Crushing Disappointment by seryn

GENERAL DISCUSSIONS

Crushing Disappointment

POSTED BY: SERYN
UPDATED: Monday, September 15, 2008 08:53
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VIEWED: 2892
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Saturday, September 13, 2008 11:13 AM

I was watching the Sci-fi channel today and to my joy The Train Job starts. Perfect I think, my seven year old neice is sitting next to me and apart from that one bit with Niska's newphew, its plenty suitable for a kid that age (who had, afterall, been reared on Buffy).

So we are watching it and initially the signs are promising, she's looking at the tv screen anyway. And I think great, another convert - its inconcievable to me at this point that she won't start to love it.

And then her attention starts to drift, and she goes to bug other people in the room, and then finally I look up and she's left entirely.

Where did we go wrong? How did we produce such a child? Why oh why!

It wouldn't have been so bad if less than an hour later she hadn't walked in to the room as The Real Hustle was starting and gone 'oooh, i like this - its that robbin' show, I like it'

hmmmm...

maybe it did have something of an effect.

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 11:32 AM

GORRAMSPACETRASH

Give 'er time. Sounds like she's progressing already. ;) Ever try and consciously introduce people to it before?

-- Gerry

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:08 PM

SERYN

no - well, i've always just handed them the DVD and said 'this is fab - you'll love it' and they have.

there's a first time for everything i suppose.

I think we are still in Pink country. She's left Barbie and Bratz behind to replace it with Hannah Montana and HSM. Its the girly thing and I don't mind it i suppose.(Apart from one thing - does anyone else find Zack Effron really really slappable? He just has this irritating face).

She's got fantastic taste in music etc and she's always willing to try new things and engage actively with em, so her interests are varied at least.

She's a great kid. I'd stop panicking about it but its fun.(edit - the pink thing I mean)

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:21 PM

BLACKCATLADY

This is a joke, right?

None of the Firefly episodes are appropriate for a seven year old. And your neice wasn't bugging anyone....she was just acting like a normal seven year old.

Let children just be children as long as they can. Why subject them to a TV show which deals with many adult subject matters?

The 'verse is great but it's not for children. Let's keep this Browncoat thingy in prespective.

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:36 PM

ELVENBOOKWYRM

Now don't be slappin' Zac Effron - he played young Simon!

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:40 PM

FUTUREMRSFILLION

Quote:
Originally posted by BlackCatLady:
This is a joke, right?

None of the Firefly episodes are appropriate for a seven year old. And your neice wasn't bugging anyone....she was just acting like a normal seven year old.

Let children just be children as long as they can. Why subject them to a TV show which deals with many adult subject matters?

The 'verse is great but it's not for children. Let's keep this Browncoat thingy in prespective.

Have you watched what is considered "appropriate" for a 7 year old?

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:40 PM

CHRISISALL

Quote:
Originally posted by BlackCatLady:

Let children just be children as long as they can.

Yep.

Chrisisall

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 12:52 PM

SERYN

Actually i don't feel that many aspects of Firefly are inappropriate for children. Oh and she was 'bugging' people, she does it well and of course its natural.

With regards to content I checked which episode it was and consulted her mum who was in the room at the time and she didn't have a problem with it. I warned her in advance the there were scene's that she might not like, and that I'd tell her when it was coming up so she could look away. She also knows full well that we let her decide what she wants to see (within reason) and that if at any time she's scared and doesn't want it to go on we will stop. We had to do this with Harry Potter - there far worse things going on in those children s books and movies. As always the key words are informed choice.

Obviously its not for me to say how to raise your children but with my niece we judge how she's going to react to certain things then we introduce her to programmes that will entertain and challenge her. I think some episodes of Firefly are perfect for that. It goes with out saying that if shes not interested, shes not interested.We don't censor her same as we don't wrap her up in cotton wool and keep her naive and ignorant.

As for adult themes, what are you talking about? Firefly deals in human themes, at least in that episode. I agree fully that sex and graphic violence are adult but there are none in that episode (apart from the aforementioned scenes) But the rest of what it deals with? Family, working for your living, looking after your friends, making the right choice and illness - these aren't the exclusive preserve of the over 18's, these are all things she coming across already. Anything that helps her make sense of it (and for all its shooting people Firefly has its morals screwed on straight) is a good thing.

I've gone on for far to long - all i intended to say was 'You do know i was joking right? I'm not going to force her to watch a TV show just cause I like it.'

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Saturday, September 13, 2008 1:00 PM

SERYN

Quote:
Originally posted by elvenbookwyrm:
Now don't be slappin' Zac Effron - he played young Simon!

Tahts where i've seen him before!

Ok, I won't slap him. In all fairness its not his fault. He just looks smug all the time, but I suppose everyone would if they had achieved fame fortune and the adoration of pre teen girls everywhere before their hormones had even properly kicked in.

I think its also though because he look exactly like a boy who i used to hate in school (because he was the one who made up the nasty nicknames - not just randomly)

As for HSM itself i think its great. Rhe (the niece)went to see a stage version recently - She wore her cheerleader costume, as did her favorite bear, and waved her pom poms around like a lunatic the entire second half. i think for the next Potter movie we are going to change the lettering and let her cheer the Quidditch match.

Not in the cinema, obviously.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008 8:29 AM

ELVENBOOKWYRM

Quote:
Originally posted by seryn:
Not in the cinema, obviously.

Well, why not?

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Sunday, September 14, 2008 8:56 AM

SERYN

Well, despite living in an area famed for its 'sense of humor' I don't think it would go down too well.

I don't know - we could try it, it will be Ron's Big Moment if I remember it right (is this the one where Ron starts playing? How did it go?) We could get a team of her and her friends together (and i suppose me on the end - i'll wave the pom poms but i'm not wearing the outfit) and they can go moderatly wild.

No, no I just fear for our lives too much.

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Sunday, September 14, 2008 9:04 AM

RALLEM

I am single so I cannot say what is or isn't appropriate for children today, but I grew up watching Bugs Bunny and isn’t that a lot more gruesome than Firefly? I think that I’ve turned out ok.

Perhaps if you watch any of Firefly with a seven year old you should maybe discuss some of what is going on on the screen so they understand. Just a thought though.

http://swyzzlestyx.com/index.html

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Sunday, September 14, 2008 9:59 AM

SERYN

Oh yes, that goes without saying. I can't understand those people who dump their kids infront of programmes like Tom and Jerry or looney tunes and then wonder why they start pulling the legs off things for fun. We discuss everything openly with her - to the point where we've found ourselves explaining the wierdest things to her in supermarket queues!

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Sunday, September 14, 2008 12:52 PM

IMNOTHERE

Quote:
Originally posted by seryn:
Actually i don't feel that many aspects of Firefly are inappropriate for children.

I don't think "inappropriate" in the sex and violence sense is the problem (unless your kids speak Mandarin) - more a case of just "nothing to engage the interest of a 7 year old girl".

Firefly relies heavily on dry witty dialogue which I suspect is going to go way over the head of most 7 year olds. In fact, I suspect that a lot of 7 year-olds would have difficulty with the slightly archaic form of language used in the show.

The "human stories" are also quite complex c.f. other shows (e.g. the Mal/Inara standoff).

I tried to watch some ST: Voyager re-runs recently and was astonished at how simplistic and patronizing it seems post-Firelfy/BSG/etc.

If you want 7-year-old-friendly SciFi then the best bet is probably Doctor Who. That should scare away some of the pink :-)

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Monday, September 15, 2008 8:23 AM

SERYN

to be honest, yes a lot of it went over her head, particularly in the dialogue area, but people really underestimate how much children understand - they are after geared from birth to understand the non-verbal like pro's.
For instance she was sat by me again for the bit where he was explaining the disease that all the colonists get, and she asked why they didn't all leave and live somewhere else - so somethings going in!

Oh she loves Dr Who! Scary monster super creeps and all. She only occasionally joins me behind the couch. When it first started we used to vet them but we trust now that the producers know how far they can take it with their audience.

This thread is so much longer than i expected it to be - thought id get one reply and then it would drop. Does anyone else have younger relatives into the genre? any other suggestions?

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Monday, September 15, 2008 8:40 AM

MSB

Yeah sometimes it's just a matter of the subject matter not being her idea of fun... she'll grow and learn. Just show her snippets of the funny bits and whet her interest....like Wash playing with dinosuars ( most kids laugh at seeing grown ups doing kid things)

____________________________________________

Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage."
Life is anything that dies when you stomp on it.”-Dave Barry

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Monday, September 15, 2008 8:43 AM

RALLEM

I wouldn't know how to explain it to a seven year old either, but if she were maybe older and not liking school that much then you could say they were trying to play hooky from the alliance. That sounds more like a guy thing though so maybe you could grab her interests by explaining the female characters and their motivations.

http://swyzzlestyx.com/index.html

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Monday, September 15, 2008 8:53 AM

SERYN

Ha! she's one of those wierd kids who loves school. We just explained it as that was where they had found themselves and they were making the best of it -like mummy didn't like where they were living but until she finished her training course and got an new job they couldn't move etc. It kind of explained it.

Oh, if she were interested I show her Shindig - pretty dresses is right up her street, but it just so happened that that was what was on the tv at the time.

If she's anything like her mum we'll be several years down the line and Simon will be the main attraction. But at the moment she not into the boys - they smell. which is refreshing considering the rest of the girls in her year group who act like their 18. Thats what worries me most - all these magazines aimed at 8 - 12 year olds that talk about make-up and clothes endlessly and go on about boys all the time, reletively speaking they're worse than cosmo.

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