R Rated Movies?
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| Wed, 03-08-2006 - 11:50am |
Do you, or did you, allow your younger teen (13-14) to watch R rated movies? If so, at what age did you feel they were appropriate? Did you make that decision on just specific movies -- i.e., those that had R ratings because of language or an adult theme as opposed to sexual content?
14yo DD claims she is the only person she knows that is not allowed to watch R movies. It's not that she hasn't seen any, ever, it's that I don't know how ready she is for some of them. If the movie is rated R for language or due to an adult theme, chances are I'll let her watch it. (Most kids hear language that's just as bad at school, so hearing it in a movie is not such a shocker and she is quite aware of the more serious issues around the world today.)
I'm a more conservative with movies that are especially violent, and VERY cautious with movies that are sexually explicit. Not long ago, DD finished a book and told me she had to skip several pages near the end because she 'didn't need to read 4 pages about how the main character lost her virginity'. That indicated to me that she probably wouldn't be comfortable with a movie that contained sexually explicit scenes, either.
Just wondered if I'm a bit too conservative here.
Thanks,
Jules

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DD has seen carefully selected R movies since 13, screened for the exact same things as your post.
What had really bothered me then, more than R movies, were the PG-13 coming of age movies where the "cool" girls all had boyfriends and were sexually active at a very young age.
The implied message of "this is what you do to be cool" was not the kind of message I wanted my then 12-13 yr old to hear.
I've never been *too* concerned with an R rating per se...not to say I totally ignore it, but it just depends on why it's rated R. I put a stop on sexually explicit stuff (ala American Pie) and if there is simply too much of the F-word. I've let him rent a couple of comedies that once he started them, it offended ME (and I am almost impossible to offend LOL) and made him pull them out. He was unhappy, but, oh well. :) Oh, and slasher flicks, I hate those, but war-type violence (Private Ryan-esque) I will let him watch. We rarely ever go to the movie-house. 99% of what we see, we see on video, so I usually know before hand what content is really in the movie.
I don't believe you are being too conservative at all.
I'm delurking with my two cents. I have a 14 yo DS and a 9 yo DS. Neither has watched any R rated movies that I'm aware of. We still screen the PG-13 movies for both of them, but are getting a bit more lenient with the 14 yo. No M or R video games, but we have let him have T rated ones. My 9 yo has seen some PG-13, but only things like Star Wars and Harry Potter. Frankly, I've gotten where I don't like to see R movies, so it's not a big issue at our house. We rarely go to the movies, so most of what we watch is on PPV.
I have not gotten the "everybody else gets to see those!" yet, but I know it's coming, especially when he becomes more independently mobile. I used that on my own parents when they wouldn't let me go see a Steve McQueen movie that was rated PG when I was in the 6th grade! I thought I was sooo pitiful! I still haven't seen it!
Here, it really depends on the movie more than the rating.
I don't think you're overly conservative. Perhaps I say that because I use the same standards as you. My kids are now both able to get in to see R-rated movies, but when they were younger, if the movie had sex scenes where the viewer could actually see a naked couple in action, as opposed to scenes that implied sex, then I would not allow them to view it. Language, some violence, even some nudity (a brief flash of skin) without sex, didn't rule out movies for them.
I've know very conservative parents who only let their grade school age kids see G-rated movies. That really limits the number of movies one can see since even Disney movies are often rated PG.
Every kid of every generation has used the same line-"everyone else gets to do it." Well, when truth be told, no, everyone else does not get to do it. I used the same line as a kid, my kids use the same line and their kids will too.
Mily
glad to see you've delurked...
Here's an off topic tip for you...
If you want to pay your DH the absolute highest complement available to the male species, next time you're both in the car, tell him he drives just like Steve McQueen.
Then go rent "Bullitt" and "The Great Escape".
Hey... I can't explain it.....It's just a guy thing.... :-)
We haven't allowed it yet & she's stopped asking (for now). The reason we did not allow it previously is because of the REASON she wanted to see the movies: Because everyone else does. Not a very good reason. We will allow it (when she asks again) depending on why she wants to see the movie and why it is rated R.
I am the biggest baby in the whole world and I cannot stand violence in movies. The criteria for long-suffering dh and I when selecting a movie is "nobody gets hurt." I hate scary movies, too. We allowed dd and friends to watch a handful of PG-13 scary movies when she had a sleepover this summer. She was SO terrified that I had to tuck her in and hang with her until she fell asleep for about a week after. I think some R movies rated for violence would freak her out.
You are not too conservative at all!
jt
Did you see Sideways? A friend's college age daughter took her two 13 year old brothers to see it while they were visiting her for sibs weekend. She'd just heard it was a good movie and had no idea what it was about. She was absolutely mortiifed to be sitting and watching this with two hormone-soaked teens~
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