I need a fast answer! HIV movie 2nd grade? - Page 6

[Jessy1019]

Originally Posted by mamawanabe

It was a rich and wonderful childhood for me and I will provide the same for my children unless I see that tempermentally they can't handle seeing the world in all its complicated beauty and injustice at a young age.

I also had a very un-sheltered childhood, and appreciate that so much -- and really, I appreciated it as a child, too. I think it helped to make me the confident person I am today -- because I knew my parents trusted me, valued my opinion, and wanted me to experience the richness of the world.

I am very proud of the way I educate my children and introduce them to topics that other parents (apparently) shy away from, and their lives are absolutely enriched by the way they're being raised.

[GuildJenn]

Originally Posted by oceanbaby

Yes, that's your child. Mine has terrifying nightmares about certain situations. Everything is "reality." The reality is someone could break into our house tonight and kill us all in our sleep, but that's not something I'm going to bring up unnecessarily.

Danger: personal baggage ahead Oceanbaby I'm sort of spinning off your post and this is really general. I quoted you just because of the nightmares; I had those too.

I was a sensitive little kid to those kinds of things. I really wish they had had developmentally-appropriate films about my fears. (Nuclear war was a big one. Leukemia was another.)

Obviously you know your child, but for *me* people acknowledging reality and talking about the fear and how to manage it helped me a lot more than my mother's non-reality based approach. In my completely personal experience, my parents trying to "keep things innocent" functionally became a sign that flashed *THIS IS SO DANGEROUS WE CANNOT EVEN MENTION IT.* And my anxiety went through the roof.

Worse... the message I actually got most loudly was that my "innocence" was super-important to my parents. That's one of many reasons I endured years of abuse at the hands of a relative.

I do actually remember getting the "good touch/bad touch" talk at school (very early 80s version) and being both relieved to hear someone say that what made me feel dirty was "bad" and incredibly, forever, trapped in the knowledge that I could never ever ever talk about this with my parents. Because in their world (as I perceived it) it didn't exist, not in that way. I never had the feeling that my parents wanted to deal with anything negative, because they spent so much energy in blocking it out. So when the negative happened, I never brought it up.

So I just caution that whenever you chose to censor OR deliver a message to our kids, be aware that your extremely good and loving intentions may not match the message that they get.

[Needle in the Hay]

Oceanbaby and a few others who said they handle things as they come up--I absolutely agree. OP, I understand why you weren't sure what to do. It's hard trying to make a decision at the last minute.
I can't really answer the question since school is not part of our lives. If they were showing the movie at the community center, we wouldn't go see it. If there was a kid/family movie DS thought looked good that had a character who was HIV+ we would go see it.

[Hoopin' Mama]

I can't help but wonder if this is being shown for a reason. Perhaps a child in his class is HIV positive. My advice would be to keep that in mind and if he won't watch the film, then go over basic safety with him.

[Ziggysmama]

To the moms saying that they will deal with the HIV/AIDS thing "when it comes up".... hasn't it just come up?

[thebarkingbird]

that's the thing. i don't know that it does come up that much anymore unless you meet someone with HIV. the only shows where it's ever mentioned now are like adult news shows. in the late 80's and early 9Os it was on all the shows young teens watched and in a few places where kids would see it.

for us it came up when little sibling's uncle was diagnosed. DS hasn't asked about it yet. this thread has lead to think i ought to explain to him about contact with other's blood.

[Ziggysmama]

But it doesn't come up just when you meet someone with HIV/AIDS.

This is a worldwide crisis we are talking about here..an epidemic.. .There are millions upon millions of people living with this disease worldwide. Its a day-to-day reality (ie it effects peoples lives) for I would say a majority of people on subsaharan africa and in india...

Just becuase it not as widespread on this continent doesn't mean it should be ignored.

I plan on letting my children know that not all the worlds kids are as lucky to be shielded from such sad things.

[queenjane]

Originally Posted by thebarkingbird

the only shows where it's ever mentioned now are like adult news shows. in the late 80's and early 9Os it was on all the shows young teens watched and in a few places where kids would see it.

Not that little kids would be watching...but General Hospital has a main character (Robin) who developed HIV in, oh, the 90s i guess, when another main character (her boyfriend) had a major plotline where he was dying of AIDS...it was during a time when AIDS was a "hot topic"...but they havent forgotten that Robin is indeed HIV+, and when she returned to the show (now a grown up successful doctor), she fell in love, and is now pregnant...they've discussed in depth all the issues involved in making those decisions, possibly exposing her lover, the testing, etc....i thought it was so neat that years ago all the storylines on TV involving HIV ended in a character tragically dying of AIDS, but now the storylines revolve more about "living with HIV" and how to have a normal life despite having a chronic illness.


Katherine

[thebarkingbird]

that is neat. and i think alot of kids see soaps. it's where i learned about french kissing. my granny kept them on while she cleaned

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by Ziggysmama

To the moms saying that they will deal with the HIV/AIDS thing "when it comes up".... hasn't it just come up?

No it has not come up here. I'm sure it will at some point, in some way--stuff comes up all the time! I feel my DS has plenty of time to take in this stuff a little bit at a time--he doesn't need to know all the ills of the world by age 7. We are also often out in nature where the focus is on the beauty of the world.

[Needle in the Hay]

Originally Posted by queenjane

Not that little kids would be watching...but General Hospital has a main character (Robin) who developed HIV in, oh, the 90s i guess, when another main character (her boyfriend) had a major plotline where he was dying of AIDS...

Katherine

I remember that! I remember Stone dying and Robin getting kidnapped (by Ryan?) and she didn't have her hiv medication. It must have been early 90s when I still lived in the U.S. My roommate used to tape it so we rarely missed it!

[Kapat]

They screened an HIV movie when my sonwas that age, the reason was, there was going to be a new kid in his classroom with HIV+, but there was a meeting with us beforehand...