What age did yours go to the cinema with you?

[twiglett]

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could it have been the darkness Twiglett?
Or perhaps it was really noisy and crowded and that was what put him off? Our DS is just 3 and we've been thinking about whether to take him to see Shrek2 also so I shall be interested to see what experiences other mumsnetters have had.
Sorry I cant be any help to you though.

ps. I think DHs get annoyed when their sons act in what they consider to be a wimpish way. I notice it with my DH sometimes and also with my sister's DH.

shame twiglett. I don't think it's an age thing. We took ds2 with us yesterday to the cinema for his first time. We saw Shrek 2 as he loves the shrek1 dvd and he was fine. He was 3 last month.
I really think it depends what scares them. We took ds1 to see Monsters Inc for his first film just after he was 3. Took us months to get him to the cinema again. I think you were just unlucky with your first film choice.

I also think it's easier with the second child as they want to go to the cinema just like the older child. My ds2 was so excited I don't think anything would have scared him off.

We took our two to see shrek 2 yesterday. DS2 is 4 in september and he got a bit bored to be honest. The humour was a bit above him. He'll sit for hours in a theatre though.

Mind you there's a bit with music and he made us and others giggle with his dancing

I wouldn't worry too much, kids differ greatly. They all have their likes and dislikes even as they get older.

yes I agree with the second child thing too, they're scared they'll miss something.

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Twiglett - some kids certainly aren't ready for it at this age. I can't remember when we took ds1 to the cinema, probably about 4.

We haven't had the bad experiences you've had, but both times ds2 has been to the cinema - to see Lilo&Stitch and Finding Nemo - to be honest he has been too young. He has stayed, but wanted to sit on my lap, and found Nemo particularly very scary: and he's 5 now! There's really no need to rush these things; he'll get a lot more out of a film when he's older.

Why not 'practice' at home - close the curtains to make it dark, have some popcorn, and watch a video!

I'm planning to take dss to see Shrek2, and hope it will be third time lucky for ds2!

3 weeks old (my local cinema is very enlightened and has a fortnightly under 1s showing on a Thursday morning!). So took my 4 month old to Shrek 2 last week (lots of screamning babies )

Twiglett - could your MIL/DM be enlisted to provide examples of appalling behaviour by your/dp at the ages of 3 and above, to subtly remind DP that they don't talk about behaviour being "childish" for nothing!

twiglett, I hope you didn't think that i was implying that your son was a 'wimp'.
I've just re-read what I wrote and it might seem like that but it wasn't meant to be, honest.

About 3

Twiglett - just to add another voice of support. My ds1 is similar in age to your ds (3 yrs 2 mths) and to be honest I don't think he's old enough for the cinema yet.

Not so much from the being scared thing, but because although he can watch a feature length DVD at home, until he's watched it several times he asks CONSTANT questions about the plot. I find it annoying, so goodness knows what the people sitting near us in the cinema would think!!!

Also, in almost all the films we have, even Shrek 1 there are places where he needs a cuddle through the scary bits. I expect that while he can cope with them with a cuddle and in the comfort of his own home, in strange surroundings where the noise is very loud I'm not convinced he would be able to remember that it's "just a film" and that he's safe (actually, I'm not convinced he realises the DVDs are just a film either ... I don't think they can separate fact from fantasy well enough at this age).

Different children are ready at different ages. By the time he's at school he'll be begging to go see the same films his friends are seeing and I don't think he's going to miss out horribly by not going this young.

I just think we're going to have to wait to see Shrek 2 on DVD or con MIL to do some babysitting while me and dh go and watch it by ourselves

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I think dd was just turned 2 when we first took her to see Piglets Big Movie and she loved it. She's been a few times but i think all kids are so different that it's impossible to compare!

I know my sisters boys (2+3) would not sit for five minutes!

Better luck next time Twiggy (maybe he just can't get enough of his new room )

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We have a wonderful thing where I live called the Cry Baby Matinee - it's at 11:45am - the volume is turned down and the lights remain on low so you can breastfeed/ clean up mess. They have a changing table and nappy bin at the front of the cinema. It really is quite the most civilised thing in the world! We started going with dd was 5 weeks and we go most weeks - the oldest I've seen in there is about 3 years. The films are a real mixture (yesterday was The Terminal, a few weeks ago it was Shrek 2, and we had things like 21 grams & Mystic River) not all of them suitable for older kids, but if the baby sleeps through it's a wonderful way for parents to see the latest movies.
My hope is that if we go every week for the next 2 years she will then be fine to go when she is a bit bigger.
......maybe suggest it to your local cinema (they're hardly queuing up at that time on a Friday morning - they might even make a bit more money!!).

My little boy gets scared of the cinema too. I think the darkness and the loudness of the film doesnt help to start with, but also that we are taking our children to the cinema younger and younger. If we went to the cinema when we were 2, 3 and 4 it would have been to see a nice gentle film, not Nemo with bit scary bits, dont know what Shrek is like, have thought a lot about films for kids this week as my little boy just isnt interested in the current kids movies. He watched Homeward Bound 2 on Channel Five yesterday and loved it, except for a dark shadowy bit where he was immediately scared. Also, I think we are rushing to take our children to the cinema earlier and earlier to give them another experience. We have years and years to take our children to the cinema. I think certainly for my little boy he just isnt ready for it yet and i dont want to take him to see a film that I havent seen in case I really scare him.

Twiglett, what a shame. I don't think it's about age either, 3.5 sounds fine to me. Maybe it is just the darkness, a pal's son really hates that kind of thing too. My DS1 went for the first time when he was 3 and a bit and was fine, tho a bit nervous about the noise (the ads are very loud I find, but maybe I'm just getting old!). But DD was just 2 when she went for the first time and was totally fine. Saw Nemo last summer (DS1 4 and a bit, DD 2 and a bit) and I was concerned at the start when all the babies die but they were both OK. Baby (15mo) incidentally has been going since a tot! When smaller he fed/slept, now he just wanders about outside with one of us when he gets fed up. They all have been to kids' shows at the theatre (we have a very good arts centre nearby) since they were very small, when DS1 was 3.5 and DD was 18mo IIRC. Baby then just tagged along too.
Sorry about yr DH, sounds like he does expect too much. Sometimes you have to just do what suits the child (not always of course), he needs to realise that it doesn't help to force yr son or he'll never enjoy it. We always take lots of sweeties in (a rare treat here really) to amuse anyone who may be flagging. Also check how long the film is in advance, as some can be 1.5hrs plus which I think is too long.

Saw Shrek 2 on Thursday with our ds who is just 4. He loves Shrek at home and was really excited about going. However... there is a scene at the end with a giant gingerbread man and my son actually screamed. Afterwards it was his over riding impression of the film and he completely forgot how much he had enjoyed it up to that point. He actually told me off and said he only wanted to see the first one. Which he also found scary the first time he saw it but because it was at home he could handle it and slowly got used to the scary bits (he didn't like the dragon to begin with).
His first film was Finding Nemo last year which also terrified him - even now he refuses to watch the dvd even though he loves anything else to do with the film.
I think I'm going to give the cinema a bit of a miss till he actually starts asking to go!

I am taking ds (5) and dd (3) to see Shrek 2 tomorrow. Their first trip to the cinema was to see Nemo which dd, who was 2, loved, and which terrified ds!
On a different point I was horrified to find out that the you have to pay for a one year old to go to the cinema... the child ticket is age 1 to 14. That seems a bit of a rip off! What 1 year old would sit and watch a film?

Took DSto see Shrek 2 yesterday (4 in Sep) - first time hes been so we got there early so he could se all the seats etc with the lights on. The noise made him cover his ears but as soon as he saw Shrek - his face just lit up !
Needed a booster seat thought which was something I'd never even thought of. Luckily the cinema had them!

mummyintexas that sounds brilliant, i wish they did that in cinemas near me

Wallace which cinema are you going to? We were told at Showcase that our 1yo DS had to pay because he was walking. WTF? Anyway, I paid up (expensive too) but phoned up later the check and was told a differnet story (only over 2s pay) so wrote to them complaining. Felt it was fair enough to pay for, say, 2yo (and pay for 1yo at eg a soft play) but as you say, what 1yo will sit on their own seat at the flicks? They wrote back apologising and sent us free passes for the whole family to see a film. Hurrah!

i took dd 3yrs 2mnths to the cinema for the first time she loved it she already said she wants to see the new shark film(we went to see Shrek 2 fabxx