Mama's (and Daddies) don't let your babies go to grown up movies. Please!

It's epidemic now that tiny babies (they'll sleep through the whole thing - NOT!) and small kids are being brought into very violent films.

Does anyone remember being taken to a film when they were little that wasn't appropriate? I do. I'm not sure how old I was. It had a snake in it. One of the actors had to suck out the poison (which is no longer recommended, btw), I was quite terrified.

Being so small, I had no understanding of or words for my emotions. I had nightmares for years about that movie and snakes. I wasn't sure why. One day I talked with my Mom about it. She confessed that she and Dad has snuck out to a movie when I was a baby. It was against thier religion to even go to "public" amusements.

So, when I see these babies and small kids or hear them screaming and crying it really upsets me.

Then I also often hear, "Shut up!" and a hitting noise. Poor kids.

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Bleacheddecay

HUH? I'm lost in this thread. Sorry.

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Arnie Cunningham - All of this because some drunk ran over that sh*tter Welch?


Arnie Cunningham- Right up the little tramps @ss!

... Yeah!

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The Freedom Roads

I typo-ed up the title. Darn it. It was supposed to be a country song kind of rip off. Don't let your babies go to the grown up movies.

Anyway, if you were dragged and terrified at the movies, or have witnessed such, or have any thoughts on the way parents are doing this to kids so much these days, chime in. That is all.

I don't remember seeing any scary movies at the theaters as a kid.
I was notoriously afraid of being scared...

I remember watching a movie with my mother, where a hand was coming out of a book. I couldn't watch the movie anymore from that point. I think it kinda stuck with me. To this day I would never buy a horror movie and watch it by myself, but when I finally do watch one I it never scares me as much as I feared. I had no problem watching Hostel or The Grudge (horrible movie), but I was uncomfortable with the idea of watching them. Childhood issues I guess.

All my scary movies or most were watched home. The Classic 1980's early 90's ones.

I am always completely stunned every time I see a small child in an inappropriate movie. It's a common occurrence though. I really don't get it.

One time I was at a Blockbuster and a woman was asking a very young child (maybe four or five) if he wanted to see a scary movie. Want to know what the movie was? Rob Zombie's Halloween. I kid you not.

I can't watch scary movies alone. I most prefer to watch them with a group that will joke about the movie!

The Ring really freaked me out! The whole, childhood issue resolved but it doesn't matter she's going to go on killing thing, just really did me in.

Oh man, poor kid.

I've been to a few movies where there were children present. One guy had his kid in a carseat, I don't remember if the baby woke up, but I did notice the baby being brought in. Another instance was watching Knocked Up at a special screening and I remember seeing quite a few kids in there.

My wife and I went and saw Marley and Me at the theatre and there were two kids who were running all over the theatre, parents doing little to control them. I know, totally off topic, but it's things like that that ruin a movie for me.

Back when I worked at a video store, I can recall numerous times where parents were renting scary movies for their kids. It's rated R for a reason people.

For some reason, some parents are oblivious to the rating restrictions on movies and games for that matter. What's more disturbing is that the theatres are letting these people in.

Back in 2006, I was in Virginia for a school, during one of my off days, I went to catch a movie at the nearby theatre and was standing behind a woman and her two children. The movie they were trying to get into was PG-13, I believe, but the attendant wouldn't let the woman in to see that with her two kids being under the age requirement. That's the one and only time I've ever seen that actually enforced.

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"I was walking down the street with my friend and he said, "I hear music", as if there is any other way you can take it in. You're not special, that's how I receive it too. I tried to taste it but it did not work." - Mitch Hedberg

I have to wonder what effect this will have on our society. People these days seem totally cool with their kids being exposed to violence but sex is not okay for most. Makes me want to slap some people around.

Also, not minding the kids, making them a societal problem, is totally not cool in my book.

Oh nothing, just kids on medication, doing drugs, having sex, boozing it up, killing, robbing, you name it.

Pretty much all that's happening right now. I don't want my kid to be sheltered, but I won't take him to movies that he shouldn't be watching.

I dunno. I think kids should be sheltered for a while.

Then as they are cognitively ready and at about the same time, going to be exposed to things anyway, it's good to ease them into things.

Along the way the parents should watch with them and explain what they do and don't like and why.

They should also open up the conversation for non judgmental dialog with the kids.

Ok, I see where you're going here. I agree with you. I wouldn't want my kid finding out about things before I had a chance to talk to him about them.

First off, anybody can go see a PG-13 movie. Little kids can go see a PG-13 movie without an adult. And of course, whether it's ridiculous, bad parenting and completely selfish and oblivious to other people's concerns and enjoyment, any adult can take a kid into any R-rated movie. There are no "restrictions" for either of those cases. The ratings allow both examples, and it's built right into the wording of the ratings. The ticket sellers are supposed to card teenagers if they look under 17 and are trying to get into an R-rated movie unescorted.

As far as video stores go, I've seen more "adults" pick more horrible movies for themselves and their kids, so I have just about ignored that because what can I do about it? If I recommend them a film, they'll just think it's old, boring, uncool, etc. However, the MPAA rating system is set up only for theatres and not for video stores. For example, my daughter can rent movies at my video store (she never has without her mother or me with her), but she's always been allowed to rent movies with no restrictions. If some stores won't carry NC-17 films, that's the store's policy and has nothing to do with any kind of legal enforcement from the MPAA.

The same thing goes with most public school districts. Most have a policy concerning showing movies based on the MPAA rating. Now, these rules are established by and enforced by the individual districts, but the MPAA has no power over them at all. It's usually just a way to cover the districts' behinds to keep from getting too many parental complaints. Normally, an elementary school requires only G-rated movies and a high school limits it to PG-13 movies without parental permission. Of course, I have G-rated movies called Microcosmos (snail and ladybug humping) and My Father's Glory (eight-year-old boys running around naked to and from a shower) which do get reactions from the kids and might make some parents balk, but it's certainly natural and not "promoting" any harmful behavior.

Sorry if this is rambling, but yeah, "Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys".

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It's what you learn after you know it all that counts. - John Wooden
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There was this movie I wanted to buy. but needed my dad to do so. I needed an Id! HOW LAME!! The alarms went off and everything! I don't remember the name of the movie. I think it was Battle of Britain.

Ha! My younger brother and I saw Battle of Britain at the walk-in theatre by ourselves in 1970. It was rated G!

see now to me that film was a perfect example of a film being badly marketed so as to convince parents that it was a 'family film' . It's rating in the US was a PG and in the UK too, which I can't really argue about but come on, it wasn't a 'family film' in the same way as family films were back when I was a kid. It wasn't a film about a naughty dog. It wasn't even as much about the dog as the book was, it was about a marital relationship. No wonder kids taken to see the film got bored. I lay the blame for that on the films publicity people. Pure cynicism on their part.

I agree that parents should actively watch over what their kids are going to see.

I personally have been taken to "inappropriated" movies all the time when i was but a wee little lad. I was able to handle it though... for the most part, I could watch any movie at all with out any bumps in my mental development or what have you. However, oddly enough I used to simply be terrified of Mars Attacks (1996) it gave me nightmares and everything so I guess I wasn't able to handle everything

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One day you will ask me, what's more important...me or your life. I will answer my life and you will walk away not knowing that you are my life

I agree with you to a certain point bleached. If you're watching a film that's not age appropriate for the child you're with because you're supposed to be looking after that child or you want to see the film and can't find a babysitter or something like that, then I think you're right. It's selfish. You're an adult not a four year old, grow up, learn some delayed gratification and act responsibly.

If, however, the child wants to see the film and you're there to make sure that they understand what they're seeing and make sure they're ok, then I think that's responsible parenting. Of course this assumes that, as the parent, you've made the decision that, despite the rating, your child can handle to content that has given the film its rating.

Should the child start acting up or something, it's also your responsibility to make sure that you take the child out of the cinema, thereby not ruining the film for other people.

None of this can happen over here though (not legally anyway) as the rating are law and films that are of a violent/sexual nature will usually receive a 15 or 18 rating, which means that no one under those ages can be admitted to see the film, regardless of whether they're accompanied by an adult or person of age or not. This rating system also applies to dvd rentals/retail and it's illegal for them to be rented/sold to anyone under the age of the set rating. In some cases, as it's for 'home use' some films, which were given a 12 or 15 rating on its cinema release, will be bumped up to a higher rating.