8 year old totally resistant to watching movies

[Anonymous]

I have what I think is a typical 8 year old girl, except for one thing: she hates watching movies. She would rather do nothing or go to bed early than curl up and watch a Christmas movie, and I can count on two hands the movies she’s been willing to watch over the course of her entire life.

We can get her to watch the Sound of Music, Mary Poppins, and White Christmas 2-3 times per year each. She’s seen a handful of Disney movies. And that’s it. Even when she hears about great movies from her friends, she has zero FOMO and zero desire to watch new movies.

She loves TV shows, especially ones that are a bit young for her age, and she reads a lot with extremely strong comprehension and at a level a few years higher than her grade.

Should I be worried about an issue that’s keeping her from understanding movies? She was tested because we worried she had a learning disability, but she is in 97-99th percentiles in every area except processing speed, which is low in comparison.

Would processing speed affect her ability to follow and enjoy movies?

[Anonymous]

My child with low processing speed enjoys and understands movies like anyone else. Could your daughter be on the autism spectrum?

[Anonymous]

I’m a Magna cum Laude graduate everywhere, and I can’t stand sitting through movies. No patience. Such a waste of time.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Magna cum Laude graduate everywhere, and I can’t stand sitting through movies. No patience. Such a waste of time.

What does “Magna cum Laude graduate everywhere” mean?

[Anonymous]

Does she have difficulty recognizing new faces?

[Anonymous]

My 8 yo DD also does not like movies and prefers shows, including younger shows (ie, Gabby Cats, Doc McStuffins; she also likes Imbestigators, Brain Child, and the Who Was Show). Mary Poppins, Sound of Music, the Aristocats, Frozen I/II, and the two Grinch movies (classic, and Illumination) are the only movies she’ll watch. She intensely dislikes conflict, people making bad decisions, and getting into trouble/being in peril; this cuts out a lot of entertainment. She reads a lot and at a 5th/6th level (but it’s hard to find the right material). She enjoys singing, so we’ll likely go the old musical route soon. (We will re-try White Christmas soon!)

No good answers, just sharing you’re not alone! We’re not pushing her, because there’s no reason to do so. She is ok with it, and has a strategy for when she needs to watch something she wouldn’t choose.

[Anonymous]

We don’t watch many movies over the years at all. Just no time, too, really. Different strokes, for different folks.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Does she have difficulty recognizing new faces?

What would this mean? I’m probably technically blind but this is a difficulty for me as well as learning names. Can’t do it

[Anonymous]

Stop pushing it! She doesn’t have to like everything you like! It doesn’t mean there’s anything wrong with her.

[Anonymous]

My kids don't like older movies because they are so slow. Not enough dopamine.

[Anonymous]

Same with my 7yo boy. He hates conflict and gets very anxious because of that.
We were able to watch “the Santa clause” a few days ago. He was able to enjoy it, but we forward a few scenes…

[Anonymous]

My kid with ADHD hates sitting through movies and has low processing speed. Something to keep an eye on. It’s easier to compensate when young with a high IQ, and girls tend to hide it better.

[Anonymous]

Adult with ADHD here. I watch movies at home with my iPad. Normally I am playing a game or reading a book on the iPad while th emovie is on. Same with TV. I’ll go to a few movies at the theatre each year but they are ones that I am really interested in because sitting for that long and paying attention is not my cup of tea.

Not everyone likes movies. They are long and most of them have have fluff that could have been cut. Let her do her thing and don’t worry about it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a Magna cum Laude graduate everywhere, and I can’t stand sitting through movies. No patience. Such a waste of time.

What does “Magna cum Laude graduate everywhere” mean?

It means she did very well in school. Latin honors are usually bestowed upon top graduates.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kids don't like older movies because they are so slow. Not enough dopamine.

Kindergarten teacher here. I’ve seen a big decline in my students’ interest in watching movies over the years. The attention span isn’t there anymore. They used to love watching The Snowman because there is no dialogue in it, just music. This year, I had 1 student out of 20 still watching it 15 minutes into the movie. Ditto with the other teachers. Whatever they show might keep the kids’ interest for maybe 15 minutes tops.