Bambi is bad for kids

Jenn - posted on 06/19/2011

I think that's a bit extreme. I guess if you have a child who is more sensitive, then it might be a good idea to limit what they are exposed to, but otherwise, death is only a part of life, and I think the opposite could be true - expose them to these things so that it isn't taboo and new to them when they experience it in their real life. And Disney isn't the only one who deals with death - look at all of the classic stories. Jack kills the giant, Hansel and Gretel almost get eaten by a witch and then kill her, The 3 little pigs cook the wolf, etc.

Corinne - posted on 06/19/2011

Lacye.. my kids love the corpse bride! and Coraline. Some kids handle these things better than others. My son (nearly 3yrs) was playing in the garden a couple of days ago, chasing spiders with a stick, he woke up screaming at 3am telling me to make the spiders go away! Figure?

Amber - posted on 06/15/2011

It really depends on the kid. Some kids are really sensitive...my niece is one of those kids. Some kids are not all that sensitive....that would be my kid.

I sensor what he watches to some degree, but not as much as I would if he was easily scared/upset/saddened. As a parent, you know your kids and should be able to judge whether they can handle it or not.

Jenn - posted on 06/15/2011

I still censor what my four year and six year old can watch when it comes to current or classic childrens movies....we are all aware of Disney's obsession for killing off a parent or both! All those movies are really geared for older children and not preschoolers. Advertisers and merchandisers are great at sucking in those tiny audiences too!

Lissa - posted on 06/15/2011

I remember telling my children how all the old fairy tales where changed to make them less frightening for children, they weren't scared by the fact that the wolf actually swallowed granny as opposed to her being bundled into a cupboard. I point out in Hansel and Gretel that yes the witch should not have tried to eat the children but the children were eating her house! Double standards much? I don't think knowing people can die is ruining innocence, it's a fact.

Jodi - posted on 06/15/2011

Honestly, I think that's a bit over the top. It depends on the kid. I have one that NEVER had a problem watching those movies at that age, and another that even at the age of 6 I have to be careful about the movies she watches, because she has the most creative imagination, she has nightmares at the touch of a button.

Good Day! - posted on 06/15/2011

Amy, that's funny. My dad used to tell us not to start fires in the woods when we watched Bambi. Like we'd be in the woods alone with matches...haha.

Amy - posted on 06/15/2011

Bambi....our kids eat bambi. It's how we survive. Daddy hunts bambi with bow and arrow. We've had talks about how we are thankful that we will have meat for the winter and kids even ask for "bamburgers" for supper. No worries about all the fake hormones they put in cows for our meat. He also tells them about how you shouldn't have fires in the woods and some hunters are disrespectful. learning experience.



Monsters, Inc. My kids like that. No nightmares. They have imaginary monster friends who keep bad things away at night.



As for the sadness of a death of a parent. Sorry, that's part of life. I had a cousin who lost her mom when she was 3. She watched movies like bambi and felt like she wasn't alone. I do think we need to censor what our children watch and not let them watch TV OFTEN. When they do watch, I think it should be with parents so we can judge if it's getting too scary or if they have questions we are there to help them figure it out. I don't see anything wrong with my 4 year old crying and snuggling with daddy during the Lion King because she loves her daddy and doesn't want him to die. She has emotions. Heaven forbid she have to deal with any in life.

Good Day! - posted on 06/15/2011

Rolling my eyes here. My three year old freaking loves Bambi and Beauty and the Beast. She's never seen the Lion King, but she will when it's released again this fall. When watching Bambi she giggles like crazy when baby Bambi falls or tries to talk, etc. And she loves the 'twitterpated' scene. As far as the death scene, she doesn't comprehend that yet. I don't believe in shielding her from death, but I'm not going to explain it to her until she asks.



As far as Beauty and the Beast goes...where is there death of a parent? She likes to play Beauty and the Beast. SHE is always the Beast, because she likes how the Beast turns 'nice'. Not so sure what the problem is there.



Anyway, I agree that we should use good judgement with what we allow on our television screens. If you know your child will have nightmares after watching Bambi, then by all means don't watch Bambi. I just don't like the sweeping statement that 'they should be ashamed of themselves' for reasons that don't apply to each family or child.

Lady Heather - posted on 06/15/2011

Definitely think it depends on the kid. I don't think I will show her the parent dying cartoons because I know I found those ones difficult pre-5. My brother never cared though. He was disturbed (like SERIOUSLY) by ET. Haha. He is still scared of that little bugger.

The second bit sort of depends on what they mean by addiction. Freja LOVES Dora. Loves. She has a couple of episodes that she wants to see every day. But if we said "let's go to the park" or something instead, she take the park. Not really the same as a drug addiction...she just likes it.

Lacye - posted on 06/15/2011

Yall might think I'm crazy but I let Lily watch The Corpse Bride. Awesome movie but very creepy. She thinks the movie is funny. She loves it. No nightmares or anything. :D

Alison - posted on 06/15/2011

I do think it ranges a little with the child. I think my daughter takes after me and internalizes a lot. When I studied the Holocaust in 6th grade and read the Diary of Anne Frank, I had nightmares for 2 weeks about dying in a gas chamber with my sister's kids. Anyway, the author did say that things like "Mr. Roger's neighborhood" and "Sesame Street" are fine. I'm letting my daughter watch Dora right now.

√v^√v^√♥ - posted on 06/15/2011

Agreed! I cried over Bambi when I was little because the mom died but my parents explained it to me (and forgot to watch that 1 movie first, go figure! haha) and I never had an issues from it. Come on.

All the good old stories are horrifying. Alice in wonderland - she drinks and pops pills that 'make her grow and shrink' eating mushrooms.... therefore, my parents didnt let me watch this until I was a little older. Talking to your kids is key.

I disagree more with what's on TV now a days than what was on TV when I was young. Geez

Becky - posted on 06/15/2011

Interesting. My oldest is 3, and I think he distinguishes fairly well between fantasy and reality - he can tell you when something is just pretend or just a story. That said though, he hasn't watched any of the above movies. I find Bambi and Lion King sad! We started watching The Incredibles once and he wanted to turn it off because it was scary. And I made Dh turn Kung Fu Panda off when we were watching it with them. That demon cat-thing is totally not appropriate for 1 and 3 year olds, IMO! I'm not sure it's right to put an age limit on it, because kids are all different. Some won't be phased by seeing the death of a parent even at a pretty young age, others are very sensitive and may not handle those movies well even at 6 or 7. You have to know what is appropriate for your child, and definitely, turn it off if it seems distressing to them.