Movie Rating

My kids have a huge age range between them (youngest is 7, oldest is 15) so my youngest has seen a lot of things that I probably wouldn't have let my oldest see when he was the same age, and he's fine. I know that we saw MIB III and Pirates of the Caribbean 4 in theaters as a family when they came out, so he would have been 5 or 6 at the time. He had already seen the others though and we knew that the rating was based on goofy violence and some language, so that was OK with us.

So for us, it depends on the movie.

I really do not restrict the movies my kids watch, or the games they play or books they read. I agree with Diane B Mandy B. It depends on why the movie has received the rating it has, and it also depends on my child. Would the movie even interest them? I don't shield my kids from bad language, I teach them when it is and is not appropriate to use it. I am OK with some types of violence and not others. We love horror movies, so I am not worried about the kids being frightened. We are not uptight about nudity, but would avoid gratuitous sex. I am also prepared to explain ideas and concepts to my boys that they may not understand.

I think the ratings should be used as a guideline and I also think it depends on how the kids are raised. My husbands sister has allowed her 2 boys to see bloody, gory, violent movies since they were toddlers, so nothing really phases them. My son is 10 and is easily scared so I have to be careful of both movies AND TV shows that he sees. I would say better safe than sorry, once you see something, its not something you can delete and forget. I don't see anything wrong with what you did. JMO

Everyone has their own standards for their kids. I didn't care about age ratings. My daughter saw Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom when she was four and loved it. I had taught her that what you see in movies, tv shows, and plays isn't real. It's computer pictures, plastic body parts, plastic weapons, and fake blood.
She read Barbara Kingsolver's "The Bean Trees" when she was ten, and recommended it to one of her friends. Her friend's mother wouldn't let her read it.
I didn't get offended if another parent said, "I don't allow my child to see/read/listen to xyz." I would have been offended if they had said, "I don't allow my child to see/read/listen to xyz, and you should not be allowing yours to either. "

Who cares if you "offended" them. They should NOT be offended, because you parent differently. We all have things we simply say no to. If PG-13 movies aren't good in your book, then so be it.

You're not a fuddy duddy, and too bad if someone takes it wrong if you don't allow your kids into higher age rated movies. Honestly, I would want to see it first - some movies are rated higher than they should be. But better to review them yourself first. Generally, taking kids to movies is expensive, so I wait for cable. And I'm lucky because my kid finds the movies too loud.

I really like commonsensemedia.org, because it breaks the movie down by exactly WHAT is considered adult/offensive.
For example, I have a bigger problem with violence and gore than I do with language or sexual content, especially gratuitous violence against women in movies that are aimed at teens, so that helps me decide if I haven't actually seen the movie myself.
I've seen many PG13 movies that I thought should be R and several that I thought should just be PG, so no, I never go by the rating alone, more the actual content.

I don't care about movie ratings when it comes to what I let my son watch. I know him well enough to know how he will react to movies. Ex I took him to see Abe Lincoln Vampire hunter, he's seen Avengers, and all the marvel movies. Same with what he reads. He loves graphic novels like injustice gods amoung us, it's like a batman thing. As well as the Deadpool comics. We let him pretty much chose what he wants to watch, there's movies he has no desire to see, like rob zombies movies, even though he LOVES his music.

I am not sure if anyone else mentioned this so forgive me if I am repeating someone. I use commonsense.org if I am uncertain about a movie. Very unbiased and informative.
I do not think you are fuddy duddy at all.
I have let me children see a pg-13 movie once or twice (8 and 10) but i really try and stick to pg and g. I love the website though and if all else fails hubby and I watch it first.
You sound like a really good mom
many blessings

These are YOUR children. You have the right to raise them as you see fit. You are not beating them, calling them nasty names, starving them, etc. are you? you have 6 and 8 year old kids. you would like them to retain SOME of their innocence.

Sometimes the ratings are correct....some are not...it all depends upon what YOU consider appropriate for your children. There are some Disney movies that have STRONG sexual innuendos and there are people that find it offensive...

Depends upon the movie. My boys are 11 and 13. They have seen Man of Steel, Iron Man 3, White House Down (we can only hope! Right?! LOL!! don't get panties wadded people!) and Olympus Has Fallen...and many other movies...

Your kids. You raise 'em the way you want and that works for you.

No, I do not think you're a fuddy duddy! I wouldn't take my children to a PG-13 movie at 6 and 8 either. Even though they're recommended for 13 year olds, they're getting raunchier all the time and I just wouldn't want my young children seeing that stuff. I had the exact same circumstance as you where I wouldn't let my daughter go with friends because of the movie they wanted to see. I guess the mother thought about it because she called me and said they were going to a different movie; one that I definitely approved of!! Call me old-fashioned but I don't care! As long as I'm the mother, I get to say what movies they go to. They'll see the PG-13's and R's soon enough!!

I wouldn't worry about offending another parent; you're the mother, stick to your values and rules!!

Good luck!!

We went to see a movie once that was rated "R". I was surprised to see teens that I personally knew who were not even 14 yet. I asked the man in the window why he wasn't asking for ID's for the rated "R" movie. He said the movie had some bad language in it and that was all. It was a court room drama and they got into heated testimony. There were some scenes where the murdered military person was attacked and he died.

He said if it wasn't a Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson movie it would be rated "PG 13" and not "R". They had promoted the movie as "R" rated to influence people to think of it as an adult movie so they'd want to come see it. If it had the "PG 13" rating then adults would not take it seriously.

So often the stars or money makers of the movie will promote it like this, rating it higher so it will be perceived differently.

I don't go by the ratings at all. "I" am the one who makes decisions as to what the kids can and cannot see. If "I" think the movie is okay for their mentality "I" choose to let them see it.

You can also go to themoviespoiler.com and read an entire synapses of just about every movie, especially the ones in the theater now. If you think there is something you don't want them to see them don't take them.

I also think that we, as adults, see things differently than kids do. They are innocent in their thoughts and don't get the adult aspect of them.

For example a mom was driving down a highway with her kids. She suddenly sees a convertible with a half naked coed aged blonde sitting on the back of the rear seat happily flashing anyone and everyone who drive by.

The mom worries that her kids shouldn't see a naked lady doing this. She can't get over and is about to pass the convertible.

The kids start yelling "MOM!!! LOOK!!!! She isn't wearing her seat belt".

They didn't even pay attention to her lack of clothes, the related on their own level, kids focus on seat belts first and foremost.

I have let my son who is now 7 see some PG 13 movies since be was about 5. Mostly superhero/action types. I don't think you are being a fuddy duddy. They are your kids so its your choice.

i'm a flat no,

except for the one time the mom that was running the sleepover ( that i thought was going to be only at her house) pulled a fast one on me and took all the kids to a pg13 movie and called me from the lobby asking if it was ok or if i wanted to come get him a 20 min drive and movie was starting in 10 so he would be singled out. not too happy with her.

I've found that the ratings are pretty accurate....but it's not an exact science. You have to read on the movie rating description of that movie to determine WHY it was rated as it was.

I have a 10 and 12 year old. Boys. We've watched a few PG-13 movies with them. They were rated PG-13 for some violence, a mild innuendo, and swearing. Okay...we can handle that. But if there is a lot of sexual content, gore, etc. We're going to skip it. Some PG-13 movies are rated PG-13 for really lame, strange reasons. And some really ought to be....PG-15 or 16. You just have to figure out what you're okay with based upon your kids' maturity.

Bottom line it is your choice but I will say that I don't agree with the ratings 99% of the time, so I do my research and make the choices on my own. I tend to be more laid back than most people when it comes to movies and TV shows. My daughters have seen PG/PG-13/R movies at various ages, it all depends upon the movie and the child in my opinion.

Well, I just watched the original Planet Of The Apes on Netflix and it's rated G... Unless that was a mistake made by Netflix, I would say that ratings aren't entirely accurate.

I always used good judgement and based my feelings on what my child's maturity level was at the time rather than the actual movie ratings. I did not allow my kids to go to "R" rated movies or watch them at home until the were we'll into their teens and knew what they were watching and the difference between a movie and real life! As for the PG and PG-13 scene, same thing. My kids could see a movie like this with me or sometimes with their friends but it depended on the theme of the movie and what was really deemed as "iffy" in it. I'm not a helicopter parent. Kids get more action on language and wild stories from school and Facebook than movies these days....or I think they do. I think it just depends on the individual child, the level of appropriateness you think they need, and the length you want to go to to give them that. I think the checked out parents of today that let anything goes are abominable but so are the over protective neurotic crazies that keep kids so sheltered that they don't live in reality. It's about balance. Know what the movie is all about and what might be deemed "too much" for your individual children. Then make your parental decision and stand firm!

It depends on what the rating is for, but I usually like to see a movie before I let my daughter see it, unless it's animated.

What we do is watch "questionable" movies first before letting the kids go. Some movies get a harsher rating than they deserve, others get let off with a lower rating. Some movies deal with a subject matter that I don't think my kids are ready for, and other deal with subjects I think they need to see. When I was in high school, the school took all the upperclassmen to "Schindler's List" (with parental approval) despite the R rating because of the subject matter. So we have no hard and fast rules, more of a movie by movie case.

My daugher is almost 11. I let her watch most PG-13 movies. If some look questionable I will watch them first. I think it's totally up to you what kind of movies you let your kids watch. If my daughter invited a girl to see a PG 13 movie and her mom said no, I'd understand. I wouldn't be offended at all.

I don't think you're wrong at all . . . I did the same with my oldest son. Then I lightened up with my younger one and started going by a more individualized assessment of whether a movie seemed appropriate or not.

This is why, if my kid wants to see a movie about which I have any concerns, I go see the movie myself first. Period. She wanted to see "Lincoln" so I saw it first and it was fine for her (she's 12 and very into history and is mature).

But you are NOT a fuddy-duddy. Do what works for you. The ratings give you as a parent a perfect "out" for pointing to the rating and telling your child, "Oh, it's PG-13, sorry, not allowed." Use that out when you can!

Be aware that PG-13 was invented to give moviemakers (not us -- the moviemakers) a space that was just short of an R rating so they could make movies that still had language, violence and sexual situations but could market them to a wider audience than they could with R. Yes, PG-13 is not as "hard" as R but it can come quite close, I find. I've seen some R movies that could have easily been PG-13 but for a few curse words, and PG-13s that could have been Rs for violence, to me. So it's really all about the industry selling more tickets - not so much about protecting kids or advising parents.

Do what works for you. Do not worry about offending some other parent for saying no to a movie based on your own rules! Any parent offended by that is not one whom you want for a friend, and I'd question their judgment if they pushed for your kid to see something to which you had said no -- for any reason.

Your kids, you have a right. I am not there yet, my kids are 4 & 2 (well almost 5) and so all movies except for cars has been seen in the home. .. But I learneed about a few websites and I will check them for my kids.

I would consider letting my 5.5 year old see a PG13 movie, but only if I watched it first. For example, I let him watch Jurassic Park, Avengers, Iron Man, and Return of the Jedi, but only at home, after I watched them, and with me there to skip scenes that I thought were too intense. Like the guy who runs into the restroom building in Jurassic Park and gets chomped in half. I know when it is coming and how long it lasts. I would not let him go to a PG13 movie in the theater with another parent at this point. OK, maybe Return of the Jedi :) But definitely not something that I have not seen.

When our daughter was young. I took into consideration what could she understand and handle part of this conundrum is when you have a child that is more mature and a bit accelerated in their reading, sometimes they can handle more advanced subject matters.

For instance when she was 8, we saw "Ever After" it was rated PG13. for I think violence, She loved it. She always loves a movie where the Heroine is strong and saves the day..

At 11, we went to see "Oh Brother where art thou?" again rated PG13.. for
Violence

She realized pretty soon, it was based on "the Odyssey." They had studied Greek Mythology in 5th grade and performed some of the scenes form the Odyssey in the Greek Play.. and she figured it out. She was thrilled to see it performed, in a different era..

And so as parents of our own children.. we know what they can handle. And what will cause them concern.

Now my husband and I went to see a movie rated R, (started at 8pm) I do not recall which one probably one of those alien vs humans.. and it was so gory and violent, we were flinching.

A couple were there with their 2 boys.. They did not look older than 8.. They sat in front of us, I raised my eyebrows to my husband.. They watched the entire movie.. Heads being blown up, cursing, hacking.. awful.. But when the (actors )man and woman started kissing and about to make out. he grabbed up those boys and dashed them out of the theater!!! My husband and I laughed at loud. The wife sat there through that whole scene, then texted the dad, and he and the boys came back to finish out the movie, Amazing..

These are your children and you know them best. The best way to decide is to see the movie yourself and then decide. Each child has their own reactions.. Only you know what they will be.

Not sure if you are referring to the Superman movie question today. I was one of the ones who answered that I had taken my 8 year old twin boys to see it so I guess this question is meant for mamas like me :-)

Obviously, not all PG13 movies are off limits to my kids. But I am pretty choosy about which they can see. When it comes to the superhero movies, we have been pretty ok, especially after we check out plugged in on line from Focus on the Family. Being typical little boys, they love all the explosions and hero/villain battles so that's not such a big deal. I wish they didn't hear the few swear words that accompany these PG13 movies but unfortunately I can't take them out for my kids :-)

Other PG13 movies that involve more "adult" subject matter are not on their viewing list. So I guess we do have a little line in the sand we don't cross.

I think it really depends on the movie. I have let my 7 year old watch some PG-13 movies with us, but others we haven't.

If you and your family are fine with your restrictions, don't compromise your convictions. I generally go by the theme of the movie and my children. I've taken my daughter (almost 14) to R rated movies, but it depended on the movie. I mean, look at Titanic - it's rated PG-13 and it has nudity and "sex scenes" (well, inferred). So, you really have to go by your gut feeling and your child's maturity. I wouldn't worry about what other parents think - after all, YOU are your child's parent - not them. :)