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Should kids ever be allowed in rated R movies?
- November 25, 2009 17:50:36
- Read all 96 comments
- +2 raves
Today on TheFrisky.com, writer Jessica Wakeman talks about her appall over going to see the movie Precious in a theater in New Jersey and finding herself seated next to a toddler and his mom.
The tot wasn't the only kid in the theater, she says. Pre-school aged children and even babies could be heard throughout the seats. Wakeman's main problem is with the fact the these parents thought it was OK to bring their children to a film whose subject matter is supposedly pretty rough--Precious deals with incest and physical and verbal abuse:
Really, people? You (couples, single parents, whoever these people were) just had to see this movie so badly that you brought someone in diapers along with you? Even if references to incest would go over little kids’ heads, there’s so much physical violence and verbal abuse in “Precious.” Do some parents really think their small children just don’t notice it, or aren’t going to be affected by it? When Amelia saw “Precious,” she said there were a handful of elementary schoolers in the theater—7-to-10-year olds! They actually are old enough to grasp what’s going on in the film, but definitely not mature enough to process it. How do you explain incest and rape to a 3rd grader?
Wakeman goes on to suggest that movie theaters ban children from moves rated R (some apparently already do, but don't enforce it, according to someone who commented on the article). If that can't be done, parents should have enough sense to leave their kids with a sitter or wait till the movie comes out on DVD.
Have you ever taken your child to a rated R movie? Do you think there should be restrictions against it?
The tot wasn't the only kid in the theater, she says. Pre-school aged children and even babies could be heard throughout the seats. Wakeman's main problem is with the fact the these parents thought it was OK to bring their children to a film whose subject matter is supposedly pretty rough--Precious deals with incest and physical and verbal abuse:
Really, people? You (couples, single parents, whoever these people were) just had to see this movie so badly that you brought someone in diapers along with you? Even if references to incest would go over little kids’ heads, there’s so much physical violence and verbal abuse in “Precious.” Do some parents really think their small children just don’t notice it, or aren’t going to be affected by it? When Amelia saw “Precious,” she said there were a handful of elementary schoolers in the theater—7-to-10-year olds! They actually are old enough to grasp what’s going on in the film, but definitely not mature enough to process it. How do you explain incest and rape to a 3rd grader?
Wakeman goes on to suggest that movie theaters ban children from moves rated R (some apparently already do, but don't enforce it, according to someone who commented on the article). If that can't be done, parents should have enough sense to leave their kids with a sitter or wait till the movie comes out on DVD.
Have you ever taken your child to a rated R movie? Do you think there should be restrictions against it?
Read more: http://www.thefrisky.com/post/246-frisky-rant-plea...
Top Comment
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No. What's the point of the movie rating system if it won't be followed? =)View thread
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No, I have not taken my kids to see an R rated movie, unless I had seen it first. They know about movie makeup and special effects and so blood and guts are not so shocking to them. But we tend to stay away from those movies anyway.
Should you be able to take a minor to see a movie at a public movie theatre that is rated above their age range? I say no, that would be a simple rule that people should not be able to argue legally.
Other than that, it is up to the parents or guardians of a child to make the decision as to what their child should be exposed to and at what age. I do not always agree with the decisions that parents make in this regard, but it is still their right.
I personally would not allow my children to view anything stronger than "G" upto the age of 14, and "PG" untill they were old enough,and mature enough, to make their own choice.