Are scary books/shows ok for a 5yr old?

Question

my niece may only be five but is way ahead of kids her age. id say she is about 7 in mental age. anyhow, i usually like to watch the show Goosebumps with her and her parents told me to stop showing them to her. i watched them when i was about 9...shes not even afraid! i feel like they are pissed at me.

Answer 1

While it does seem as though she isn't scared, your niece's parents made that rule for a reason, and they want you and your niece to respect it.  At the same time, if your niece can handle this programming without reinacting it at school or believing that the show is real (which is probably why her parents don't want her watching it in the first place), she should be allowed to watch it.

If you feel like her parents are angry with you about this, then it's probably a good idea to find something else to watch with your niece.

Answer 2

If her parents say no then it doesn't matter what your or anyone else's opinion is.  They are the parents and they set the rules - just because she is not acting scared with you doesn't mean she isn't having trouble sleeping or getting scared at night.

Answer 3

my kids love watching ghost hunters with me, but after one night of them not wanting to go to bed because they were scared it was over.

I generally go by the age selection on the television. And I just use my brain on what I think is appropriate for my kids. And I do expect that if someone is watching my kids then they go by my rules. Kids need consistency, not different rules for different houses. If My rules weren't respected then my kids wouldn't be able to go to someone else's home.

Needless to say, if her parents have requested that you not watch that with her because they think it is inappropriate, then you need to respect that. They are her parents and have to deal with the possible bad dreams and being afraid of the dark. Which comes with a whole host of problems you have no idea about.

Answer 4

Just respect their wishes, it is their child after all! Some parents dont want their kids watching any of that sort of thing, there are tons of things the kid can pick up anywhere from bad behavior to inappropriate language to just bad manners. Bottom line, your parents were o.k. with you watching the show at 9 and she isnt 9 yeat and even when she is, her parents may not want her to watch stuff like that still. Its their call just say oops sorry my bad I disnt think anything was bad about it and tell them you get it and wont let her watch it with you again.

Answer 5

My boys are 3 and 5 and they love goosebumps.  If they want you to stop though i would just stop.  My boyfriends kids though are 3,7,10,12 and 16 and all watch scary movies and shows with no problem.