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It doesn't matter that it's not real. I know that slasher films aren't real. I know Freddie isn't real. I refuse to watch Friday the 13th or Nightmare on Elm St. Absolutely flat-out refuse. I can't handle it. I get night terrors for weeks after being exposed to even one scene of that stuff.
I don't need to be toughened up. There's nothing "wrong" with me that needs "fixing." I think parents need to stop trying to put labels of disability on their children. I think parents need to stop insisting that there's something "wrong" with their children. It's like the entire social system of this country has developed a mild case of Munchausen's by Proxy. The children of this world are "sick" because the adults of this world really WANT their children to be sick, because being normal isn't special enough.
There's probably nothing wrong with your 8 year old. There -is- something wrong with the movie theatres these days, however. Volumes are WAY too high, and somewhat distorted. Screens are much smaller than they used to be, yet you are still sitting at the same distance from it as when it was a real single-screen theatre. The walls are closer than the old-time theatres, as well. Also, the floors are slanted much steeper than they used to be, and all of this can be intimidating to a little kid.
Earplugs could certainly work, or even a set of those airplane headphones with the cord snipped off. And yes definitely bring sweaters; the AC is ridiculous in those theatre buildings these days.
Since she specifically referred to scary monkeys, I would assume it was both, or at least that the degree of dramatic tension, characterizations of the antagonists, and photographic technique used in TS3 might pose more of a problem than, say, Care Bears Go To Iowa?
The point I was making was that the it was the loudness and the surrounding issues that were scaring the child, not this specific movie. It was not the movie just because of one specific image she glanced at when she was already whimpering and scared. If she had seen this movie at home, on a normal sized screen with normal sound levels, would she have had the same reaction? I'd imagine probably not.
I haven't seen the movie, so reading this thread title would make one think the story of the movie was scary for young children or at the very least not what would be expected of this third installment with which we are already familiar.
Even a giant sized Care Bear can be scary for certain kids, but it doesn't make the movie scary. That was what I was wanting to know.
How many of you have read the responses of the OP?
I am highly guessing the child was adopted from Vietnam as she said the child has been exposed to things early on that most children have not been exposed to and that may be a reason for the sensory issues.
The child is being held back to repeat a grade due to struggling with issues.
Thus, there are "issues" (I use the word gently) with the young girl that are probably not typical of a child who does not care for Transformers or Snow White & gets scared for a moment. Being scared of all loud noises at the age of 8 & always having these struggles does indeed indicate something.
These issues are completely workable, but at this time, the child needs assistance working through them.
Yeah it could be she has oversensitive hearing.
Just like when I was a kid, my parents used to be really irritated when I'd ignore them, or not really listen to them when they were talking to me, or "tune out" as they put it. Turned out, I have some wonky hearing that makes me supersensitive to high frequency sounds, and moderately deaf to middle-frequency sounds. So when mom would raise her voice and pitch to yell at me, it'd frustrate me and push me into a tantrum. If she talked at a normal tone, I didn't really hear her very well. My dad, on the other hand, I could hear perfectly well. His tone was crisp, clean, and a perfect lower baritone pitch.
People with hearing problems are often thought of to have "issues" when in fact they have no issues at all. If she shows signs of sound bothering her regularly, she should get her hearing tested for both deafness AND supersensitivity.
But, there was one of those monkey toys with the cymbils that was rather scary and the big baby toy was pretty freaky. I think the 8 year old me would have been afraid of those things.
ITA, I saw it with my 6 year old, and was surprised that he wasn't scared, those things were creepy! I don't get scared by movies, but I can understand a child being frightened sometimes. In the past most movies scared my 6 year old, even the movie "Up" frightened him. I think this is something most children will outgrow to a degree, in my son's case it does look like he's moving past his fears of movies. I'm wondering, does the OP's 8 year old find movies scary at home, too? Or is just the loudness at the theaters? I would suggest the OP just take it slowly, and only take her 8 year old to non-adventure movies, and as already suggested, bring earplugs. (I wouldn't recommend taking her to the latest Shrek movie, the flying witches might frighten her) I don't think this is in any way the fault of the OP, as many children are easily frightened by certain aspects of movies. I've even known some adults that admitted to being easily scared.
Being scared of all loud noises at the age of 8 & always having these struggles does indeed indicate something.
These issues are completely workable, but at this time, the child needs assistance working through them.
I was reading it not as the child being scared of the loud noise but actually having a sensitivity to loud noises...like it HURTS her ears. That's not something that can be worked through.
DS and I both have rather sensitive ears. I strongly dislike watching movies in a theater because they are so loud. We sit in the back rows at church, away from the music and speakers. You won't find me sitting in the front row of any sort of event because the applause and cheers seems to funnel forward, it seems quieter in the back. For years DS would cover his ears at such events.
Again, it's not something that you can work through other than wearing earplugs and making other accommodations in noisy environments.
Theaters are indeed very, very loud these days. Between the noise and the 3D, I had a tremendous headache by the time the show was over, but I still loved the movie!
I was reading it not as the child being scared of the loud noise but actually having a sensitivity to loud noises...like it HURTS her ears. That's not something that can be worked through.
DS and I both have rather sensitive ears. I strongly dislike watching movies in a theater because they are so loud. We sit in the back rows at church, away from the music and speakers. You won't find me sitting in the front row of any sort of event because the applause and cheers seems to funnel forward, it seems quieter in the back. For years DS would cover his ears at such events.
Again, it's not something that you can work through other than wearing earplugs and making other accommodations in noisy environments.
The child is being held back to repeat a grade due to the sensory issues. There is nothing unusual or wrong w/ this, but to "generalize" is also not correct.
I don't like loud noises or idle loud noises get me even more. The sound of a leaf blower drives me crazy.
There is a difference in a child not caring for a movie b/c of its overstimulation and a child who cannot handle this movie along w/ many other things.
My daughter has always had sensitive hearing. She was 5 when she saw her first movie, too, and she spent the entire time with her fingers in her ears. There is always a part of a movie that scares her. I completely sympathize--I've been there! She is 8 now and has just started seeming to enjoy movies. We don't go to many, but we pick carefully when we do go. We haven't seen Toy Story 3 yet.
It's interesting that some people think movie-watching is an important skill that a child should have. In my opinion movie-watching is an unnatural, unnecessary, and sometimes unhealthy. (Loud noise damages hearing!)
If it's enjoyable, fine. But I don't see any reason to try to make it enjoyable. That's like persuading a child to eat candy. Most like it, but if one doesn't, . . . that's even better.
I went to movies as a kid, and I always felt sick afterward. I stopped going as a teenager in 1982 and later discovered that both flashing lights and loud sounds are migraine triggers. (I can't go to hockey games, either!) No hockey games, no movies, but life is still good.
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