The Wizard of Oz. A bad parenting decidsion!

When I was growing up, The Wizard of Oz was on once a year during the week before Thanksgiving. It was a family tradition to make Jiffy Pop popcorn and watch it together. It has been a while since I had seen it but I always had fond, but distant, memories of this classic film. I thought it would be fun to share the movie with my 4 & 5 year old. While I remember some things about the film, my memory clearly failed me. What was I thinking!

First, certain parts of this movie are really scary! The Wicked Witch was much meaner that I remember and really scared my kids! Those flying monkeys gave my son nightmares! I forgot how creepy they were, yikes! Not to mention the scary trees that came to life in the forest...

Second, it really was difficult for my kids to stay involved in the story line. It was much too complicated for a 4 & 5 year old to comprehend. While they enjoyed the Scarecrow, Lion & Tin Man, there was no way they were able to make the connection to the things they represented ( Love, Courage and Intelligence).

I definitely made a huge mistake by thinking that my 4 and 5 year old would appreciate this movie. Of course it is a classic film enjoyed and loved by many,  but do yourself and little children a favor and wait to expose them to it!