What kind of music and movies should they be able to watch,and why.
Keep in mind none of them are teenagers.
To me, Being a parent means you have a responsibility to your children to raise them and teach them. If a child listens to R rated lyrics , or watches a violent movie, It doesn’t mean they will go imitate what they see. If they are taught the difference between right and wrong, and how to deal with anger and pain, they would have no reason to.
I don’t have kids, but I think I would trust my own instincts rather than the rating system. I’d be far more open to letting them watch, say, Glory than some PG-13 rated toilet-humor-fest with no redeeming social value whatsoever.
Music, no clue, but I’d be more worried about the videos than the lyrics if I were going to worry about anything.
I have an 8 and a 10 year old. Usually if they want to rent a movie, If it’s rated over PG, I watch it first to decide if it’s appropiate for them.
If it’s in theatres, I read reviews and try to talk to some people who’ve already seen it.
For music, if it’s on the radio, it’s OK. But that doesn’t mean they can hear the whole CD. They hear eminem on the radio, but I will not be buying them any of hid CDs.
Movies: depends on the content of the movie. On the other side of the spectrum, my rather sheltered and easily offended (OK, not always easily offended) mom finds some R-rated movies easier to take than some PG-13 or PG rated movies, (or even some old '40s movies which are particularly intense). It depends on the content. She can take one or two pieces of profanity if the message of the film is “edifying”. (Was “Scent of a Woman” rated R? She loved that. Not that I’m suggesting that your young kids see that!)
Not that a somewhat sheltered “church lady” is the same as kids, but I hope you get the point. Personally, I think it would be easier to explain a few curse words (OK, maybe not) if the movie was otherwise very worthwhile then explaining some complex mature themes with violence, sex, etc. YMMV.
As far as music—have no clue. I don’t listen to popular music so I don’t know what’s out there. I didn’t listen to popular music when I was a kid, either so I guess I’m no help at all!
anecdote: I was babysitting an adorable 6-yr-old girl last winter and as I was taking her back to meet her Aunt (who I was babysitting for while she was in class) Eminem came on the radio. My instinct was to change it, his lyrics are a bit crash and lewd and otherwise unappropriate for young children, I think, but she begged me to keep it on, insisting that mommy let her listen to it, and proceded to “sing” each and every word. I let out a gasp a the cuss words (somethin about kickin Miss Cheney’s ass) and told her that it was NOT ok for her to talk like that, but mommy said it was OK, as long as she only said it when singing along.
I have no children, but I thought this mom’s approach was, um, interesting. I do not, however, think that it is a good general rule to allow airway rules and standards to dictate what is appropriate or inappropriate for my child. I do think that music can have profound effect on the psyche, unbenounced to the listener.
And for movies, I think dragongirl’s guidelines are great.
There are a lot more “adult” films I’d rather have my child watching then “children” films. One of the most wretched is the Home Alone series, which is nothing more than a 90 minute exercise in violence. My sister rented #2 for her 5 and 3 year old daughters and had them watch it one night when I was babysitting. The only reason that I didn’t pull the plug was that they had obviously seen #1 which was apparently just like the 2nd one.
I did tell her that I thought that film was shockingly violent, especially for children their ages. She claimed she didn’t preview it, but “the kids liked the first one.” :rolleyes:
In short, it’s a judgement call. If you feel uncomfortable, turn it off.