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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Not to let 7yr old ds watch Mama Mia last night?

20 replies

biffandchip · 05/04/2009 23:34

DS was staying with my dad last night who had been loaned Mama Mia from a friend for them to watch. I asked if it was suitable and I think my dad wound me up on purpose saying 'Oh, but he'll like the songs' and I replied that I knew he would but would the film be ok for him? I felt my dad deliberately misunderstood what I was saying and repeated that ds would like the music. I checked some reviews on the internet and many said there were references to sex etc so I rang to say I would prefer him not to watch it until I had seen it so I could check if the content would go over his head or not. I think I made the right decision but it is niggling me that I spoiled the evening my dad has planned with ds.Was IBU?

OP posts:

purlease · 05/04/2009 23:39

I think some of the story line will go over the heads of 7 year olds but personally I would feel the story which revolves around a girl trying to find out who her father is out of the three men her mum slept with at the relevant time to potentially raise many questions. I know my nephews and nieces have seen it and I think their focus was on the music. But I agree it is up to you to make decision for yourself once you have seen it.

Original poster

biffandchip · 05/04/2009 23:43

Thanks

OP posts:

nickschick · 05/04/2009 23:44

Me and my ds who is 8 watched it and he enjoyed the singing and stuff everything else just went over his head.

gigglechick · 05/04/2009 23:52

IMHO I'd let my 8yo ds1 watch it - but I've seen it at the cinema.

I think you were right to go the route that you did purely on the grounds that you hadn't seen it yourself and wanted to judge. If you watch it and think it's ok for your son, then it is your decision to make.
I would have done exactly the same with a film that I hadn't seen myself.

gigglechick · 05/04/2009 23:55

btw - if you judge it to be ok, then nothing stopping you arranging a film night for your ds/you/whoever. I don't think you actually did "spoil" their evening, they will have done something else that I'm sure they will have been happy with and you are simply being a responsible parent.

cat64 · 06/04/2009 00:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

SheSellsSeashellsByTheSeashore · 06/04/2009 00:37

My 5 yo old dd1 is obsessed with Mamma Mia. She has even made me upload the soundtrack to her barbie music player and it's the only cd she will let me listen to. Still at least it is an improvment on High School Musical the albumn.

She is fairly understanding of sex for her age, as I am always honest with her, and after she asked me if her new puppy hatched from an egg we had the "When a boy doggy and a girl doggy love each other very much......" talk.

She never questioned the sex references, which are so mild I couldn't tell you what they are and I have watched the film at least 6 times now. She never even asked about the 3 fathers and she knows that she has another father she has never met.

purpleduck · 06/04/2009 00:37

I think its a bit too grown up for my dd (7)

ChippingIn · 06/04/2009 01:43

YANBU - if you hadn't seen it and you read the reviews and they made you question if it was ok for him to see it, then you are right to have not let him watch it until you could decide for yourself. I'm sure they found something else to do and you can always buy/borrow/rent it for them another time if you decide, on balance, it's ok.

LO 3 was 'desperate' to see it and listen to it after being told all about it at nursery and coming home singing all the songs. We'd seen it and decided that we'd let them watch it. LO3 & LO22 mths - they love the music and dance away to it all the time - there were a few tricky questions and a couple of comments they repeated that they were told they weren't to (and haven't since), but all in all, their enjoyment of it has greatly outweighed any of the slightly 'negative' bits of having watched it.

LO3 wants to be called Sophie LOL

However, it has spoiled my enjoyment of it as I am sick to death of it!!!

lavenderbongo · 06/04/2009 01:43

I watched it with my 4 yr old dd. She loves the songs and everything else just went over her head. There are some dodgy bits but nothing explicit and the young ones dont notice these - its just a love story with good songs. I think we worry too much about what our kids will pick up - it didnt occur to my dd that she should question why there were 3 potential Dads.

fairground · 06/04/2009 02:23

Hi We are going through a similar problem - I have an 8 yo DD who is desperate to see Mamma Mia. I have watched it and love the music etc, but my very conservative DH is absolutely against the idea of her watching it due to the story of the '3 dads'. I agree with his concern on this point - and ironically if my DD was 4 it would be less of an issue as she probably would not think about that at all - but at 8/9 she is starting to become aware of relationships etc, and I think she would question why Sophie did not know who her father is (or how that could happen). Franky, I am just not ready yet to explain that all to her, so she shall probably remain (as she puts it) the ONLY 8 year old in the entire world who has not seen the movie !!!!

fairground · 06/04/2009 02:24

"Frankly"

jellybeans · 06/04/2009 06:33

my 6 yo s watched it no probs.

MaryBS · 06/04/2009 07:11

My 9yo hasn't seen it fairground, but then she hasn't asked to see it.

womblingfree · 06/04/2009 08:10

Same as lavender - have watched it with my 4YO DD who loves it, but I had seen it myself already.

I can understand why you wouldn't want your DS watching something that you hadn't checked out yourself first as it's not specifically a kids film.

Mooseheart · 06/04/2009 08:15

My dd (5) watched it with me and all the sex references went over her head... (although I seem to remember engaging her in a random conversation about the cat at one point to take her attention away from the screen )

I would however hesitate at allowing an older child watch it who would actually understand the sex stuff. IYSWIM. I think it depends on how 'savvy' your dd is in this area.

Mooseheart · 06/04/2009 08:16

ds sorry

Tryharder · 06/04/2009 08:30

My DS1 (4) watched it with me and loved the music (he loves Abba) - the storyline went way over his head and when they weren't actually singing the Abba songs he knew, he wasn't really paying attention.

Agree that an older child might be more aware of the sexual content but it is extremely mild and probably no more than is discussed in the school playground.

How soon are kids aware of what sex is these days anyway? I didn't actually know what it was until I was 10/11 but that was years and I'm a completely different generation....

However, YANBU.

piscesmoon · 06/04/2009 08:33

I wouldn't have a problem with it-any references to sex would go completely over their heads.

LouIsTheEasterBilby · 06/04/2009 10:34

My youngest charges (6 & 9) have both watched it. The plot goes right over thier heads. They are most intestested in the songs, going to Greece and how badly Pierce Brosnan sings.

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