys it!! In an ideal world she wouldn't be watching it, but she has 2 older brothers and it's quite a family occasion. We all sit down to watch it together, and enjoy it, each getting something different from it. But it's a really positive experience for all.

As others have said you know your DC best and know whether he can cope with it.

TeacherSaysSo · 02/07/2008 22:48

yabu if your dd hasn't even seen one episode to see if she likes it!!!You have to suck it and see. Think back to the first episode you watched as a kid, you'll be surprised how young you were - I worked out i was 5 yrs old. there's nothing more thrilling than being a bit scared (and there's no sex at least!)

Desiderata · 02/07/2008 22:48

My 3.7 yo was transfixed by Silence in the Library.

Ever since, he walks around like a skeleton saying 'Hey, who turned out the lights, Hey, who turned out the lights.'

Ad Nauseum, pretty much

He didn't like the woman with the twisty face, mind you!

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 22:49

I am very shallow, but did enjoy impressing ds's little friend by knowing what the Judoon are called.

MorocconOil · 02/07/2008 22:50

Sorry your DD not DS.

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 22:50

yeah, we get that too Desi. Is a tad wearing after, ooh, the first five minutes.

Desiderata · 02/07/2008 22:50

Oooh, yes. The Rhinos

Shit, I have become such a dr Who geek!

I must away to my bed .. avoiding the shadows, of course!

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 22:51

Desi and Spider, how come you aren't doing the Dr Who name changes in honour of the upcoming finale? Go on, you know it makes sense!

Desiderata · 02/07/2008 22:53

Jeez, Edam. You can take it for that long?

I get, constantly, on first awaking ...

Mum, you be a rhino (Judoon) and I'll be skeleton man. And then I'll bash you, and kill you, and then the doctor will come along, and rescue you. And we're both baddies, so we'll be told off.

Mum, you be the doctor and I'll be Martha/Rose/Donna.

Mum, you be the werewolf, and I'll be Queen Victoria.

Oh, oh, oh, but you all know already

UnquietDad · 02/07/2008 22:54

Could I suggest: GiantSpiderOfMetebelis3Mama?

(Do not google if arachnophobic...)

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 02/07/2008 22:54

DD is nearly 5 and has been around when Dr Who is on since it was ressurected. She is now a huge fan. My DD is petrified of people dressed up (think disneyland), petrified of those little ride ons outside supermarkets but wanted a poster of the scary scarecrows in DW on her wall.

She takes it al as face value, Daleks etc are "bad" that is why they do what they do. She doesn't get freaked out at all and like others have said confidential is a great helo in that when you see men in costumes minus the huge head.

But I think YANBU if you really feel your on child won't cope with it. There is less than a year between my sister and brother and as children he loved DW but she was petrified so something like this is down to the individual child I think.

Desiderata · 02/07/2008 22:55

I didn't know there was one, edam

Right, I'm up for the challenge.

Off to bed now. Night all

IneedacleanerIamalazyslattern · 02/07/2008 22:57

Oh and dd does the who turned out the lights thing too AND I avoided Blink as well but on the sdvice of my brother I let her watch it and for days afterwards every time I turned around she was creeping up on me with a funny pose then she would freeze.

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 22:59

Go and look at the Dr Who Geeks thread, Desi. A fine time can be had by all!

edamdepompadour · 02/07/2008 23:01

OK, this is a confession that I am a big wuss, but I might actually be a bit jumpy if my child was constantly creeping up on me as weeping angel!

schneebly · 02/07/2008 23:03

My 3.5 year old and almost 5 year old watch this with DH they get all excited together. It doesn't upset them and they don't have nightmares so I am happy for them to watch.

I watched a lot worse at that age

Still though YANBU because every family and every child is different. I am just very relaxed about their viewing in general.

Spidermama · 02/07/2008 23:30

schneebly are you 'schneebly' because of School of Rock? I've just seen it for the first time and you sprung to mind.

TennantbellesMum · 02/07/2008 23:37

Yardley NO!!! Yardley Wood! They don't live in Yardley Wood, but not far, it's a nice area.

hellsbells76 · 02/07/2008 23:44

we love it in this house and it's a saturday night tradition for DS (6) and i to cuddle up on the sofa with a cushion each to hide behind. if something's a bit scary i make out i'm more scared than he is and he enjoys 'looking after' me (it's ok mummy, it's not real )

schneebly · 03/07/2008 08:10

spidermama - kind of indirectly We had watched it around the time DS2 was born and we have a habit of calling the kids stupid pet names and we kept calling DS2 little schneebly but didnt realise why until I remembered it was the teachers name in school of rock It stuck and DS2 is still 'schneebly' or 'the schneeble'.

monkeymagic · 03/07/2008 09:50

'Tis child abuse not to let your lo watch Doctor Who - I feel sorry for the ones who miss out. Should be mandatory. How else are they going to join in all the playground games?

We tape it because the DC always talk/shriek over it, then watch it again when they're in bed to actually catch the dialogue.

I wish I could do an emergency temporal shift to Saturday night right now.

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