Comments on: In Which I Am A Judgmental Bitch

By: Dee

Dee — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 04:09:48 +0000

Oh man. This brings back a bad memory. I was 10 when my best friend’s adoptive father (who I found out later was a TOTAL *******) took me to an animated movie about when the bomb was dropped on Hiroshima. You know, good clean fun, like when the young boy runs home after the blast to find his mom being crushed by his fallen house! melting faces on strangers as they pass through the street! OMG doesn’t even cover it. I had nightmares for years and years. My parents were beyond furious with this guy when they found out. I will most definitely be very careful about what my girls are allowed to see at the movies.

By: Stacie

Stacie — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:42:04 +0000

I think it would have been a good movie to take a high school kid to but not a little girl. Based on the questions she was asking she wasn’t really following it, which was fortunate I think but dull for her.

By: Ann

Ann — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 01:35:28 +0000

Not to be a contrarian, but there *was* a movie review in the New York Times a month or two back that advocated taking your children to select so-called “adult” movies and listed this particular movie as a good choice.

So poor judgment or not, it’s potentially not from lack of knowledge about the movie that the parents brought that child. I believe the reviewer was arguing that children are capable of seeing more serious fare than is generally offered to them. I think his kids were preteens or early teens, though, not eight year olds.

By: Drob

Drob — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 22:53:10 +0000

Is it ever appropriate to take children to movies about war? Sure, I’d say there’s a point when certain war movies become fair game. What age that is will depend on the movie and the kid, but I saw Hope and Glory when I was 11… and others at around the same time.

By: Stacie

Stacie — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 20:32:18 +0000

DD - I am well on my way to being “that mom” too. Thanks for the links!

By: tanya@motherwearblog

tanya@motherwearblog — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:16:39 +0000

Haven’t seen the movie but I read the books, and it’s *definitely* not kid material. Couldn’t agree with you more.

By: Hatchet

Hatchet — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 19:10:44 +0000

There is something about the American Public that they are under the misapprehension that if a film is animated, it is appropriate for children. It’s just a different movie format, that’s all. You will find just as many (if not more) adult anime than that appropriate for children.

And really? Is it ever appropriate to take children to movies about war? I say not.

By: DangerDoll

DangerDoll — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:39:21 +0000

My mom took me with her to see The Godfather when it debuted. I was 3. She then got angry with me when I cowered in her lap instead of sitting in the seat she’d “had to pay for”. Poor judgment or pure selfishness, not sure which. I still hate that movie.

By contrast, my 7-year-old doesn’t get to see ANY film until I’ve checked it out on kids-in-mind.com or commonsensemedia.org. (I cannot recommend these sites highly enough!) She didn’t get to go with her friends to see Pirates of the Caribbean (violence), Happy Feet (sexual innuendo) - so, yeah, I’m “that mom”. Whatever - she’s never had nightmares about decapitated horses.

By: Stacie

Stacie — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 18:08:54 +0000

It was really good. I mean, it was a downer but then one doesn’t really look to the Islamic Revolution for light comedies.

CG - Someone had their little girl with them who would ask things like “What happened to him?” after, say, someone fleeing from the authorities after a forbidden party tried to jump from one roof to the next and fell to his death.

By: Dawn

Dawn — Sat, 16 Feb 2008 16:42:53 +0000

I get on my high horse about parents taking their kids to movies that are over their head. Seems to be so common these days. I saw the ads for that movie, looks fascinating, how was it?