Small Children in Movie Theaters

It is because we have given people the idea that they are "entitled" to do anything they please and the rest of society be damned.

There are just certain things that kids shouldn't see.  I turn stuff off TV all the time so that my 5 year old won't see it.  Certain movies should not be seen with children.  There are a lot of times that I see kids in R rated movies and think "what are their parents thinking?"  Unless it is rated "G" I always prescreen the movie, and I have always taken my daughter to matinees  (cheaper and is usually filled with kids the same age)

There are a lot of times that I see kids in R rated movies and think "what are their parents thinking?" Unless it is rated "G" I always prescreen the movie, and I have always taken my daughter to matinees (cheaper and is usually filled with kids the same age)

We almost never go to the movie theater, because I also am a prescreener....and it's a lot cheaper to rent the video and watch it, then decide whether or not to let the kids see it, than to put out 7 or 8 dollars to go see it myself, and then have to pay that much again to go with them to see it....especially if I'm not really interested in seeing it twice!
However, I will say that I tend to ignore movie ratings...if I think it's alright for my children to watch, they watch it, period. As their parent, that should be my choice to make for my child. Which is another good thing about videos....

I guess I am one of those overprotective parents then. My child is nearly 11 and I still won't let her see Rated R movies. I have a hard time with some of the everyday magazine ads even. Sometimes I wonder what it is that parents are thinking and wonder if I'm the one who's old fashioned and out-dated. But, I will continue to be so. Regardless.

i saw Dawn of the Dead (great movie) and a family with 10 kids and 3 adults came in and sat in a row in front of me
the kids were out of control and the parents kept movie to quiet them down, i can understand that if i am in finding nemo or another kids movie.... its more important for them to save on baby sitter money than to shield their kids from HARD R violence!

I agree that there are certain things kids shouldn't see. I was horribly afraid of the band Kiss when I was 3. All they did was wear make up and act like idiots. But kids' imaginations are don't need to be fed these types of images.

I admire people who take the time to screen out films that are questionable - either by watching them themselves, or seeking the advice of others whose opinions they can trust. It takes a little more work, but it's a great idea. I also like the idea of parents who watch movies and shows with their kids and encourage them to talk about it. It's a great way to interact, and I think kids should be comfortable asking their parents about things they don't understand.

Children who are exposed to everything get an unrealistic view of reality. They are still naive enough to not be able to filter reality from exaggeration in the media. (lucky)

I remember seeing Ghostbusters in the theater with my family. I would have been 8 at the time. At one point Bill Murray delivers the line, "This man has no dick." Everyone laughted, and my mother leaned over to me and said, "dick means penise." I was horrified and embarassed to hear her say those words. In all honesty, I didn't know what the word meant. But I still didn't get the joke.

Children who are exposed to everything get an unrealistic view of reality. They are still naive enough to not be able to filter reality from exaggeration in the media.

That is a very insightful statement.

One of my opinions is that we allow children in todays world to see too much.  They have too many images to know what is "real" and what isn't.  What that ends up doing is blurring the line of what really should be scaring them and what shouldn't.  I think that the realism in movies has deadened our reactions to the real horrors that are in the world.  I even saw people who weren't "shocked" seeing the very real beheading video of Nick Berg.  People see more "realistic" violence in the movies.  So, if adults are having a hard time deciphering fact from fiction, what does that do to kids? 

I love watching old movies.  80's and earlier.  There is seldom anything pre-80's that is not "OK" for my daughter to watch (at least the movies that they show on the movie stations during the time she's awake).  But, I still watch with her, and if I feel that the scene is going someplace bad, I'll change the channel and explain why.  Takes a bit more effort than the typical "use the TV as a babysitter" like a lot of parents do, but it's worth it.

I guess I am one of those overprotective parents then. My child is nearly 11 and I still won't let her see Rated R movies. I have a hard time with some of the everyday magazine ads even.

I wouldn't call that overprotective....it's just a matter of knowing your child and knowing what he/she can and can't handle....because of many different reasons, there are some films my 11 yr old has seen that I don't consider appropriate for my 14 yr old, and vice versa. Both of them have seen Schindlers List, Titanic, Saving Private Ryan (except for the beginning), Apollo 13, and a variety of other films that, by ratings alone, they were not considered "old enough" to see.

Well, I do appreciate that you didn't say anything to me or my wife during the movie (j/k).

But seriously, folks...

As the father of four kiddos myself, I carefully screen what they watch. I find it not a surprising leap to think that a generation raised on Schwarzennegger and Stallone movies (or, in this case, George Romero remakes, which, while excellent in adolescence aren't appropriate beforehand), has little value for life. Simply put, the old verse about "Children Live What they Learn" is apt here: A child raised with violence may very well be prone to violence.

But that's just lil' ol' me sticking in my tupence.

I have seen kids younger than 14 or so come out of movie theater and wait for parents to pick them up.

It was 1 AM too.

Some parents just don't care.

I just got done watching 'Van Helsing' with my kids at the theater.  Mine are 8, almost 10 and almost 12, and I  figured that this movie was about the limit of what I wanted them to see. (Dharma The Blunt is out and about tonight, so if I'm a little brusque you'll have to excuse me)

There was a parent across the aisle from me with a toddler and an under 5 year old.  They both shrieked and cried every time a 'monster' came on the screen, and the 5 year old asked repeatedly "the monster won't get me, right daddy?"

What did the parents do?  Thay sat there throughout the entire show.  Never mind that their kids were literally terrified, never mind that the rest of the theater had their viewing pleasure marred by the screams of frightened children...they just sat there and didn't give a fuck about anyone but themselves.  What kind of parents would do that?  If at any point during the show my child had said "mom, I'm scared" we'd have got up and left.

And we wonder why we as a society are having the kind of problems we are with out kids/adolescents.

What did the parents do? Thay sat there throughout the entire show. Never mind that their kids were literally terrified, never mind that the rest of the theater had their viewing pleasure marred by the screams of frightened children...they just sat there and didn't give a fuck about anyone but themselves. What kind of parents would do that? If at any point during the show my child had said "mom, I'm scared" we'd have got up and left.

See, these are the people I don't understand....as I said, it's a matter of knowing your kids and knowing what they can handle, taking into consideration their age, intelligence, and emotional development. And yes, at the first sign a child is scared or uncomfortable, in any way not enjoying the experience--or making it difficult for OTHERS to enjoy the experience--then it should be common sense to get up and leave. I think that's what many parents are lacking these days, is good old common sense!

Sometimes I doubt that common sense is that common, when I read those. Some people just don't have common sense.