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There
are a lot more dynamics to this question than the simple one of whether or not
a movie is acceptable for your child’s viewing. When kids are on the front
side of adolescence, peer acceptance and not wanting to be on the outside-looking-in
when it comes to friends weighs heavily on their heart. Along with this issue
is the whole dynamic of being a leader or a follower. And on top of that, some
kids simply want to see unacceptable movies (whether their friends want to or
not). Each child is different. Depending on your child, one of these priorities
could be at the top of this conflict.
Are
you preparing
your children to stand up to
the world around them?
Of all the values and skills we need to build into our children’s hearts,
courage is the most important one. And it’s your commitment to making courage
an anchor tenant in your child’s character that will put you in a league
of your own. Home Grown Heroes by Dr. Tim Kimmel can help turn you from a Mom
or Dad with good intentions to a parent that wants to give your kids the most
important tool they need in order to truly succeed.
Revised and Expanded
click here for more info
That’s why we must be careful students of our children.
One child might not particularly want to see the movie, but the thought of being
considered an outcast is almost more than they can bear. Keep in mind that this
is a corridor of time when friendships and relationships carry extremely heavy
weight in the average child.
On this kind of a dilemma, it’s best to break it down
into its components and deal with them individually. The first component is the
movie. What is it about the movie that makes it unacceptable to you? If a movie
is graphically violent, tantalizingly sexual, or overwhelmingly contradictory
to your world view, then the decision is already made. Your son or daughter shouldn’t
see this movie regardless of the personal pain from the peer group.
But I wouldn’t make this decision based on limited knowledge.
I’d read reviews on it to get a clear assessment of its true story line.
I’d be leery of making my decision based solely on reviews that count the
amount of profane words or acts of violence. Try to figure out the true content.
If necessary, talk to people you trust that might have seen it (parents, youth
workers) or slip out and preview it yourself. Some of my favorite sites for movie
reviews are: www.pluggedinonline.com, and www.hollywoodjesus.com, www.mediafamily.org/kidscore/index.shtml.
As seen in Entertaining Kids Magazine. Premiere Issue (p19)
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