Is it only me who are so anal about what films my children watch?

[FairyMum]

Inspired by other threads, I thought I'd start my own. I am really suprised by the type of tv-programmes and films some parents let their small children watch. They claim their children are not easily scared and its fine to watch this. I am weary of both fast moving and scary images for my children. I also think there are so many things small children just won't understand until a certain age. For example, I would not let my 6 year-old watch Harry Potter mainly because I think if he waits a few years he will get so much more out of it. I don't want to rush them into all the wonderful films and stories they will enjoy much more if they wait (I think).

Now I am wondering, are some children really more easily scared? Yes, I guess to a certain extent they are, but I am also thinking that they build up a certain tolerance to things they see. In my eyes this is not a good thing at all.

I want my children to keep their innocence. I want my 3 year-old to be scared by images in power rangers and instead watch bob the builder and postman pat who I think are programmes for his age group.

Am I the only one?

I agree fairymum-I am amazed at what some children are allowed to watch.

I agree, hate it when ds1 visits friends anf watches unsuitable "older brothers" films that are either scary or full of guns

No you're not

my children are 9, 7 and (almost) 4

They are allowed to watch Cbeebies and nick junior.

None of them have seen any of the Harry Potter films or Pirates of the carribean as I don't think they are suitable.

Power rangers and sponge bob are definately off their viewing list - must to their dissapointment.

I also like programmes that will teach them something like "something special". All 3 of my children know makaton (i taught them some) and watching that, they can learn new signs.

all of my 3 dd's have seen the harry potter films. but only with me sitting with them watching them. i always say we can turn it off if it gets too scary. (i see it first at the cinema anyway so can guage if its too scary). the girls are 8, 5 and 3. dd3 is actually going through a harry potter phase atm, as i have been reading little bits to her when she asks. she loves owls, wizards and is very into make-believe. (she is currently in her 'tent' made from blankets pretending she is a witch with a cat, the cat is actually dd2 lol)

the other day we all watched 'the labyrinth', again saying they could switch it off if they didnt want to carry on watching it. dd1+2 were entranced by it.

i dont let them watch 15 or 18's, but admittingly the last HP film was a 12/12a, but i judged it on how i thought my children would react.

now if it was a film about aliens or anything, then no way, as dd1 hates aliens and is very scared of them.

am with you although accidently put on Tom & jerry - didn't remember it being THAT violent or am I just going too far?!?

friend took her 3yr old to see the newest harry potter - I nearly died but she couldn't see anything wrong with it - I have no idea how she even got him in, I thought it had an age restriction on it?

I think 3 is far too young for those films misdee. I wouldn't even let my 5 yr old watch Harry Potter.

Some children are more easily scared, but just because children aren't scared, it doesn't mean the viewing is suitable. Oh dear Horrid Henry is comming on... even 2YO DD is singing along to the theme tune.

mrsruffalo, with her attention span she watches the first 20mins only. i think i have seen hagrid bash down that door so many times.

dizzychixies, my 6 and 9 year-olds love tom&jerry, but only after my 3 year-old has gone to bed. Its just too fast-moving for him and I think if they are moved onto big sibling-films/programmes too early, they will skip the postman pat stage because its just too slow-moving for them. I worry they will loose their innocence I guess. I am happy to see I am not the only one!

I agree

My SD was watching "road trip" at 7 years of age -when her older bro did at 10 . I was so sad for her that her Mum didn't step in and monitor what was going on. The swear words she knew were just horrifying, But she was going to a top private school so I guess that was OK....

Some of the visuals in HP are imo too much for little ones. Having said that MIL was looking after DD 2.10 and asked her what DVD she wanted DD pulled out HP and MIL put it on for her thinking she was allowed it .

For two weeks afterwards DD went on about nothing but HP, everytime she watched tv or we saw HP stuff in the shops. If we ask her if she wants a DVD its all she asks for, but we haven't let her watch it again. But I think this shows that not all children would be scared by these films.

The later HP are a completely different story and I was kind of scared when I went to the cinema to watch them!

Maybe she would enjoy Maisie or something like that more?

mine haven't seen harry p. but I must admit ds2 loves power rangers

my dd1 watched cbeebies till, well, last week (she is 7) - she has only just started watching films eg Charlie and the Chocolate Factory because previously she was too young, she would get frightened

she did watch Harry Potter at 6 but we read the book to her first to make sure she was old enough, and she did understand the relationships and the plot etc so only then did we let her watch the film

I think it is about being sensible and about knowing exactly what is in store for them

my dd2 (3) will watch anything though, does not get frightened and asks questions, and tbh I feel more confident letting her watch things that dd1 would have been too 'young' to watch. I won't let her watch Harry Potter though - we are talking animation films only

I think it depends on the child - but having said that is difficult letting an older child watch a film and then not letting the younger one see it - poor dd1 never gets chance to watch her Harry Potter dvd, which she does love, now that dd2 doesn't have a daytime sleep

I think younger children by default have to grow up slightly faster because you can't cosset them from the things their older siblings are into

What about programmes like Eastenders and the news? My niece watches Eastenders and she is 3.

thank goodness fairymum, was worried it was just me. to be honest am not sure if I want them to be able to sit engrossed for 2.5hrs in front of a film at the moment although I have to admit to the piglet movie helping me out of a few demented moments sometimes

"I think younger children by default have to grow up slightly faster because you can't cosset them from the things their older siblings are into"

Very true. Its difficult!

I have a friend who's 4 year olds favourite film is Spiderman - she was 3 at the time that I was at their house and she was watching it but my ds then 5 was scared of it but had to sit through it.
I would choose to let my dc's watch a film like that.
We have read all the HP books to ds but I wouldn't let him watch the films yet - he isn't ready for it.
He is at the moment happily watching High School Musical though and am happy for him to see films like that and Stuart Little etc as I would like him to move on from the cartoon based films too

exactly cappachino. dd1 has started reading harry potter books, slow going as she cant read well atm, but is trying. so she has seen the films, and dd3 obviously is there when we watch them altogether. dd3 doesnt nap, and dd1 needs more sleep than dd3 anyway (dd1 is asthmatic and gets very tired easily) so film time is family time. its not all that dd3 watches, she loves stuff for younger children, she watches in the night garden, dora the explorer, etc etc. she loves charlottes web (i cry at it), and disney stuff.

harry potter may not be everyones choice of films, buts it not like she is watching terminator or tremors (thats film shakes me up even now), or the Saw films.

if i have to sit through HSM/HSM2 ever again i will scream

DS is 6.5 and although I am relatively careful about what he watches he has already been through his Power Rangers phase! He was into Scooby Doo at around 3. Has watched all the Star Wars movies and loved them.

He went to see PofC 3 as DH agreed to a friend taking him without talking to me. I was a bit concerned so I went too. He was fine but funnily enough doesn't like the DVDs and finds them scary.

Haven't tried Harry Potter yet - I would rather wait till I know he would understand it and really get into it and follow the story. He tells me himself that he will be ready for HP when he is about 8!

He loves High School Musical though.

And he is not really into Nick Jr anymore - watches Zoey 101 and Drake and Josh etc. They are a bit old for him but they are not violent and the "moral" behind them is usually that being nice is better than being horrible. I would rather he watched that kind of thing than violent cartoons etc.

It's the first time it has been on in this house & I'm not concentrating on it too much at the mo!
I think dh will just be happy it was on while he was still in bed as I'm off to work and the kids won't be bugging him to see it

Message withdrawn

Message withdrawn

What does a 3 year-old get out of HP I wonder? Is it not like going to A to Z skipping all the letters in between? I mean, don't children need to build up to watching the more grow-up stories and images in order to understand and be able to porcess what they view? If they don't get scared by it, how do we as adult really know what they pick up from it when they must be viewing it in a totally different way to a 12 -year old or a 30-year old?

My 3 year-old is too scared to watch fireman sam. I think that is kind of cute.