Parenting – Doing It Wrong?

The other day when I took my kids to see Winnie The Pooh, there was a trailer for Spy Kids: All The Time In The World. My 8 year old, August, really wants to see this film. The preview, however, scared Ciárán to the point where he wanted to go home and not stay for Winnie The Pooh. After some comforting, we stayed for the film and Ciárán had a good time with the main feature, but it underscored what I feel is a problem with kids and society today, an over-exposure to media that is inappropriate.

I’m not a slave to the MPAA ratings, and quite often I think they get things wrong. As the parent it is my job to know what my kids are watching at determine its appropriateness. While August wants to see Captain America, and I know he would enjoy it, the “PG-13” rating gives me pause. Until I watch it and determine there isn’t anything he shouldn’t see, he’s not going to watch it. I have since seen the film, and think he’s still too young for it.

Kids have the rest of their lives to see grown-up movies and television programs. Why do you want to rush it? Commando is a fun film. It’s not appropriate for anybody younger than a teenager. There are plenty of great films that are age appropriate for kids that are enjoyable by adults that can be watched together.

Where do you draw the line? Sex? Violence? How much is too much? Blood? Gore? Are there any limits? How young is too young? The Godfather is a fantastic film, but would you show it to your 5 year old? Why not? Because it is inappropriate.

Every family is different, every child is different. Yes, some are more mature while others are delayed in that respect. This isn’t a “one size fits all” proposition.

A typical line of justification for allowing kids to watch these films is “they like it.” That does not make it alright. Another line of justification is how the parent saw a certain film as a kid and turned out alright. That also does not make it alright, as it is exactly that sort of permissive parenting that sets a bad example, and blurs the line between what is and what is not acceptable for children.

Recently Angelina Jolie was spotted taking her kids to see the latest Harry Potter film. Why? The youngest kids are barely out of diapers, so what about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2, rated “PG-13” is appropriate? Even the older kids at ages 10 and 7 are of questionable age for such a film.

There is a brief period of time where they get to be kids, why would you want to take that away from them? As parents we always complain they are growing up too fast. Let’s not help that along.