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

[Mickeypooh99]

I am a daycare provider and I had a 10 year old ask my 8 and 9 year old boys if they knew why it would be better to hire a stripper than a hooker. I stopped the conversation, and told his mom about it. She said he got it from a movie.

I asked my boys if they knew what the terms meant and they started talking about stripping the finish off wood.

Oh- and my boys do not watch that stuff.

 

[Bluestars]

I think The Hangover is very inappropriate for young children. I always read the reviews and why the movie got the rating before I take my kids to see it. There have been a couple of times when I have skipped doing that, and we all had to walk out.

I have never taken my kids to see any of the slasher movies. I just don't see the point.

 

[ICF]

no way or how a 10 (or even an 11 /12 ) year old of mine is watching an R rated movie....

I dont care if its due to ****s, the f-word, or blowing someones brains out.....it's not needed for a kid of that age to see any of the above at that point in their life in a movie.....regardless of what is going on in the 'real world'

 

[Mouse House Mama]

Kids repeating and using bad language etc. is a result of parents not teaching their kids that it is wrong. I don't think you can blame a movie for it. I do not go by the ratings system. I decide if the movie is okay for my kids based on the actual movie. I also don't think all violence is terrible. Batman, Spiderman, IronMan, POTC, are a few examples. Good over evil and all that stuff. I personally don't like gory movies so we don't watch them. My kids also know what bad words are and they don't go around saying them no matter where they hear them and believe me, the school bus can be just as bad as an R movie.

 

[paintnolish]

Dh used to watch inappropriate movies all the time when he was little- Beverly Hills Cop, Friday the 13th, etc...we joke, though, becasue he does not curse. I don't mean rarely. I mean never, ever. That being said, no way would I allow them to see The Hangover, as with most R movies. Like Babafan said, though, if I thought it MIGHT be okay, I would watch it first. If it is because of the "f" word or something, if MIGHT be okay. MIGHT...
A lot of kids, around the ages of my dcs, watch Family Guy. Dh and I love it eventhough it is often wrong on so many levels. Sooo not for kids, though.

 

[christineann]

As a former teacher, I can vouch for the fact that there is a very good reason why 9 year olds should not see R rated movies.

Yes, kids who misbehave, use inappropriate language, etc. are often the result of parents not teaching their kids what is wrong. Letting a young child see an adult movie is - more often than not - exposing a child to a situation that he is not mature enough to understand. Let a child be a child. By the time my kids were in second grade, I was explaining stuff they had heard on the playground that I wasn't even aware of until I was in high school, and I was not a sheltered child. Upon further investigation, we discovered that one child who was particularly "worldly" was being shown hard core porn and violent movies by a babysitter. That child is now in his twenties, and he is one confused individual. He was scary as a kid......he really loved the violent stuff. Another child tried to act out a sex scene from a movie on a young classmate. He saw it in an R rated movie that his parents let him watch. Is it worth it to expose young kids to "the real world"?

 

[beattyfamily]

No way would I let my child under 13 watch rated R. Age 13, only with me there and only certain movies. Depends on why it's rated R. So far I let her watch The Orphan and part of The Hangover (near the end and only cause it was almost over and she wanted me to help her straighten her hair) and I regreted both. She thought the Chinese guy in "The Hangover" was so funny she quoted him on her Facebook (no swears but still)! I quickly had her delete it. Won't be allowing a Rated R again any time soon but I don't rule it out.

I am also still present with my 13 year old for PG-13 movies as well.

 

[minkydog]

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.


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?

I completely agree with you. I cannot comprehend *why* parents think it's okay to take young kids to see these movies. I"m not talking about 13-15yos(although I think they are also too young) but really young kids. I think the parents are idiots and fools! There is nothing good to be gained from exposing very young children to extreme, graphic violence and sexual situations.

We used to be friends with a lady who had a son my son's age. When I found out that she let them watch R-rated movies at her house(when they were 7!!) I quickly put a stop to that. Her excuse? "Well, he's going to find out about it anyway..." Shortly after that her son was asked to leave my home and never come back after he told my mother to **** off.

 

[locolala]

I honestly think a lot of how kids act is because they aren't taught what's ok and not ok. DH grew up watching movies like Heavy Metal (the original version, chock full of nudity and violence), Alien, Friday the 13th, etc. It was taught that movies are movies, and what happens in them should not occur in daily life. As a result, he is actually fairly normal. Doesn't cuss much, not a violent person, not a drinker or smoker.. all in all a clean cut normal person. He was exposed to drinking and swearing by adults, but that only the adults were allowed to do those things, there was a distinct line between kid's rules and adult's rules when it came to behavior.

Will our kids be allowed to watch scary or profanity filled movies? Eventually, when they're able to tell the difference between fantasy and reality. I don't like horror films, so I don't watch them, but if they want to watch a movie with dad then that's fine. If they're old enough to make the choice they're old enough to deal with nightmares.

 

[Tink888]

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)

I agree with you to a point, at those ages my kids would never have been allowed to see those movies. For me, it really comes down to the content of the movie and what it's about rather than the rating. With my kids nudity and sex is a bigger issue for me than violence or profanity. If there's something they ask to see, I'll research it, see it myself first and then make my decision.

DS12 for example is a pretty mature kid with an avid interest in history, particularly WWII. There have been movies related to that subject which are rated R that I have allowed him to watch. Schindler's List is one that he's asked to see recently and I'll allow it. And after he watches it we'll talk about it.

It's up to each parent to decide what is and isn't appropriate for their kids not only in movies but media in general. IMHO a parent who lets a kid see an R-rated movie isn't necessarily a stupid or bad parent.

We can limit what our kids are exposed to as much as we want but when the kids go off to school it's a whole new ballgame. Different kids are exposed to different things, whether its movies, tv, video games, stuff on Youtube, language, sex, etc and your kids are going to be exposed to all of it second hand through their peers. The best you can do is let your child know your expectations and talk to them.

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.

I'm 40 and some of what I've seen on Family Guy is inappropriate for me!!!

And you're right, it isn't just movies all you need to do is turn on the tv. Ever listen to some of the jokes on Two and a Half Men? You can turn on F/X after 10:00pm and basically watch porn. Way worse than some R rated movies and yet there it is, just a click away on the remote. Viagra commercials at 1:00 in the afternoon.

I've known parents who have flipped out because their child heard a swear word at school yet these same parents have tv sets with cable in their kid's rooms.

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

I was allowed to see just about any movie when I was a kid, and I have learned from experience that that is NOT how I want to raise my daughter. My parents thought I was mature, but I was definitely not ready to be watching movies with violence and sex at such a young age. As far as I'm concerned, my child can watch R rated movies when she's old enough to get in to the theater to see them without an adult. She can watch PG13 when she's 13. I know it's strict, but hey, I'm her mom, not her pal. And I figure if you stick with the rating system, there's bound to be less arguing about which movies are appropriate... I agree that it would be best to watch each movie first, then decide, but who has the time to watch every movie their kid wants to see?

 

[beautybelle]

Oh I gotta tell this one.

Me and my son were checking out at wal mart about a month ago and the cashier got to talking about watching some scary movie (I want to say it was one of the Saw movies but not sure) but anyway she asked my son if he has watched it and I told her that we dont watch scary movies at our house at all. Well as we were leaving she sarcastically said to my son for him to go home and put in his spongebob squarepants movies.

I was completely shocked that she would say that. Geez.

 

[Spoonful of Sugar]

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.

I know a 4-year-old and some 7-year-olds who watch Family Guy It just saddens me.

 

[Calliaz]

Well as we were leaving she sarcastically said to my son for him to go home and put in his spongebob squarepants movies.

I was completely shocked that she would say that. Geez.

She'd be more shocked that my nearly 7-year-old has never seen Spongebob (he knows who he is, just never watched the show). I didn't let him when he was really young because Noggin is much better, but now DS doesn't want to watch.

We insulted my aunt's boyfriend at Thanksgiving by telling him our son couldn't watch the new GI Joe movie when we were at their house. I just didn't understand why he cared?

 

[Acklander]

I don't look at the ratings but at the movie itself. I know my kid, and what he can handle - I don't bring DS10 to scary movies because I know he'd get nightmares from them, but when my older son was that age I had no problem bringing him to them as he enjoyed them and they didn't scare him.

DS10 has seen many of the historical movies i.e. Schindler's List, and we just went thru a week of watching movies about the Civil Rights era (i.e. Mississippi Burning, etc...)

We didn't go see "The Hangover" as no one had an interest in seeing it, but he has seen movies with bad language in it before. He understands that there is a difference between real life and movies and he's not allowed to use bad language. If he did use bad language, it's on HIM as he's responsible on what comes out of his mouth and he knows what's acceptable and what isn't.

 

[dislal]

I won't let my kids watch R rated movies. I even have issues with some of the PG-13 movies My DD15 gets mad because I will tell her I have to watch them first.

I hate when my kids stay with my MIL because they will come home and say oh we watched this movie or that movie and I will say do you really think that is a good movie to be watching and my MIL will say oh there was nothing bad in it. YEAH RIGHT!! My BIL has a DD10 and OMG some of the things she watches makes me sick. They are always talking about some comedians on Comedy Central (something like that) well DH and I turned that show that she was talking about one night and I couldn't believe anyone would let a 10 year old watch that. WOW!

 

[ead79]

I'm not a parent yet, but if I am blessed with children, I plan to have very strict rules about what they watch TV and movie-wise.

I'm of the school of thought that one of my jobs as a parent is to try to protect my child's innocence. Once you've seen or heard something, you can't un-see or un-hear it. I wouldn't want my child's mind filled with negative images or words.

While total protection isn't possible (as a previous poster mentioned kids eventually hear bad words and see bad stuff), I don't think that makes it less worthwhile to try to protect what they watch.

 

[NotUrsula]

I don't give a flying flip what the MPAA rating is -- the ratings process is all about audience focus and revenue, anyway, and easily manipulated. What I care about is plot and content. DS12 has seen plenty of movies that were rated R, but no, he is not permitted to watch raunchy comedies in our house at his age.

I wasn't going to post to this thread, but it turns out that DS mentioned to me last night that 3 of his classmates had separately asked him if he'd seen The Hangover, so we had A Discussion. (He hates it when that happens, LOL. He makes an innocent comment and WHAM, Mom and Dad insist on having A Discussion. )

When it comes to films like The Hangover, DH and I feel that it just isn't good for kids to watch the whole alcohol-stupor issue and process it as funny. We told him that in these cases you need to be mature enough to have experienced the reality of drinking before you will have enough perspective to properly judge funny when it comes to broad parody. I don't think so-drunk-you-can't-remember farces are particularly funny. We've decided that we're going to have him watch Lost Weekend so that he can see just why not.

 

[Motherofboys]

I'm not a parent yet, but if I am blessed with children, I plan to have very strict rules about what they watch TV and movie-wise.

I'm of the school of thought that one of my jobs as a parent is to try to protect my child's innocence. Once you've seen or heard something, you can't un-see or un-hear it. I wouldn't want my child's mind filled with negative images or words.

While total protection isn't possible (as a previous poster mentioned kids eventually hear bad words and see bad stuff), I don't think that makes it less worthwhile to try to protect what they watch.

Wow, you certainly have more common sense than a lot of parents! I totally agree with you - you can't "unsee" those images of women being used as party favors at a bachelor's party or "unhear" "yeah, I had sex with your mom last night".

Whether parents want to admit it or not, watching those things normalizes them in the mind of children. It is NOT normal for women to be used and treated the way that they are in many raunchy sex comedies or in horror movies. Little kids do not understand that getting stoned in a movie is a "fantasy", not reality. For cripes sake, these kids still believe in the tooth fairy for the most part, and here parents expect them to understand that what they see in a movie is "fantasy"??

My son is about to turn 14 and he is not allowed to see R movies. When he goes to friend's houses, I tell the parents up front that he is not allowed to see R movies.

I KNOW I can't protect my kids from everything, but why wouldn't I make an effort to keep negative things out of my kids lives?

And I hope the babysitter that was showing that little kid porn was arrested and prosecuted

 

[Crystal0608]

I do let my kids (8 & 9) watch PG-13 and R rated movies unless they have nudity/sex or lots of alcohol/drugs type of stuff. The cussing and violence part doesn't bother me as much. I usually don't look at the rating, its usually based off previews if I think the kids could watch it. I would not let them watch Hangover, though I thought it was hilarious. The most recent R rated movie they've watched was Final Destination (the newest one) and they loved it. DD likes mostly Disneyish and preteen movies, but my ds also likes scary and action movies, most of which are PG-13 or R. GI Joe, X-men, etc are movies he likes to watch. My son is a huge WWE fan and watches all the shows and they probably have more violence or language than a lot of PG-13 movies.