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

[krcit]

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

 

[worm761]

you would not believe what some people let their kids watch. My son is 13 and is allowed to watch some PG-13 movies but not all. I am of the opinion that PG-13 doesn't always cover adult situations. There are just some thing kids shouldn't see or even understand that young. My sister lets her kids watch anything they want. Included rated R movies. I think she is nuts.

 

[Angelhalo]

It seems like people just don't care anymore. It is sad really. And, it stinks because like you said, they're not your kids, so all you can do is shake your head in disbelief.

 

[sPaRkLeSpAz]

Wow, I can't believe someone would take their kids to see that, when they're that young. That was one of the raunchiest movies I've ever seen. It was hilarious, but most definitely not for kids.

 

[Robmom]

My DH would be one of those people. He doesn't think anything of putting an R rated movie on the tv in front of the kids. I can never understand that. I do remember my mom taking me to see Saturday Night Fever when I was 8 or 9. But that was tame compared to the movies today.

 

[swanmom]

Funny. DD and I were just talking about this movie. In fact, it was more of an argument BECAUSE I REFUSED LET OUR NEARLY 16 YEAR OLD DD SEE IT !!! But 8 and 10 year olds, how sad....just sad.

 

[Geoff_M]

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???

 

[bambii]

and i dont retrict them from any programs or movies my parents raised me the same way.. if you look at the meaning of r rating all that is wanted is an adult to be present..

 

[krcit]

Wow, I can't believe someone would take their kids to see that, when they're that young. That was one of the raunchiest movies I've ever seen. It was hilarious, but most definitely not for kids.

It was very funny and very raunchy. It bothered me all night that these kids saw it! How ridiculous is that?? I just kept thinking of the wrong messages it was sending to their little developing brains

 

[Frye7127]

My husband and I saw this movie over the weekend. Had no idea it was that raunchy, but thought it was hysterical! Lots of nervous laughter in the theater! we decided to watch it again when it comes on DVD because I know there were parts we missed.

Here I was feeling awful to exposing my 8-year-old to the sexual themes, language, etc. in Transformers (most went over his head). I feel much better now

This reminds me of when we went to see Gran Torino at 11:00 on a saturday night and this couple walks in with their probably 6 year old child who asked questions throughout the entire movie. They sat there with their big bucket of popcorn through the entire movie, never mind the fact that we didn't leave the theater until nearly 1 am. I couldn't believe it.

 

[zendisney]

We were at Star Trek on IMAX a couple of weeks ago,we paid 11 dollars a ticket just like everybody else. There was a couple with two young children.
I am not "judgey" but I kept thinking... wow this movie is a little scary & violent for little ones. It amazes me too. I just don't get why people bring little ones to movies like these. We have a three year old so I get the we don't have a babysitter thing... so going to the movies is rare for us but I don't feel like I am missing out. That's why we have cable and Netflix.

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

There are people who question adults for watching these movies. To each their own...

 

[~disneydiva~]

When my dh and I watched Hangover, there was a women in the audience that had her 2 kids with her. One was around 8 or 9 and the other one was about 2.

 

[sbell111]

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.

 

[kelleigh1]

I know someone who once told me that her son's favorite show was Law & Order. He was 6 at the time. I just don't think a 6 year old should be watching Law & Order and I was also shocked that she had him up that late to watch it. (It was on at 10pm here at the time.)

 

[NotUrsula]

Personally, I don't pay attention to the rating system at all. I make my own judgements based on reviews, etc. The MPAA rating system is totally screwy and very subject to manipulation by directors who know how to work the system. So yes, you might see my 12 yo in a theatre watching an R-rated film sometime, with me or with his dad.

That said, I wouldn't want my grade-school aged kids watching that particular film. IME, really crude sexual humor is a particular danger for pre-adolescent boys -- they tend to repeat it without understanding it, and it gets them into trouble when they do it where they should not.

 

[Geoff_M]

We were at Star Trek on IMAX a couple of weeks ago,we paid 11 dollars a ticket just like everybody else. There was a couple with two young children.

Funny, that was the movie I was going to see in my post above. I counted no fewer than three toddlers in the house when we saw it. It looked like they belonged to a couple of extended family of Trekkies that came to see the show. The good news is that the tots were a lot quieter than I feared. However, it was a bit annoying when one of them was basically allowed to roam up and down the theater steps (while grandpa stood against a side wall) and run back and forth on the terrace that separated the upper and lower tiers of seating. However, grandpa had to take her out of the movie a couple of times during some of the battle scenes.

 

[princess momma]

I don't think this is some new phenomenon.

I remember my older cousin taking me to see Porky's II in the theater when I was young. According to IMDb that movie came out in 1983, so I would have been 8 years old at the time. My parents just didn't care. With older siblings I was exposed to a lot.

I'm a little picky about what my kids see. For instance, I don't really like them to watch Spongebob, but I'll let them watch other shows that may be geared toward adults. It defintely depends on the content.

 

[shortbun]

While I support the parental right to take their child to any film, I have to say that I'd judge a parent as wrong for taking their young child to a movie like "The Hangover." I made a mistake once with a film and my son. It was awful and I'm much more careful now. I was wrong, wrong, wrong and I admit it. My kid just doesn't need to see or filter raunchy sex - not even with me there to explain it or give a 'lesson.'

 

[turkeymama]

I don't think this is some new phenomenon.

I remember my older cousin taking me to see Porky's II in the theater when I was young. According to IMDb that movie came out in 1983, so I would have been 8 years old at the time. My parents just didn't care. With older siblings I was exposed to a lot.

I'm a little picky about what my kids see. For instance, I don't really like them to watch Spongebob, but I'll let them watch other shows that may be geared toward adults. It defintely depends on the content.

I'm not questioning your decision at all, but I'm always curious what people don't like about Spongebob. I've watched it myself repeatedly, looking for something questionable or objectionable. Again, not questioning your decision. I've heard several people say they don't like it, but I've never heard them say why.