Star Wars/Power Rangers and young boys question....

[disneymomof2boyz]

I have 2 boys who are 3 and 4 years old. They watch regular cartoon shows on TV, like Dora, Diego, Curious George, etc.. Their 19 year old uncle was over and he started watching Star Wars: The Clone Wars and my boys were glued to the tv. They haven't talked about anything since, and my question are for the moms or dads that have boys. What age did your child start liking action heroes, and how does Star Wars or Power Rangers add up?? Should I just give in and let them be boys and love their action heroes?

I'm kind of iffy on this, my husband doesn't care. I'm just afraid it's too early....

Thanks for everyone's opinions!

 

[Ellester]

My ds is 4 1/2 and likes the action figures. He has seen Power Rangers because my older girls like to watch it on Saturdays. He picked the Blue Ranger as his Halloween costume this year (it was between that and a UPS Man! ). He's seen his cousin's clone wars/star wars toys but not the show or movie. He wasn't really interested in the original Star Wars movies, I think they were a bit much for his attention span. I wouldn't stress about it, it's not like you have to run out and buy them the whole Transformers collection or anything. I think lots of kids (not just boys) like superheros and action figure type characters by 3 or 4. It may have something to do with wanting to be big and do cool stuff. My ds does still love the Wiggles, Blues Clues, etc. so it's not like the "baby" stuff has to totally disappear when the Power Rangers arrive on the scene.

 

[bjeannep]

My 4 year old loves the real Star Wars Movies. We actually watch them together (I'm the big fan!) and talk about right and wrong during it. I don't know anything about power rangers.

 

[K and K's Mommy]

We've never done Power Rangers, but my 3 year old plays with all the Star Wars characters. He's never seen the movies, but he just knows a lot because of big brother.

What he really likes now is all his big brother's Rescue Heroes stuff. I don't think they make them anymore, but I really liked them too! They save people from natural disasters so there aren't bad guys. Plus, they always give tips about being safe at the end of their cartoons.

 

[evilprncess96]

MY DS is 10 and a Star Wars FANATIC! I was not thrilled with this idea at all and did not let him watch anything with star wars for the longest time. Then his dad finally said "Hey lets let him watch it at least once" well it was all down hill from there. He has been hooked on everything star wars for the last 5 years. My biggest concern with it is when the boys all "play" with their "lightsabers" trust me when I say anything and everything becomes a lightsaber. I have had to do more adjusting than anyone with the obsession. No matter how many times I stress that we don't play with swords, or hit each other, the boys sneak a way to do it. I guess I am saying to be careful because at times it can get out of hand.

 

[MADisFam]

My DS(6) has been a "superheroes fan" pretty much since the first time he toddled by the TV while my DH and I were watching Spiderman and he was stopped in his tracks. He loves them all. Star wars, Power Rangers, Spiderman, Batman. You name it he loves them. He spends hours in his room with his action heroes playing. I think its inevitable with boys. My husband and I just agree that we always see the movies when they come out before he does. The down side is that I have friends who say their boys act wild after seeing a fight scene. I haven't had that problem because my son is a pretty laid back kid and my husband and I wouldn't tolerate that if he did.

 

[chrisw127]

My six-year old was crazy about Buzz Lightyear until he started kindergarten and realized that Star Wars was for "big" boys. He hasn't seen the movies, but we've let him watch some clips on youtube that we thought were okay. As for the cartoons, my husband thought they were okay for him to watch and he's pretty strict about violence. If your boys like the computer, there's a star wars kids site. It's starwars.com/kids. They have clips and games, etc.

I'm actually pretty happy that he's into it because there are tons of toys you can buy (last year it was Fireman Sam, which you have to order from Great Britain--got expensive) pretty easily at Target. Also, my husband loves the series and it's fun for him. And now we have regular battles with lightsabers.

 

[NotUrsula]

DS got hooked after riding Star Tours at the age of 28 months. He is now 11. We are now the proud owners of every model ship in both fleets, at least 30 Lego SW models, 8 light sabers, a huge library of SW technical manuals, at least 15 SW video games, and every film in the series, including the animated Clone Wars. Also a full-sized DV helmet.

Money? Oh, you betcha, though now he finances most of it out of his allowance. However, it's pretty much his only obsession, and he never tires of any of it, so it doesn't lie around unused. His Christmas list so far includes nothing but SW items.

We've never had a problem with violence related to the SW films, either with mimicry or scare factor. One of the oddest things about SW is that it is essentially bloodless; the weapons theoretically use heat so they cauterize wounds -- no one bleeds. Somehow DS has always been able to understand that real life doesn't work that way. By the time he saw the duel on Mustafar in Ep.3 (in a theatre when it was released, on his 8th birthday) he had already known for years what happened to Anakin, and known all along that it involved severe burns and loss of limbs. He just accepted it as a known part of the story.

I should note that the only time DS' SW obsession got him into real trouble with us was the year he decided that he wanted to be DV for Halloween. I think he was 7. He had a full costume, including the voice-change helmet. He lost Halloween that year because he decided to play Vader in character when he went to the houses -- he was preemptory and rude to adults answering the doors, and DH hauled him home after the second house.

PS: DS did watch PR for a while, but mostly for the laugh factor. Those shows have the WORST production values I have ever seen, and the acting is horrendously crunchy, too. When the monsters have visible zippers down their backs, even a little kid will laugh.

 

[jellybeans0607]

My boys are 3 and 4. My 4yo loves all the super heroes, and he has seen the movies. Though the movies aren't watched frequently. We don't own any or have any movie channels. So if they happen to be on a channel we have then we do let them watch them.

I've really never seen this as an issue. They mostly watch cartoons and it doesnt seem to take over his play. We've never had the issue of the lightsabers like a previous poster.

The power rangers are strange because we have never seen them on tv, I don't even know when or if they are still on. But my son loves them and is also being a blue power ranger. He must see them at school?

 

[KayLuvsMickey]

Let boys be boys I say! My kids both have loved Star Wars since the womb! My dog's name is Anakin, per my DS 10.

Power Rangers don't really make sense to me, but my youngest son loves them! He has the costumes. We never know on Saturday morning, which power ranger will come wake us up!

 

[mom2princessj]

My son is 3 turns 4 in January and is really into action figures right now. He actually just watched star wars clone wars on tv the other day and has been driving me nuts everyday about when he can watch it again. I'm actually glad he's getting into the action figure stage. He is constantly playing with his kung fu panda guys or his batman figures. He loves transformers, spiderman, batman, star wars...you name it he is into it. I'm having a problem trying to decide what to buy him for christmas since he likes so many of them. It's just like when little girls start getting into barbies and american girl dolls...harmless but expensive.

 

[bumbershoot]

We don't watch Power Rangers. Just never have, it's not due to any philosophical reason. Well that's not totally true. Hubby was living in Taiwan when it was playing over there, and the kids there are trained in true martial arts, and didn't start "playing" martial arts after seeing it. When his family moved back to the States, he watched American kids go NUTS while watching it, thinking that martial arts were all about beating people up. Many of his friends got injured by copying it, without having the training in their background. So hubby I guess does have a philosophical issue with it. He also doesn't believe in martial arts for kids until they are 5 or 6 (though he's had to have some "emergency" training sessions with our 4 year old when he saw something on TV and started copying it...DS gets quickly bored with the full and true training of the disciplines, and stops copying it after one of those sessions, LOL), so I doubt *anything* with martial arts in it will be played until they start really doing tae kwon do lessons in a couple years!



DH started showing DS Star Wars at 3. He was too young then, b/c it caused his behaviour to be atrocious. Tried again at 4 and he's better, though right now the movies are "on vacation" b/c he was watching them too much and getting too crazy. There's rowdy and there's over the top, and he was doing the latter.

He's seen the original trilogy and Phantom Menace. I don't remember the one after Phantom Menace and never saw the last movie of the new trilogy, but hubby says that DS can watch those when he's 10. Too violent, especially the third one, I guess.

As for Clone Wars, hubby recorded the new TV series episode and watched it, and says it's totally fine for DS. So I imagine we'll start watching that one at some point.

 

[all4fun]

My ds(5) is drawn to both Star Wars, and Power Rangers - much to dh's chagrin, since he has always loathed PRs. We bought ds a Darth Vader costume for HW this year. He has been telling us he wanted to be DV for HW since last HW, lol. Here's ds when he was four:

 

[lntsmom]

No Power Rangers!!!! They instigate!!!! Once when my older son was 4 we were visiting family and while I went to shower my uncle put on a tape of the Power Rangers. My son had never seen it before. Within minutes of seeing the first episode, he and his first cousin once removed were wrestling, kicking, etc. His cousin is much older than him (5 years) and was getting the better of him. My son got so frustrated that he bit him...through his shirt...hard enough to draw blood!

My son is now 13, and that one time was the only time in his life that I saw that behavior. To my knowledge, he never saw them again.

I had problems with my younger son suddenly deciding to solve disputes at daycare by whacking kids, and found out that the babysitter was lying to me about what the kids were watching at her house. Her son, a year older than mine, had discovered Power Rangers and was watching them regularly. I finally told her that I knew she was showing them Power Rangers tapes and that, as long as she was, I didn't want my son disciplined about using physical force, nor did I want to hear about it. She planted the seed; she could live with the noxious weeds it sprouted!

Now, as for Star Wars...woo-hoo. We're all Star Wars fans. How long does it last? In some of us, forever, lol! Both my boys (7 and 13) love everything to do with it. The older one can recite entire scenes from movies 4, 5, and 6. They have light sabers, but because of all the rules that govern Jedi, they have never gotten out of control and hurt anyone or anything with them. I don't forsee an end to the Star Wars addiction!

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b357/princessfiona64136/Darthduel.jpg

 

[lntsmom]

DS gets quickly bored with the full and true training of the disciplines, and stops copying it after one of those sessions, LOL), so I doubt *anything* with martial arts in it will be played until they start really doing tae kwon do lessons in a couple years!

I bet he'll love it once he realizes that the tenants of Tae Kwon Do allign with those of the Jedi, .

My 7 year old has taken Tae Kwon Do lessons for a little over a year now. At first it was just for fun...but now he's gotten serious. Tonight he gets to do his first test. He's sure he's going to earn that yellow stripe. I sure hope so, since he's put his whole heart into this!

 

[snickerboo]

At about 4 1/2-5 (once he hit school, influenced bythe other boys probably)he switched from Diego and Thomas and Lightning McQueen to action figures. Now he is right into Transformers, Star Wars, Spiderman, etc. He does not watch Power Rangers or know who they are (we don't get Disney channel and neither do most of his friends). He's not that into the tv and we haven't let him watch the movies but his whole Christmas list is Transformers, Speedracer and Star Wars. I think it's okay as long as you watch with them and make sure it's something you're okay with and make sure their imaginative play doesn't involve violence or gun-play.

 

[ajh88]

My DD knew who Yoda was probably before she knew who Mickey Mouse was - DH is a huge Star Wars fan.

Some of the live action movies might be little intense (or some of the scenes anyway - I still get freaked out a little when Leia chokes Jabba to death) - but the new Clone Wars series (IMHO) is geared a little more towards a younger crowd - we took DD (7) to see the movie at the theater and our 5 year old neighbor boy saw it at the theater too.

As for Power Rangers - I just think they are funny, but my nephew (who just turned 5) is actually terrified of the Jungle Fury shows - the bad guys are too scary looking I guess. I can't comment too much because we don't really watch them much.

DD wanted me to add this smiley:

 

[oldbay]

My son, age 7, loves star wars. I think the whole series is actually really good for kids, it has a lot of moral teachings in it. We have had many discussions about right/wrong and good/evil from watching the movies.

We have never got into the power rangers.

 

[The Marsons]

My son George (4) is Power Rangers obsessed, especially the red ranger.

Sometimes i have to calm him down as he will try and jump from the 8th or 9th stair pretending to be him .

As long as he is not to wild then i don't mind him watching, he is a little boy after all!

 

[princessmom29]

I have a DD, but she is obsessed with super heros. She lves Justice leaguse superman ect. I think it is great that she loves princesses and batman! She watches lots of superhero cartoons and it does not lead to negative behavior, however the few times her grandma has let her watch power rangers (agianst my wishes) it has. She wants to kick and punch and ends up hurting herself or someone else. It is not that I object to the content, just the fact that it leads to kids thinking they can do that stuff too. Mabye it is the fact that they are "realk people" that makes kids emulate them more??