I'm not quite sure of the moral of the story with this movie. I haven't watched the whole thing beginning to end because that's impossible with two tiny people trying to mutiny against you. There very well could be a very solid message to this movie, but with all the cruelty and bullying going on, it's hard to tell.
I was tempted to put this movie onto my "hide the DVD box" list. It's not like I will forbid him from seeing it, but the movie just annoys me so much that I'd rather him not see it for awhile. This list is long... Cailou and Yo Gabba Gabba are also on here. This list contains programming that generally annoys me and/or that I think contains a poor message.
Some people might think I'm overreacting. It's just Disney. It's just a classic cartoon. Rest assured, I know all this. We are not those parents who are overly strict with what we will let our kids watch. We don't ban Santa Claus or tell him fairies are of the devil. There will obviously be some programming that will not be allowed, but classic Disney is not on that list. It's more of a "I won't encourage them to watch this show because it bugs the crap out of me" sort of list.
But all this got me thinking. I know that young children should limit their TV time, blah blah blah... but what I think is more important is for parents to WATCH the shows their children are watching and explain what is going on. Instead of shoving Peter Pan in the back of the DVD case maybe I should let him watch it and point out how we shouldn't be mean to others. Maybe this could be a good opportunity to teach him a thing or two about manners and how to treat others.
But is age three too young to do that? Do you sit with your children and explain what they are watching?
Or should I just shut up and let him enjoy his cartoons?
4 comments:
Never have been a fan of Peter Pan myself. My kids haven't seen it either.
Three is too young to have those conversations about a movie. There is a lot of info in that movie to debunk, and their little brains can't handle that much. At this age, there is absolutely nothing wrong with hiding (or even getting rid of) the movie.
Actually, there are plenty of things even my older kids aren't going to see. You can teach kids things without showing them images they won't be able to get out of their heads.
Huh, it seems I have strong feelings on this subject... :)
haha, I never took/take Peter Pan all that seriously, i guess. I think it is in very poor taste Political Correctness wise, but overall, not all that harmful. I mean...Even though Peter and Tinker Bell are mean to Wendy (and the mermaids) she is kind of annoying, too, in her whole, "oh woe is me, I have to grow up tomorrow" BS.
also, I don't think that movie necessarily goes along with the actual book, but I could be wrong.
I think Peter Pan acts like most boys in the age 6-10 or 6-12 range. They DO think girls talk too much. and they DO think that they are wonderful, even when they aren't. I guess I never saw it as bullying, just a movie that explores kid stuff. Kind of like Tom Sawyer in some respects.
I hate the way the Father is portrayed as a buffoon in that movie and also this whole idea that a nursemaid is a Dog ("nana). Just seems like the kids are not tended to at all.
So, thank God it's just a movie, right?
But I could be way off base, LOL. I haven't watched that movie in a long time.
Oh and one more disclaimer for my comment -- I tend to shrug off stuff like this, i guess.
Get this...when Sarah was 2 or 3, out of the blue she started telling people to "Shut up!" I was SHOCKED. Craig and I never used those words at home. I had no idea where she heard it.
Then one day, She was watching Toy Story -- and the part where buzz Lightyear was still thinking he was a real space ranger and they were stranded after getting out of the car/truck or whatever (like a diesel truck had taken off and they were stranded). Anyway, Buzz Lightyear is doing his Space Ranger schtick and Woody is telling him to "Just Shut Up!!!" and boom....I knew EXACTLY where Sarah had picked it up.
So...sometimes the movies we think are the most awesome movies ever -- the kids pick out the one small/minor thing that we would NOT want them to pick up!
This actually prompted me to delurk! Peter Pan! Who knew!
We rented it to watch with our daughter and almost promptly returned it. Within the first 30 minutes, we see Tinkerbell look at her butt and "realize" that it's too big (that's laughable) and then get stuck in a drawer because her hips are too big. Okay, message received: Tinkerbell is fat, therefore I must be fat. That's only within the first few minutes of the movie. Lets not forget Tinkerbell and the mermaids trying to kill Wendy over a boy, or the delightful (terrible) song of "What Makes the Red Man Red?"
I was really bothered by the movie, and we now carefully screen stuff.
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