Reply #30: I totally relate -- my MIL wanted to take my son to Finding Nemo

[KaliTracy]

when he was 3 (he's 5 now) -- I pretty much, as politely as possible, stated that his first movie was going to be with us. As it is, he has the DVD now, and has only watched it once, when DH and I watched it with my mom who hadn't seen it. The Shark scared him a bit (though one of his favorite things now is Scooby Doo (anything scooby doo, and there are a lot of dark images).

I also have screened for the "commercial" factor (we don't buy merchandise (though MIL does....*sigh*) -- and I wanted him to have nothing to Do with Disney movies until he was about the age he is now -- yet MIL got Dumbo (crazed elephant scene), and others when he was little -- although I told her again and again no Lion King -- (I have since allowed him to see it, I just didn't feel it was appropriate for him at 3 because he's pretty sensitive).

In-Laws also wanted to take him this winter to see Polar Express -- Trains are his most favorite thing in the world, and his grandfather is the reason for this -- but I planned on taking him for his birthday as a surprise. Which I did. He absolutely freaked out when the train lost control. (This was his 5th birthday) -- he wanted to go (we had invited two friends as a surprise) -- I kept whispering in his ear this is a G movie, no one is going to get hurt hoping that it was true.

Big screen movies can be very overwhelming. Though Pooh is definitely a G (I wouldn't have called Polor Express a G, though that's what they called it.) I think it was a good thing you decided not to let him go with the class and to have his first experience with you.