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Ellis in Wellyland

Monday, December 11, 2006

Parental Responsibility

Okay, being a Dad is only a few weeks away (We've even graduated from Ante-Natal classes.) But one thing I hope never to happen ...

On Saturday night Chaucey and I went out for a Steak Dinner. (You can't do these things with Children, apparently.) And sitting at the table next to us was a bunch of kids who looked about 12 years, having a birthday party. And after dinner they were going to get a DVD and watch, so they were debating what to get. They couldn't decide between:

Team America: World Police (R16)
Shaun of the Dead (R13) - One girl boasted she'd seen it a hundred times.
Not Another Teen Movie (R16)
or; The Omen (Not sure what rating the remake is, but the original version was R18)

I'm not suggesting that these kids should watch "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princess" or the "Care Bear Movie", but if I was their parents I would be very concerned at their choice of movies.

If they want to see scary movies, I'm sure there are far more age appropriate choices.

posted by Michael at 10:42 PM

7 Comments:

  • Breath a sigh of relief that you aren't in Korea where not only is it acceptable to take your two year old along to the latest screenings of said movies but it's fine to do so at 11 o'clock at night!!!

    I had a bit of a debate as to whether I would let my 3rd graders (15 years old) watch Stand By Me due to some of the language used in the movie despite being legally old enough to watch the movie.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 3:28 PM  

  • Man, you are going to be a barrel of laughs as a parent Mike!!!

    Everyone knows ratings are a complete load of shite anyway....what was South Park?

    Kids learn bad language, sex and violence from everywhere. Movies merely fine tune the level of understanding.

    By Blogger Cactus Kate, at 5:04 AM  

  • One request - Don't call me Mike!

    And I'm not aiming to be a prude, just making sure I don't have to deal with my boys:

    A: Nightmares.
    B: Psycopathic tendencies.
    C: Socialist tendencies.

    From watching too much Hollywood.

    By Blogger Michael, at 8:20 PM  

  • Michael

    So in order to prevent A-C are you going to keep your boys away from the biggest threat of all then......................................Girls!!

    By Blogger Cactus Kate, at 12:35 AM  

  • I feel sorry for your kid already. 'Socialist tendencies'? Get a grip.

    By Anonymous Anonymous, at 2:52 AM  

  • Cut him some slack Cactus. He might be having one of those simultaneous- phantom pregnancy thingies resulting in a severe dose of child neurosis. I remember about 5 days after my firstborn arrived, standing in the kitchen bawling my eyes out at the realisation I had committed myself to worrying about something for the rest of my life. You get over it.

    By Blogger Lindsay, at 11:41 AM  

  • Michael, always go with your instincts. Advice from people without a vested interest in the well being of your child is best considered against what you feel comfortable with.

    My wife and I have made an effort to give our children a childhood. It's not easy in today's world, but they are turning out just great.

    Also, too much TV and movies at a young age interferes with other learning skills, so keep it to an absolute minimum (especially from age 1-9). They don't need to be good at sitting still for a few hours with minimal eye movement in a narrow range, they need to be finding their physicality. Our kids now generally just watch TV Friday nights, with the odd exception. They are busy playing the rest of the time.

    Anyway, go with your instincts, not what others think (especially if they've never had kids themselves). If they have kids, then judge them by their children.

    By Blogger ZenTiger, at 12:36 PM  

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