My husband and I went to see a movie a few weeks ago and, while it wasn’t X-rated or anything, I was surprised to see elementary aged children there. I probably would not have minded one of my teens seeing it but the situations and some of the humor were on a mature level.
Some of the G rated movies push the envelope as far as I am concerned, and I can’t imagine taking my eight year old to see a PG-13 movie – Dark Shadows, for example. I think that kids are exposed to too many adult situations too early in their lives as it is without encouraging them to be entertained by those things.
The ratings are currently defined this way –
- G: No nudity, language, sex, drug use, or extreme violence
- PG: Parents are advised to preview the movie before their children see it. There may be profanity, violence, or well-disguised nudity but these are usually fleeting. There may be some language but not the “F†bomb. There is no drug use.
- PG-13: Here it gets tricky. There can be nudity but usually not sexually oriented. Strong language, violence, drug use. It struck me funny that the “F†bomb could be said once in a PG-13 but any more than that and the movie got an R rating.
- R: Strong language, sexually oriented nudity, a high percentage of violence, drugs, adult themes and situations.
- NC-17: This is a relatively new rating to me. It means that no one under 17 is admitted even with a parent. It isn’t porn but the violence, themes, and sexual content are considered too mature for anyone under 17.
Obviously every parent has to decide for themselves what is appropriate for their child. Do you follow the guide when you choose movies or are you comfortable taking your children to most movies?
photo credit: GailF548
