I'm probably a bad mother, but I let my younger son see it as young as 3 2 (I checked back through my LJ, and he was 2). He's very keen to be up on whatever his older brother is interested in, so he got exposed to a lot of things aimed at older kids (Harry Potter, Star Wars, Doctor Who) as a preschooler. Neither of the boys seem too scared by any of it, including "Blink" -- they just ran around playing Weeping Angels after that. So I think it just depends on the kid. I don't mind them getting a little scared if it means they get exposed to great stories.
I'm completely with you on the great stories. My kids sat down and watched part of Hamlet with me yesterday, Granted: it was the end and there was fencing. Swordfighting? Cool!
And I think I'm comfortable with the idea of taking my lead from each boy. The oldest boy clearly has a lower threshold for scary. He'll leave the room when something freaks him out--so when Sarah Jane is on, he's out of the room more than he's in. He's so curious, though; he grills his brother, and me, about what's happening in the story. He just can't watch it unfold on the screen. I don't know if it's the visuals or the music or what. But the preschooler watched Sarah Jane with no problem and keeps asking about the Doctor. So, my guess is that we'll start in pretty soon. Thanks for sharing your experience!
I was about eight-ish, I think, when my dad plunked me down and made me watch Key to Time. I think the main concern was my attention span, though. Really, I'd say that it would depend on the episodes.
I think you're right. So much depends on the kids, and on what exactly it is they're seeing.
And also, I think, how much they can make sense of it. I've been thinking about this over the long weekend, and I think the preschooler is less bothered by Sarah Jane Adventures than his older brother, because the older brother can actually start to get his head around what's going on. The more sense it makes, the scarier it becomes.
But they're both quite enamored of all the little clips they've seen of Ten and Donna--and I think that's a very fine start. :)
If you actually think about it, yeah, I can see the scary. And you know, there are two episodes of the SJA with the Doctor in them. Sorta a transition for the kids, maybe?
I think it's evidence that they a) are intelligent and b) have souls. Pretty sure that's how it works.
Yeah, I'm seeing SJA as a transition. I've told the preschooler that once we finish SJA, then we can start in on Doctor Who. He's excited. The older brother is still coming in and out of the room when the program is on. But he asks lots of questions about the plot. And the baby? Well, he just toddles in and out of the room and doesn't seem to care much at all
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And I think I'm comfortable with the idea of taking my lead from each boy. The oldest boy clearly has a lower threshold for scary. He'll leave the room when something freaks him out--so when Sarah Jane is on, he's out of the room more than he's in. He's so curious, though; he grills his brother, and me, about what's happening in the story. He just can't watch it unfold on the screen. I don't know if it's the visuals or the music or what. But the preschooler watched Sarah Jane with no problem and keeps asking about the Doctor. So, my guess is that we'll start in pretty soon. Thanks for sharing your experience!
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And also, I think, how much they can make sense of it. I've been thinking about this over the long weekend, and I think the preschooler is less bothered by Sarah Jane Adventures than his older brother, because the older brother can actually start to get his head around what's going on. The more sense it makes, the scarier it becomes.
But they're both quite enamored of all the little clips they've seen of Ten and Donna--and I think that's a very fine start. :)
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I think it's evidence that they a) are intelligent and b) have souls. Pretty sure that's how it works.
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