Why would someone bring an 8 and 10 year old to an R rated movie?

[turkeymama]

How old are your kids? Just wondering how young was too young as we dont do a big sex talk here, just answer questions in an age appropriate manner. I have a boy and girl who are just over 2 yrs apart so questions do get asked a lot since we are potty training the youngest

8 (DD) and 5 (DS). I guess technically, we have begun talks, just not detailed mechanical talks. They know girls and boys have different parts, they know the proper names for what they have, and my daughter knows that her body is getting ready to change a little. Beyond that, I don't think any other information is pertinent to her life right now.

 

[m&m's mom]

I really find it interesting the differentiation between "violent" R rated and "sex" R-rated, especially with different cultures. I know when I was living in England, Kill Bill was out (super violent) and that was rated R both in America & England, but Love Actually (sexuality & nudity) was R in America and PG13 (or the equivalent...it was called something else) in England.

Growing up, we would rent the "questionable" movies so my parents could pre-view and fast forward through anything inappropriate, which was mostly the sex stuff. I think it was easier for them to explain the fake violence

Speaking of Love Actually, I absolutely love that movie and hate that I cannot watch it when my 2 daughters are home since it has the porno movie scene. The movie would be just as good without that.
On a side note, last summer we were on the 2 week DCL cruise through the Panama Canal. In our room they played "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins". We must have watched it 5 times at least! It was so funny.
I saw it on sale at Target last week so I bought it. A few neighborhood girls were over and we all watched it. Oh my!! The DCL version was apparantly all cleaned up. It had bad language and was raunchy. I was so embarrassed!!

 

[ZephyrHawk]

Ever seen Clan of the Cave Bear? I have this vivid memory of watching it with my mom. She loved the book and insisted I watch the movie with her. I remeber asking "Why is that man doing that to her, mommy?" Her response? "Because he hates her." Years later I read the book, and yes, my mom was correct. However, its an interesting way to indroduce your kid to sexual situations in film.

My parents never cared about ratings, and yet I seem to have grown up without any major mental afflictions. That being said, you shouldn't take young kids to a public movie intended for grownups because they're likely to annoy the adults.

 

[krcit]

I should have clarified in my original post that I have no problem with people taking pre-teens and young teens to an R movie if they deem them appropriate. I was talking about this particular movie-The Hangover. There is no way, no how that this is an okay movie for an 8 or 10 year old.

I remember a few years back, my SIL said her ds(14) wanted to see There's Something About Mary and had I seen it and was it ok for a 14 year old. I said I thought it was fine and so they let him watch it and were horrified that I had told them it was ok. I have to rewatch it b/c I still can't think of what was so wrong with that movie for a 14 year old boy, lol

 

[alexandria674]

I am not surprised that there are some parents who allow their children to see this movie. It is bothersome, but then again if a parent allows their kid to see the movie, they should also take the responsibility if the kid starts repeating some of the things they hear in the movie around their friends. I am not saying that this happens a lot, but I have seen some cases where this has occurred.

 

[Alyssa88]

My dad brought me to see the South Park Movie when I was like 10. Watched the show on weeekends with my Dad and I was very excited to see it. I was pretty mature for my age and was able to discuss and question anything I saw. I also knew better than to repeatcertain words I heard. I actually learned a lot from that show. It didn't have any negative effects on me. Someone in the theater did make a ramark about my age, which my Dad ignored.

My parents had completely different guidelines with my sister. They always took her to "age appropriate" movies.

 

[dismom2]

I went to see The Hangover last night.On line in front of me was a guy(assumin the dad) and 2 young boys. They bought tix for The Hangover and the ticket guy made the man sign something saying he was going to go to the movie with them. They sat a couple of rows in front of me. Man, was it a completely inappropiate movie for young kids!! I knew that just from the commercials and the R rating but i was assuming this guy didn't know but he still sat there throughout the entire film. I know-not my kids, not my business, but I was floored that he took them to this movie and then didn't have enough sense to leave when it got raunchy. Unbelievable to me

Totally inappropriate movie for kids that age. I saw it. I guess some parent's don't care.

 

[Evil Genius]

My stepkids mom is like this. Let the kids watch whatever they wanted to. It was quite a shock when they would come to our house and we wouldn't let them watch anything past pg. The kids were like 10 and 6 at the time and they would come in telling us all these R rated movies they were watching at home. No amount of discussion with mom changed it. She just couldn't be bothered taking the time to see what the kids were watching.

 

[Jethro Tull]

I saw some really young kids in the theater when I saw this also. Can't even imagine how a movie like this would make an 8 year old think.

 

[Teacher03]

Years ago a couple brought a little girl around 7 to see Fatal Attraction with Michael Douglas and Glenn Close. I couldn't believe it! When my daughter was around the same age she went to a slumber party-the movie shown was Silence of the Lambs. She called me to pick her up because she knew I wouldn't allow her to watch it. I haven't seen The Hangover, but I have h eard it was pretty raunchy. I wouldn't dream of taking a young child to an R rated movie.

 

[tonilea]

Heck, my half-wit sister let her preschool son see horror films. Poor kid had night terrors and she just couldn't understand why.

 

[rkrivas]

This thread brings to mind how I allowed my 10-year old to watch Psycho over Halloween on AMC. At some point, the MPAA rating came up, and it was originally rated R My daughter was shocked that I let her watch an R-rated movie. I'm sure if it was released today, it wouldn't be rated R.

 

[koima]

Interesting thread. It reminds me of when I was a kid and for some reason my mom dragged me to see Woody Allen's 'Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex * But Were Afraid to Ask'. (I guess she couldn't get a sitter)

A quick glance at IMDB informs me that I was indeed going on eight when I saw that R-rated movie.

So really, she was just getting "the talk" out of the way for you.

I am super protective about media with my kids and DS 3.5yo doesn't get to watch PG movies yet. It's been a big point of contention with DH's mom especially, who keeps trying to sneak him to see movies I deem too old for him. Kids are only kids for such a short time; no need to introduce adult themes, language and violence when they're very young. They'll see it eventually but let them be innocent when they can. You can't unring a bell.

 

[Beca]

Okay, I just have to share a funny story about my dd. Some friends and I took her (she's 7 1/2), and two boy friends (10 & 13) to see "Night at the Museum 2". At the end of the movie when Owen Wilson says, "I don't know about you two, but this cowboy just made second base", I saw her give me a confused look (we were not sitting together). At the end of the credits, she came over to me and asked me to explain that comment. I paused for just a second...it was one of those moments where you wonder exactly what you should do. Finally, I explained that when a man kisses a woman, they call that first base, and when a man touches a woman's breasts they call that second base. She held her hand up and said, "Whoa...I did NOT want to know that!!!" I just burst out laughing. I said, "Well, the next time Daddy or I say something is just for adults, maybe you'll remember this joke!"

 

[DarthKTrava]

What amazed me was a sign I saw posted at a local theater last weekend here. It read "Children 6 years old, or younger, will not be admitted to R-rated films after 6 PM". Since a sign was posted, it obviously had been a problem in the past. What kind of person takes a 5 year-old to an R-rated flick???

Someone who couldn't find a babysitter?

I wouldn't take a small child either. We certainly wasn't allowed to see R rated flicks when we were kids.

Not that I'd waste $ on this crap anyways.

 

[muffyn]

Kids are only kids for such a short time; no need to introduce adult themes, language and violence when they're very young. They'll see it eventually but let them be innocent when they can. You can't unring a bell.

\

 

[MomofKatie]

Heck, my half-wit sister let her preschool son see horror films. Poor kid had night terrors and she just couldn't understand why.

Not quite so young, but DD has a friend (10 years old) who's father took her and a friend to see "Last House on the Left" a few months ago. OMG!!! Talk about inappropriate for young kids! Really, I wouldn't want ANY female to see that movie. The rape/disembowling scene is tough to take for an adult, much less a kid. Just icky, violent, misogynistic, and horrible.

I would have been VERY upset if some other adult had subjected my DD to that awful movie. As I understand it, the girl's parents were livid when they found out.

 

[MAH4546]

I personally have never had a problem allowing my kids to watch R-rated action or horror films. The raunchy comedies can wait until they are 13-14.

Hilarious!
I didn't know that about it originally being targeted at adults. I guess I've never noticed him calling people idiots. I'm not doubting you. A lot gets by me sometimes.

You did not know because its not true. Sponge Bob debuted in 1999 after the Kid's Choice Awards and was never aired on Nick at Nite. It was always a children's cartoon.

 

[Eeyores Butterfly]

It always amazes me the super young kids I see in movies. Sometimes I wish there were theatres in my area for 18 or 21 and older. When I went to see My Sister's Keeper I made the mistake of sitting in the same row as a bunch of teenage girls. The issue wasn't that they were too young, just too immature to handle sitting through a movie. They would not shut up. At one point, a woman in front of them asked them (politely) to be quiet and they cussed her out! The woman on the other side of them stated she had no problem getting a manager. I had to ask them to keep it down at one point and their resoonse? "We weren't being loud!" Um, honey, if everybody around you asks you to be quiet, you are being too loud.

Seriously, why do people waste their money if they all they (or their kids) are going to do is sit there and talk?

ETA: As a parent, you need to be prepared to walk out if the movie is not what you anticipated or your kids are unable to sit still. I remember being in middle school and my mom taking me to High School High. We had seen the previews and thought it looked like a cute, mindless comedy. We walked out within the first 10 minutes because of how sexualized it was.

 

[DarthKTrava]

It always amazes me the super young kids I see in movies. Sometimes I wish there were theatres in my area for 18 or 21 and older.

Usually theaters for more adult people are along the XXX line....

And to make one specifically for that age range wouldn't make money. Not enough of a demographic to run a theater off.