Did you watch a PG 13 movie or R rated movie when you were little? Would you let

1. 59

   mosaicmanposted 11 years ago

   Did you watch a PG 13 movie or R rated movie when you were little? Would you let your child?
   
   I remember watching some movies that people said were age inappropriate when I was small. I thought I turned out all right. The debate comes up about my young daughter and movies. Do you think it is more about age or gender?

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2. 61

   duffsmomposted 11 years ago

   R rated movies have gotten pretty darn raunchy and I don't think young children need to be exposed to that.  Movies weren't rated when I was a girl but my mom kept a close eye on what I watched at the show.  I think it is more about age, if children see a lot of things that they cannot process due to age, they can get confused etc. 
   
   Life is full of raunchy, age inappropriate things, why add visual entertainment to that category?

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   Richard Perazzoposted 11 years ago

   When I was a young I ended up watching Childs Play, Nightmare on Elm Street, Friday the 13th and I feel like I turned out pretty darn well. I am huge horror movie buff now as well. My dad would always remind me that what I was seeing wasn't real, and he always made sure I knew right from wrong. I never had any problems growing up. My brother grew up with me always having to watch him and him and I watched various r-rated movies together, and he has turned out fine. He understood what was real, what wasn't real, what is good behavior and what isn't, and if he had any questions he would ask.
   
   I think it falls more on the parents than anything. The parents must do a good job educating their kids on the rights and wrongs of life and make sure their child understands, no matter what age. Children are much, much smarter than we credit them and they have the ability pick up and understand things faster than adults. As long as the parents gives them the right education the children will turn out fine.
   
   I would let my child watch whatever they wanted, aside from pornography, but would make sure they understand what is right and wrong. So I guess my answer is that its neither about age or gender but about the parents.

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   executivecateringposted 11 years ago

   I watched loads of films I shouldn't have when I was a kid and I think I have grown up ok (some may disagree) I used to get a buzz knowing it was rated 18 and over but I can't think of any film that had any kind of bad effect on me, I think I have the fondest memory's of films that where targeted to my age group e.g. back to the future, the karate kid, Charlie and the chocolate factory, star wars, ET but I did enjoy films like Nightmare on elm street and fright night.
   
   I now have a child and I would let her watch a adult film with my supervision, there are films I would try to stop her watching like porn or something to graphic but she will at some point manage to watch them with out me knowing I guess it's just part of growing up.

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   lburmasterposted 11 years ago

   First rated R movie I ever saw was Rambo at age 12. It's been my favorite movie ever since. Yes, I'll let my kids watch Rambo when they are 10, doesn't matter about the gender.

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   nanderson500posted 11 years ago

   I watched the original Batman in theaters when I was 8, that was my first Pg-13. I don't think I saw an R until  I was a teenager. I don't have children, but hypothetically it would depend on how emotionally mature they were. Most pg-13's would probably be reasonably okay, at least for older children.

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   Alecia Murphyposted 11 years ago

   I watched a few PG-13 movies and a couple of R movies when I was a kid. The PG-13 movies were generally okay minus a couple of curse words and the R rated movies only happened when I had to share a hotel room with my parents and couldn't turn away. The PG-13 movies didn't affect me that much but the R rated flicks were too raunchy and one even gave me nightmares. It didn't affect me too much after a while but I realized at a young age what I could and couldn't handle.
   But now? I don't have kids but I wouldn't even let them watch a PG-13 movie unless they were in middle school. Some of the PG-13 movies have explicit scenes and some f-bombs which is a little much. And R movies I generally avoid because I don't like alot of violence in movies anyway and I could do without alot of cursing and raunchy sex.
   I think in terms of people and their kids it's about being willing to explain what's important for them to understand before they misinterpret it. Generally girls seem to be more mature but each child's different and their understanding is different. Age is always what people seem to go by since that's how movies are rated but even though it says PG-13 it might expose a kid to alot more.

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   AM Hansonposted 11 years ago

   I watched PG-13 movies all the time as a kid, and saw one or two rated R movies.  I would let my children watch them if they wanted, but I think the really big problem with this is that kids will find a way to see things no matter what parents do.  When I was little, the only way you could see a movie (if it wasn't one of the handfull that kept being replayed on TV) was by going to the video store and renting it.  Since I never had money, it would be my parents who rented the video, so they had total control over what I saw.  There was no internet until I was in middle school, and even that was dial-up and watching a movie online was unimaginable.  Now, you can find nearly anything online, and unless you're watching your kid 24/7 or put locks on everything, you can't really govern what they get into.  Even parental locks can be worked around sometimes.  I think that letting the child see what they desire can be often best, because if it's too much then they'll realize that you were just looking out for them and that you can be right about things.
   
   I also want to add that pg movies can be more frightening or disturbing than R rated films (though less so today).  Take the movie Time Bandits and compare it to something like The Matrix.  Time Bandits ends with the main character (a young boy) alone and utterly depressed.  His parents were just utterly destroyed in front of his eyes after he learns that God is really just a dick who likes messing around with humanity.  It's terribly depressing, and the whole film scared me as a kid...but it's rated PG!  The Matrix, on the other hand, is rated R, but it would have been less disturbing to watch...
   
   As for the gender thing, I don't think it figures into it much.  My biggest "horror fan" friend is a girl.  She started watching scary movies when she was in high school, and has turned out fine.

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   ketageposted 11 years ago

   I watched PG and R rated movies when I was young, I don't think it had any adverse effects on me at all. That being said I think there are 2 factors that need to be kept in mind.
   
   The maturity of the child and their ability to understand that the movie is make believe.
   
   The movie itself, why was the movie rated PG/R for violence? Language? Nudity? or Adult scenes?

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      IslandBitesposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree 100%. I also watched R movies when I was little. I think it depends on the movie and the child.

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10. 73

    Wakerraposted 10 years ago

    I remember seeing a few scenes from Indiana Jones when I was young ( remember the snake that pops out of the water on the circus train.  I was in a lake once and saw something moving beneath the surface.  I was nary scared to move until I realized they were fish!)  Usually when a person is that young, they don't recall/understand much of what is going on, but it can depend on the scene as well.  I once caught a snippet on TV of this guy getting scalped...I still remember that...  and then you always risk inducing unnecessary fears.  People who are terrified of clowns because they saw a movie with evil clowns in it when they were kids, etc
    
    You also have to keep in mind the difference in TV ratings with PG-13 then and now...A lot of "PG-13" movies today may as well be R.  Media just keeps pushing the content bounds as far as they can.  Seems the safe stuff keeps getting stupider, and the intense stuff keeps getting riskier.

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