Would you let a 4 1/2 year old watch Star Wars?

[Doubleblessings]

We did the first one (number 4 I guess) at 5 years 2 months. DS was familiar with the characters from playing with DH's old action figures.

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

Nope. At least 10, probably 12 before my kids will watch it.

[elise1mds]

I haven't read all the responses, so I'm assuming the conversation hasn't morphed into something other than the OP, but my son has seen all but the *really* horrid bits of Episode 3. I haven't decided when he'll see that, but it'll be a while yet. My daughter has seen the old ones, Episodes 4-6, but hasn't seen any of the newer ones yet.

[Nicole M]

I probably wouldn't have when my boys were little but I'm sure as heck glad that the parents of this little doll let her watch:

 

 

 

I pretty much have to watch that video a couple times a week.

 

That said, I have now met several college student who have not seen it, and I think that is a shame. It's a great apocalyptic tale, and a part of our cultural history. My youngest (thirteen) hasn't seen all of it (and I think I missed at least one of the newer movies), so that will be a "project" for us over the summer.

[AuntPol]

I think 7-8 is a better age to start watching it. My 9 yo just started watching it this past year.

[Doubleblessings]

I probably wouldn't have when my boys were little but I'm sure as heck glad that the parents of this little doll let her watch:

 

 

 

I pretty much have to watch that video a couple times a week.

 

LOVE IT!

[Cindyz]

We let our 5 year old watch the first original Star Wars movie and then Episode 1 (the one with the little boy doing the pod racing). He loved them and quickly became obsessed with anything to do with Star Wars.

 

Honestly, I regret it. While he enjoyed them and my husband enjoyed sharing them with him, now his play has a lot of "I'm going to die you" (he doesn't know the kill word yet thankfully), and "pew pew pew" and basic fighting when we never had ANY of that before. It also carried over to his friend interactions with him trying to get his friends to play Star Wars with him and hitting, etc. He also started asking questions like, "dad, what if I die you?". Ummmmmmmmmmmmm..................................... It will be a very long time before he views the movies again.

 

I don't mind some of the Star Wars Lego series because he sees that as the characters breaking instead of dying.

[mom4him]

My two are 9 and 10 and we just watched them a few months ago. I have to say that I regret do this. There is a LOT of violence in some and some violence in all of them. I wouldn't do it if I had it to do over again.

At 4? no way.

[Carrie12345]

I don't even know how old any of my kids were the first time they saw the originals. Being born in '77, I guess I didn't see the originals until VCRs became routine household equipment, but I had Star Wars Underoos, lol.

 

DH and I don't know a life without Star Wars, and he watches the dvds all the time. It's never occurred to us to keep our kids away from it. Dh took ds to see II and III in the theater. He was just shy of 4 for II. BUT, I never show any movies to little kids without expressed parental permission b/c I realize not every parent OR every kid is okay with some things.

 

My kids have had stronger reactions to tamer films, but the Star Wars franchise has never seemed to bother them. They've always been more interested in the alien/robot aspects than the story line.

[higginszoo]

I was 5 or 6 when the first (or fourth, depending on how you're counting) movie came out, and I saw it, as did my little brother (2 years younger). I think that our children were mostly 4 or 5 when they saw Episodes 1, 4, and 6. They were a little older for 2 and 5, and 8-10 before they saw 3.

[Laura Corin]

A creature gets his arm sliced off in the bar scene, I think in the original. I wasn't used to violent films when I saw that and it stayed with me for some time.

 

Laura

[coop]

We didn't let our older two sons watch Star Wars until they were 10 and 12. But, our younger two children ages 5 and 7 have seen all but number III. That's the problem we have to deal with since we have such a large gap in ages.

[Gretchen in NJ]

We love Star Wars, but I wouldn't let a young child watch it. My opinion has nothing to do with whether the child will have nightmares or not. I don't think it is good developmentally for them.

 

If you watch Star Wars when he 4 years old, what are you going to watch when he 12 years old? Let's enjoy the child and not rush growing up.:D

[elegantlion]

I probably wouldn't have when my boys were little but I'm sure as heck glad that the parents of this little doll let her watch:

 

 

I pretty much have to watch that video a couple times a week.

 

That said, I have now met several college student who have not seen it, and I think that is a shame. It's a great apocalyptic tale, and a part of our cultural history. My youngest (thirteen) hasn't seen all of it (and I think I missed at least one of the newer movies), so that will be a "project" for us over the summer.

 

 

I haven't laughed this hard in a long time. That little girl is most adorable!!!

[RanchGirl]

No, I don't think I would. My boys watched 4,5, and 6 at ages 8 and 10 and I felt the 8 year old was a bit on the young side. They have not seen 1,2, or 3 and won't for awhile, primarily because I haven't seen them to preview them.

 

I didn't read all the posts but off the top of my head, in addition to the arm cut off in the cantina in episode 4, there is also the brief view of charred bodies of Luke's Aunt and Uncle when he returns to their burned home.

 

Also Leah in the bikini chained up made me really uncomfortable. there were a few other things I can't recall, plus just general violence, and people dying even though you can't see anything gory.