[ireallymissbuffy]

I think Buffy is one of the best role models for young girls, but my husband has a problem with me letting my three-year-old daughter watch Buffy, because of the major ass-kickings she gives out on a daily basis. Does anyone think that watching Buffy will have a detrimental effect on young kids, even though I always watch it with her, and I explain that Buffy is a superhero and she only fights actual monsters, and that monsters aren't real. Please, people give me your opinion on this!!!

[Scythe]

Well when I was 9 and I first saw Buffy it pretty much terrified me, I had to get my Dad to check my closet because I believed that there were Vampires hiding in there, but I still enjoyed watching it... I do think that it depends on each child.

I think that probably the best thing to do is go along with how the dvd's are rated. I believe that most of them are rated 12 or 15 but I'm a strong believer of people sticking to the age ratings.

[Parallax]

Originally Posted by Scythe (View Post) I think that probably the best thing to do is go along with how the dvd's are rated. I believe that most of them are rated 12 or 15 but I'm a strong believer of people sticking to the age ratings.

I agree with Jen. I have a niece who is one hear now and i will introduce her to Buffy when she is older (She will like it or else....)
The DVDs are rated 12 so i will wait 11 years before showing it to her. By then she will know what is fiction and what is not.

[Fortyseven]

Well I started when I was 10 I think... I was scared of horror movies but didn't find Buffy particularly scary at the time...

I think 11-12 is ok for earlier seasons, maybe 15 for s6. Although there's nothing too extreme in the series. Kids in early teens pretty much like horror movies and get all the sex references.

[Ragnarok]

Originally Posted by ireallymissbuffy (View Post) I think Buffy is one of the best role models for young girls, but my husband has a problem with me letting my three-year-old daughter watch Buffy, because of the major ass-kickings she gives out on a daily basis. Does anyone think that watching Buffy will have a detrimental effect on young kids, even though I always watch it with her, and I explain that Buffy is a superhero and she only fights actual monsters, and that monsters aren't real. Please, people give me your opinion on this!!!

I've never been impressed by age ratings - I think too many people use them as an excuse to avoid figuring out what's right for their kids themselves. Every child is different and parents have an obligation to know their children and decide what each child can handle on an individual basis.

Having said that, though, I'd have to wonder how much of Buffy a three year old would really understand. So I can understand your husband's concern; the violence in the show isn't all that scary when you have the context, but might be an issue without it. I guess you'd have to see how she's handling what she's seen thus far and go with that.

[stoptheqtip]

Well I started watching in 2001... and I'm 14 now, so I would have been eight or nine when I started. I didn't understand a lot of stuff first time around. I didn't really properly understand it until the show finished when I was about eleven or twelve. So I'd say you'd have to be at least 12. Maybe S6 is a bit higher, because it has some really dark themes. Admittedly, some of the episodes I would be reluctant to show to my kids (when I have them) at any age.

[stephie04]

I was around 7 or 8 when I started to watch, and I turned out fine...I watched it with my mom and my sister but as I got older, they both stopped watching it, I was the only one obsessed with it, lol.

I think 3 might be a little young (especially for episodes like Teacher's Pet), I even think 7/8 was a little young to watch it (I have an 8 year old cousin and I can't even imagine her watching Buffy, I still can't believe I watched it when I was that age)

[Captivating]

Yeah, I was definitely 7 when Buffy began and I never suffered from watching it. In fact, I loved it! Still do. I do agree it's a personal choice for each child and their parents though. That being said, I see yours and your husband's point. I may side with him a bit more though only because I don't think a three year old can fully understand and separate fantasy from reality no matter how much you try to explain the concept to her.

[WildAtHeart]

i see no problems with the first 3 seasons. 4, i can think of a few episodes where the child should be older, i feel the same way about season 5.

seasons 6 and 7 i think a kid should be older, @ least 13

[spent cigarette]

I disagree about letting a three-year-old watch it. At that age, they're not going to be able to appreciate the valuable life lessons this show presents audiences; they'll just see ghastfly faces/people screaming and dying. I don't think it's appropriate for someone that age.

However, I think each child is different. As long they are mature enough to separate fiction from reality and aren't going to be scared of the images in the show, I see no reason why they shouldn't watch the show. I know my best friend in fourth grade was a huge fan of BTVS. She was also a lot more emotionally mature than I was. We'd have sleepovers and she'd try to get me to watch it, but I was too petrified to completely understand what the show was really trying to convey. I was ten then. Obviously there are ten year olds who are able to appreciate the show (case in point, my best friend) but there are many more who can't. It all depends on each individual child, I believe.

[laurendbs]

i think along 13 and up

but the last leason i would have to say 15 + due to all the graphic sex scenes

[Tru Davies]

Well im 15 now almost 16 so i think i mustve been like 9 when i first started waching it , personally i do think that kids should be older when they start watching it, not only because of the violence but also because of the sexual implications and dark themes e.c.t ... and some children scare easily, i was one of them lol and certain episodes were scarey to me back then

[wilywiccan]

I agree that it depends on the level of maturity the child has. I started watching the series when I was 10. Of course, I started reading adult books and listening to classial music when I was in elementary too. I never went by the "its R rated so I can't watch it" rule. I did not scare easily. The only movie that ever gave me nightmares was that one about the spider colony (I have arachnophobia). I understood that Joss Whedon's cult classic was just a brilliant television series that had a lot to offer. I loved analyzing BTVS even back then. I am 20 now. I was always able to comprehend everything on the show and even learned a few things from it that I wouldn't hear in school until years later (not sex, I knew about the birds & bees way before Buffy premiered). I learned words like "idiosyncrasies" and "tacitern". I first read Of human Bondage because it was referenced on the show. Three is too young but you don't have to wait until 12. If you are concerned that they might grow up too fast, don't worry. I still loved Disney movies, Scooby Doo, and collecting stickers while being intellectually stimulated by philosophical debates about alternate realities and metaphysics. Every kid is different.

[Jaime Bee]

I started watching when I was about 11. I think it depends on the child whether or not they should watch at a older age.

[eternalfate]

Originally Posted by wilywiccan (View Post) I agree that it depends on the level of maturity the child has. I started watching the series when I was 10.

1000% agree, it depends on your mature level.
I started watching Buffy when I was 9....