Just wondering what everyone's views are here..

My sister in law and I were discussing dvds the kids like and she said her 3yr old daughter loved Finding Nemo, then went on to say she makes sure she skips the first 5mins tho (when his Mum dies). Then we talked about Bambi and she said she'd make sure to fast forward that too.

I don't know if I'm quite a tough this is the world deal with it Mum but I've never felt the need to hide things from Imogen. She watches her dvds and it's never really crossed my mind to fast forward bits like that. Imogen actually prefers watching more grown up dvds (i think it's part of her wanting to be a big girl) and I'm fine with that. I don't let Matt put his awful 18 lets kill everyone/thing in sight dvds around her though.

Matt and I can sometimes get quite annoyed at my sister in law sometimes cause she will turn the channel as soon as something she doesn't like comes on. Example we were watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a family and the min a darker bit came on she turned the channel as she didn't want her daughter seeing. She made out her daughter was really scared but she wasn't she was making a fuss cause everyone was fussing turning channels - Matt and his bro were just putting film back on and ignoring their sister.
Also she turns Mr Tumble off the min it comes on because her daughter is scared of him. Ok fair enough but Matt and I think that's a bit of an irrational fear and my sister in law is pandering to it a bit and essentially letting her daughter continue thinking he is something to be afraid of. And half the time she doesn't really act afraid she just makes a fuss to get attention.. which my SIL gives but changing channel, giving her cuddles and telling her its ok Mr Tumble has gone now. If Imogen is around it confuses the hell out of her as she loves Mr Tumble and normally attempts to change channel back to watch.


So yeah just wondering what your thoughts are as obviously Matt and I are quite different to SIL. Do you restrict your kids watching any adult tv and do you hide things like character death?
I ended up writing more with the Mr Tumble stuff so guess I should also ask to do respond to irrational type fears or encourage them to essentially get over it?

Personally I wouldnt restrict anything. Obviously I wouldnt let her wathch horror/violent films but what happens when she is suddenly deemed old enough and suddenly all these deaths are thrust upon her? Reminds me of when Phoebe from friends (I can always relate something to friends lol) nearly had a nervous breakdown after finding out the real endings to things lol

I'm more aware of what chloe watches now as she's started to really take an interest in what's on the TV and responds to it, so where I used to catch up on my Sky + programs that have adult themes like violence or sex, I wouldn't put them on now until she is in bed.



I wouldn't skip through bits on children's films though, they might have darker bits in, but they are usually set in a way that isn't distressing to children, and if she were to get upset by it, I would talk to her about it.



It does sound like your SIL panders to her daughter a bit, and as much as I'm sure we'd love to protect our kids from sadness and bad things in the world, we can't realistically do that and I think it's better to prepare them instead

i wouldnt have let rich watch something that he wasnt the right age for to be honest, guidelines there for a reason in my opinion, but ive never stopped a movie, skipped a bit because it might distress him.

lion king with the dad dying, or in lilo and stitch, lilo is nearly taken into care, he loves these movies, me and russ are the ones crying and getting distresseda bout them.


however when he was about 5 he developed a fear of bob the builder, who he adored and had all the vehicles, i have the dong emblazoned on my memory, but he use to have the almightiest freak outs and the only way to stop them was to change the channel, hes still the same now about it, not sure why and he doesnt know himself.

you know your own child at the end of the day and you know what they can handle, but over protecting is not good, you reap what you sow so they say...

The girls normally only watch cbeebies. If films are made for children I don't know if there is any point in fast forwarding as they should get use to some things. I think part is encouraging fear otherwise not that I'm saying let them watch guns and violence but I'd rather be honest and deal with an issue than ignore it or pander to it xx

Sounds like we're all kind of on the same wave length, not letting them watch graphic adults tv but not hiding them from real issues - death in kids film.