Should we let our 9 year old watch "The Passion of the Christ"?

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Our 9 year old daughter keeps asking us when we’ll let her watch “The Passion of the Christ”. My wife thinks we should but I’m not too sure. Did anyone on this board allow their children (9’ish) to watch this movie? If so, what was your experience?

God Bless…

Baruch Hashem Adonai
 
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matthew1624:
Our 9 year old daughter keeps asking us when we’ll let her watch “The Passion of the Christ”. My wife thinks we should but I’m not too sure. Did anyone on this board allow their children (9’ish) to watch this movie? If so, what was your experience?

God Bless…

Baruch Hashem Adonai
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I personally would start them out on the 1960’s version (or 70’s) at that age, but i would definately let a 14 year old or older watch, it. It is good for kids to get some realism, and learn that the world is not always full of sugar and spice, and everything nice.

God Bless and if you do decide to let her watch it, You and your wife should discuss the concepts of the movie, and how you will answer her qeustions, and make sure that BOTH of you are present when she sees it. I cried and and I’m a 30 year old man.

God Bless and may he give you guidence on this decision.
 
I wouldn’t. I loved the movie, but it is gory. I believe it is valuable for an adult to fully have a sense of the agony, but my wife and 14yo son wouldn’t even chance it. I haven’t even considered having my 11yo daughter watch it.

For yourself, if you haven’t already, have your rosary ready. I carry mine with me, and I felt very compelled to pray during the movie.

Just my :twocents:

Pax,

Robert.
 
How much other exposure to “life” does she have?

My nephew is about that age, and he watched it. But he and his mom watch a lot of horror movies. Still, he was quite moved by the experience (in a good way).

Really no one can answer the question but you.
 
I would NOT show it to a group of children preparing for their first Holy Communion, but I most def. would show it to a group preparing for Confirmation. As a teacher who is constantly amazed at the movies my children come to school talking about, may I commend you for your love and care for your daughter, as well as for your common sense? God bless.
 
My 7yo was obsessed with it. We didn’t let him see it in the theaters, but I told him that when the DVD came out, I’d let him see a few scenes. I chose a few, he watched them and that put to rest this constant asking about the movie. I showed him stuff like when he was reflecting back on his childhood with Mary, the Eucharist, and some of the scenes with Pilate and the crowd.

My 10yo had no interest in seeing it because he knew it was very bloody. He did cautiously watch a few scenes when I showed the younger one, but that was it for him too.

You may consider this vs. showing the whole film. In particular, I think scenes of the scourging, the actual crucifixtion and when Judas kills himself are too intense for a little child.

God Bless,
Nicole
 
My daughter was also 7 years old at the time, and I allowed her to watch it. She attends Catholic School, and she was preparing for First Communion. I was moved to allow her to see it to allow her the opportunity to see a truer version of the crucifixion- and have a more real sense of the sacrifice which she was about to partake in.

My family (7 of us) went to see it together so she was wrapped in family. My grandma was a little disturbed that I was allowing her to see it- and I was a little unsure myself. But my daughter and I watch detective shows on Discovery and TLC- so I wasn’t as concerned with the gore- as I was of her not being able to put any of it into CONTEXT.

I didn’t know if she would be able to see the gore, and look past it at the sacrifice.

I didn’t know if she would be able to look past the gore and see the suffering of mother’s and friends and followers as they watched the man they loved die so brutally- for them.

I didn’t know if she would be able to see the violence and saddness and come away with the sense of enduring LOVE for her.

She viewed the movie with us. I talked about it a little with her to guage her impression of it and the things she spoke to me about were things that had nothing to do with the scourging… She spoke to me about themes (albeit from a 2nd grade perspective and knowledge). A few days later, my grandma wanted to make sure she was “ok” and asked her a few questions about the movie. I was really proud that she was able to answer the questions appropriately (for a 2nd grader) and that she had no ‘horrific’ memories that overshadowed the meaning of the movie.

I feel she an the exception- and that many of her peers would be unable to view the movie with the same results. You as a parent know your child better than anyone. Have confidence that if you feel they are too young to view it, then wait.
 
A lot depends, based on past experience with your child, how they internalize these sort of images. We wouldn’t have encouraged our 9 year old to watch it because he tends to be very impressionable (as far as having fears, etc based on things he hears and sees). I think this is the case because he is very imaginative. Turns out he didn’t want to see it, as he doesn’t even like to watch more sanitized versions of the crucifixion, like “Jesus of Nazareth.” So, at this point he hasn’t seen it.

Even my 14 year old was apprehensive about it at first but as he talked about it to us and to his friends who had seen the movie, he finally decided to see it. He was glad he did and said he came away with a renewed appreciation for Christ’s sacrifice.

Bottom line, I guess: it depends on what you know about your child and how they react to or internalize violent scenes. The fact that the movie is a beautiful and profound portrayal of the last hours of Our Lord may be completely overshadowed by it’s disturbing elements. It doesn’t hurt to wait until just the right time.
 
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matthew1624:
Our 9 year old daughter keeps asking us when we’ll let her watch “The Passion of the Christ”. My wife thinks we should but I’m not too sure. Did anyone on this board allow their children (9’ish) to watch this movie? If so, what was your experience?
God Bless…
Baruch Hashem Adonai
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NO!!! You should NOT let your daughter watch this movie. SHE is in no way mature enough to handle this movie despite what many parents may say or believe. Childhood is childhood, and the maturity is just NOT there yet.

THIS would only upset your child tremendously! PLEASE, oh PLEASE, do not be ignorant in letting any child under 16 view this movie.
 
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TheGarg:
I cried and and I’m a 30 year old man.

God Bless and may he give you guidence on this decision.
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It had the same impact on me. Thanks.
 
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Timidity:
How much other exposure to “life” does she have?

My nephew is about that age, and he watched it. But he and his mom watch a lot of horror movies. Still, he was quite moved by the experience (in a good way).

Really no one can answer the question but you.
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She’s very sheltered. No movies but PG. Thanks for your (name removed by moderator)ut.
 
Thank you all for your valuable (name removed by moderator)ut. I truly appreciate the advice.
 
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sparkle:
NO!!! You should NOT let your daughter watch this movie. SHE is in no way mature enough to handle this movie despite what many parents may say or believe. Childhood is childhood, and the maturity is just NOT there yet.

THIS would only upset your child tremendously! PLEASE, oh PLEASE, do not be ignorant in letting any child under 16 view this movie.
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Wow- take a breath! Blanket statements like this only serve to alienate and divide.

This can be an excellent teaching tool- for the right children. My child being only one example.

BTW, I told my daughter about this thread, and the worries that some parents have in letting their children view this movie. I asked her if she wished she never saw it- and if it helped her at all.

She said she was glad she saw it and that it “helped her understand what God did to save us from our sins.”

Out of the mouths of babes… 🙂

I also asked her if she thought that all of the kids in her class should have seen it. She didn’t think that many of them could see it for the story, and not get hung up on all the blood.

My sentiments exactly. If your children are fairly sensitive and/or you are very cautious about what they are exposed to, you WILL do more harm than good.

But again, this type of sensationalized dialouge only serves to alienate those who have had great success in using this movie as a teaching tool.

My daughter has a unique understanding about God’s sacrifice that she can reflect upon at every Mass- to remember how deeply God must love her. She doesn’t remember the blood, she remembers his endurance. She doesn’t remember the gore, she remembers the loss.

Could it have backfired- yup. But I prayed for guidance, and was moved to allow her to see it. She and I are both glad I did.
 
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sparkle:
NO!!! You should NOT let your daughter watch this movie. SHE is in no way mature enough to handle this movie despite what many parents may say or believe. Childhood is childhood, and the maturity is just NOT there yet.

THIS would only upset your child tremendously! PLEASE, oh PLEASE, do not be ignorant in letting any child under 16 view this movie.
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Hmmmm. Don’t make broad, general statements like this! :nope: I have 3 children, and 2 have chosen to watch it with us (the 11 and 13 year olds). The nine year old started to watch, but then decided it was too scary and chose to do something else. Our 2 older boys have actually seen the movie twice. It has generated excellent dinner table discussions for our family. 😉 :yup: Some children ARE ready to view this, while others may not be. Only the parent knows if the kids should see this, or not. 👍
 
My kids are 11yrs. old and they watched the DVD with us. They don’t watch horror movies either, so they are not used to blood and violence. They did fine and have asked to watch it again. It was moving for them, they only talk about what Jesus did for us, not about “all the blood”. They have a deeper understanding of that blood now! One thing that might help is to have them look at a book about the movie beforehand. There is a nice, big, coffee table-like book that is at the local bookstore that they would look at every time we went in. It has actual scenes of the movie, lots of them. So they knew that it would not be a “pretty” movie.
IMHO, if children have grown up knowing about Jesus, all the aspects of his life on earth, then they would be ready to see this movie. Children can accept things alot easier than adults can sometimes! I would be curious to know if there are any people out there that have let their kids see the movie and they had a horrbile experience? Out of everyone that I know that has let their children see the movie, not one mom has said it affected their children in a negative way.
Dawn
 
The Passion of the Christ cannot be know for what it is unless it is contrasted with Mulholland Drive .I heard that Mel Gibson, when asked about this movie, responded, “I hate movies I can’t understand.”

We have to be on guard against an impatience that says: I hate a God I can’t understand (i.e. make into a movie).
 
I took my oldest (then 10-1/2) when it was in the theater. Neither of us regret it–however, he’s the one who’s been talking about a possible vocation to the priesthood (he’s 11 now, but we can only pray he’ll still feel the same way when he’s old enough to actually start down that path).

I don’t think a blanket statement can be made, nor can I give advice regarding a particular child I don’t know. I do think the DVD would be easier to “take” for a child, because the possibility of just watching parts/skipping the most intense scenes does exist in a way that isn’t quite so feasible in the theater.
 
My daugter also sees nothing but G or PG movies, and we don’t watch TV at home. There is no way I would allow her to see the movie. This is a movie aimed at a mature audience. Even Mel Gibson who made the movie seriously cautioned against letting any child under 13 watch it.
 
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