Question:
A friend of mine regularly takes her young children with her when she attends P13 and 18-rated movies. She doesn’t seem to think twice about it. Do you think that’s wise?
Answer: One of the most baffling things to us about parenting in this day and age is the fact that many mums and dads who would take a bullet for their children don’t think twice about “abusing” their children when it comes to entertainment. We put “abusing” in quotes because culturally we don’t consider it child cruelty. But we do. More specifically, We’re talking about parents who, like your friend, take their young children to movies that could cause serious emotional and spiritual damage, and influence their children in untold negative ways.
At a recent screening of a film that was going to push the envelope, a mom was asked something along these lines, “Since you haven’t seen this film, do you worry that the content will be detrimental to your child?”
Her response was telling. Instead of saying, “Oh, yes, I’m very concerned about how the messages and visuals in the film might affect my child; I’m just pretty sure this isn’t one of those types of movies,” what I got was something very different. The mother motioned with her hand in a sweeping gesture and said, “Look at all the children here at this movie.” In other words, her justification had nothing to do with the welfare of her child, but simply the fact that she wasn’t alone in her decision.
We believe responsible parenting involves being informed about what your children might be exposed to before it happens. That’s why parents need to make wise entertainment choices based on what’s best for their children.
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