young kids (under 10) and R movies...

[mykidsand_i]

I don't know if I am 'over protective' or not when it comes to my kids and movies I let them watch and go to. I was really mad today. I work for 10 hours a week at a school in the library. I was standing next to these 3 girls who are 8 and 9 years old and they were talking about watching "the Hangover" and how they thought it was soooooo awesome. These girls are (in my opinion) WAYYYYYYYY too young to watch this movie. It shows by their actions- pretending to be drunk/ "wasted and stoned" as they called it. They kept walking around and bumping into things and falling over...one said she couldn't believe how trashed she got and was hoping she didn't get an std last night (I know, not from the movie, but still?!?!?!)... The funny thing is, that I know two of their parents. These parents seem to be good parents, and one even said "oh, when she watches those things, she knows not to repeat what is said" I almost fell over from laughter...she expects her kid (8 years old) to know better??? REALLY???? DUMB parent.

This isn't the first movie I'm surprized that parents let these young kids watch. Our neighbors bring their 6 year old to anything he wants to see and this little boy can no longer come to our house anymore, because of the horrid language and 'imagination' he has...Last time he was here he told my girls "I'm the big daddy and I'm going to **** you silly and you're going to scream while I do it." I heard him and brought him home immediately!!! When I told his mom what he said, she told him to go to his room. Then, once he was gone- she 'laughed' it off and said "oh, boys will be boys and he wanted to go to that movie"...I told her he was not allowed in our yard anymore, because this was not the first time he chose to have bad language and said bad things while he was over. This kid is in TONS of trouble at school and I'm sure 1/2 of the problems would have been solved by him not going to movies with TONS of swearing and TONS of violence (he told a kid at school he was going to "pop him in the ***" because he saw how to do it in a movie and said he knew how to use a gun now...)

I think that parents who allow their young children to see these types of movies are BAD PARENTS!!! What do they expect that their kids will learn from these movies? Every parent should be SMART ENOUGH to know that if their kid watches these movies, they're going to think it's 'Cool' to act that way and say those bad words (Yeah, some parents say- oh, my kid wouldn't) but Yeah, that's what I've heard before- then I see these kids in school when their parents aren't around...

OK, I'm done with my vent. Stupid parents. Also, maybe some parents will realize that kids this young WILL repeat things they see on TV and in the movies...no matter what the parent thinks, your kids are usually different when they aren't around you (most of them are, not ALL of them)

 

[Jerseylicious]

My daughter is 10 and she has same-age cousins who are allowed to watch rated R movies. Of course the cousins always talk about things COMPLETELY inappropriate for their age, because they see it all in those movies. I think it's disgusting.

 

[handinpocket]

Doesn't bother me if parents let their kids watch R movies. They will be exposed to much worse in the real world and most can separate fantasy from reality. I would rather my child hear colorful language and adult situations than overt violence, but to each their own.

 

[NHdisneylover]

It sounds like the movies your neighbor kids haave watched ARE innappropriate.

I do think about what my kids see, and really watched it carefully when they were younger but I rarely look at the ratign and do not use it as a guide at all. There have been many PG movies I felt were too violent and glorified violence too much and plenty of R movies that I felt were totally fine (generally I realize it is R rated only because the kids have a friend comming over to watch a movie and i want to check so I do not upset another parent. An example was that I was stunned that Stand By Me is R. I would have never guessed. PG 13 maybe.).

Essentially, I think the ratings board is all over the place and I do not trust them to make decisions for me.

 

[KAMLEM]

Doesn't bother me if parents let their kids watch R movies. They will be exposed to much worse in the real world and most can separate fantasy from reality. I would rather my child hear colorful language and adult situations than overt violence, but to each their own.

I don't about you, but my kids will be MUCH older than 8 or 9 when they are "exposed to much worse in the real world".

 

[Calliaz]

I have to agree that a majority of people I see let their kids watch movies that are way too old for them. Today I was volunteering in my son's 1st grade. A little girl asked me, "have you seen X-Men Origins?" I said no. She said. A dad kills his son in that movie.

Wonderful.

I'd rather let my son see things like nudity and hear bad language over violent movies. But in general, he sees nothing over a PG movie. I'll take a PG with language over a violent PG any day.

There are plenty of movies for him to watch, so I don't see what the rush is to let him see really mature movies. They'll still be available 5 years from now when he's more emotionally capable of understanding them.

 

[Calliaz]

ItThere have been many PG movies I felt were too violent and glorified violence too much and plenty of R movies that I felt were totally fine ....

Essentially, I think the ratings board is all voer the place and I do not trust them to make decisions for me.

I agree. That's why I like to read Movie Mom's reviews (just Google Movie Mom). She outlines everything so I can make an informed choice.

 

[mykidsand_i]

Doesn't bother me if parents let their kids watch R movies. They will be exposed to much worse in the real world and most can separate fantasy from reality.

So, if some little boy told your daughters (if you have/had them) that he was going to '**** them until they screamed' because he heard it in a movie, you wouldn't have a problem with that? hmmmm. Or, if your child was at school and someone told them that they were going to 'shoot' him because he learned from a movie how to do it??? that wouldn't make you mad??? I have a child psych. degree and I am well aware that kids of this age are NOT able to separate 'fact/real life events' from what happens in movies or on TV. I know that my kids will get exposed to swearing. They already have. We've talked to them about it. Kids who constantly hear bad language it are going to say it. and parents who bring YOUNG KIDS to R rated movies shouldn't expect anything less than one or two new swear words added to their vocabulary- how is that helping ANYONE?

 

[DisneyBamaFan]

I don't follow the ratings. If my boys want to see a film that is rated R, I see it first and decide. A single curse word can get a film an R rating if it is the right one.

 

[shelbys mommy]

My kids do not. I don't care if Saw is playing on tv, they are not watching it. I don't even let them watch wrestling on tv anymore since they attempted to try out the moves on each other. That got banned real quick. If I don't like it, they don't watch it. Every once in awhile I'll get "oh mom please?" The answer is still no. I do know of some parents that allow their 4 yr old to watch horror movies & there is no way I would. But hey, to each his own.

 

[mykidsand_i]

OK- I guess 'r rated' isn't what I should have said- but instead I should have said 'movies with lots of violence and bad language. This little boy next door had to be put in a 'special class' at school because he can't control his language. The parents were actually TOLD that their son shouldn't see certain kinds of movies anymore because it's causing him some MAJOR problems in school...when a parent is TOLD not to do something because it's harming their kid- I don't see that could ever be 'good parenting' by any means.

 

[pearlieq]

I can't imagine anyone thinking The Hangover is appropriate for grade schoolers, but there were kids there when I went to see it.

Among many, many other things, the movie contains a clear image of a woman performing oral sex. What are people thinking??? Kids that young don't understand it in context, no matter what any lazy or insecure friend-parent wants to tell themself.

While I personally loved the movie, if an 8 year old were being exposed to "much worse in the real world" I would be calling DCFS.

 

[mykidsand_i]

While I personally loved the movie, if an 8 year old were being exposed to "much worse in the real world" I would be calling DCFS.

Yeah, I have to agree with you.

 

[Jenvenza]

OP - I totally agree with you! I can not understand why any parent would let their 8 and 9 year old girls see The Hangover. And I would be MORTIFIED if I knew they were at school acting drunk and stoned!!!!

And about the little boy in your yard who told your daughter that - I would have FLIPPED!!!!!!!!

 

[Jenvenza]

I don't about you, but my kids will be MUCH older than 8 or 9 when they are "exposed to much worse in the real world".

 

[okeydokey]

I so agree. Heck my DD is 11 and she doesn't get to see PG-13 movies yet except on the rare occasion that I have seen it first to approve it and then watch it with her.

 

[HSMndLKfan92]

I'm 17, saw The Hangover for the first time last month, and thought I wasn't ready for it.

Oh my.

 

[MM27]

I teach 4th grade and it's shocking to hear about some of the movies these kids watch.

I can't even believe parents let their young kids watch shows like Family Guy. Totally inappropriate for 9 year olds.

 

[shelbys mommy]

I know kids that age who are watching whatever they want on tv (and I do mean whatever!), using words that would make a sailor blush, calling their parents b**** among other things. And yet, the parents wonder "where did I go wrong" when they are calling the police or getting a call from their child who is in jail.

 

[Hollywoodhaha]

I am 16 and still rarely see R rated movies, haha.
I do love PG-13 movies though. I started watching those at 10 and even those were too much for me

The last R rated movie I saw was Public Enemies.