Old Enough For Star Wars?

by Sandy Maple (Subscribe to Sandy Maple's posts) Apr 23rd 2009 11:00AM

My husband and I both feel there are a lot of shows aimed at our 8-year-old that are not necessarily appropriate.
The boyfriend/girlfriend story lines on the popular tween shows make us cringe and we both dislike the bad behavior many of the characters exhibit in the name of comedy.

We monitor what she watches pretty closely and are in complete agreement that she should not be exposed to mature content until she herself is mature. At least I thought we were in complete agreement until he came home with the entire "Star Wars" DVD collection and suggested we all watch it together.

Needless to say, she was thrilled. I was horrified. The same child who couldn't sleep for two days after reading "Coraline" is going to be okay with watching "Star Wars"? I loudly protested but his assurances and her pleas eventually wore me down. If he thought it was okay, then perhaps I was overreacting. After all, I lost interest in "Star Wars" after seeing the first movie in 1977 -- maybe it wasn't that bad. With my finger ready on the stop button, we settled in for a marathon "Star Wars" adventure.

Kids Movies 2009

Hotel for Dogs
What happens when you combine kindhearted siblings, and empty house, and a pack of stray dogs? Why, the Hotel for Dogs, of course! The perfect film for kids who love dogs (but be prepared for post-movies pleas for a puppy).

Nickelodeon

Inkheart
Meggie's father has a magical power: when he reads aloud, stories come to life. Now Meggie must rescue him from a fictional villain come to life. Brendan Fraser stars as the supercool bibliophile dad in a film guaranteed to get kids interested in reading.

New Line Cinema

Coraline
Newbery Award winner Neil Gaiman's magic realist novella comes to the big screen in a mesmerizing, scary adaptation. Coraline's new flat has a secret door in it; on the other side is a world just like hers but seemingly so much better -- until she discovers it's frightening secrets. This is definitely a big kids movie.

Focus Features

Pink Panther Deux
While most parents will roll their eyes at the thought of another Pink Panther Movie, kids will love Steve Martin's slapstick humor and funny mispronunciations. Take the kids and try to remember what it was like to watch the original Pink Panther movies -- you might find yourself laughing at the pratfalls, too.

Sony Pictures

Under the Sea
The first in the year's crop of 3D movies for kids, Under the Sea is a documentary about the costal regions of Southern Australia, New Guinea and the Indo-Pacific. Narrated by Jim Carrey, this is a movie that will thrill and educate the kids.

IMAX

Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience
Not willing to take your tween to a Jonas Brothers concert? How about the next best thing -- the 3D concert movie! Earplugs recommended if you're over 16.

Walt Disney Pictures

Race to Witch Mountain
Remember back when kids movies were smart and funny and exciting, like Escape to Witch Mountain? Here's hoping that the sequel will be all of that. But really, any story about a UFO expert and two kids with paranormal powers is the perfect Saturday afternoon matinee, for kids and parents.

Walt Disney Pictures

Monsters Vs. Aliens
From the quirky minds of DreamWorks animation (the people who brought us Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda) comes Monsters Vs. Aliens, about, well, monsters who battle aliens. Guaranteed to make kids and parents howl with laughter (but not necessarily at the same jokes).

Dreamworks

And it was okay. In fact, it was more than okay. She loved it and despite my doubts, had no problem following the complex story line. She did cover her eyes a time or two and we fast-forwarded through a lot of Episode III, but all in all it was a positive bonding experience between her and her "Star Wars"-loving Papa.

It seems that "Star Wars" is a hot-button issue in other families as well. A writer over at SFGate is currently playing the role of "mean mommy" by thwarting her husband and 4-year-old son's desire to see the movies. Despite her husband's assurances that there is no blood depicted, she's checked out the ratings and reviews and is concerned about how her son will react to the potentially scary scenes.

I think for a four-year-old, mom is probably right to be concerned. The movies are fairly intense and a child that young probably wouldn't understand the plot anyway. But while movie ratings and independent reviews are helpful in determining what is appropriate for kids, they aren't an exact science. The "Star Wars" movies are rated PG while those popular tween shows with bratty, lying, conniving kids are considered appropriate for an 8-year-old. Which would you rather your child watch?

How do you decide what your child sees? Do you rely on MPAA ratings or use your own judgement?

Source

Comments (9)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

J.R. 4-23-2009 @ 11:42AM

I saw the original movies when I was four, I think, because my dad wanted to take me to The Phantom Menace when it came out. I saw that when I was six, and saw the following movies when they arrived in theaters, too. I don't remember any of them bothering me at all. I'm fifteen now, and would like to think I wasn't scarred for life. Heh.

julie 4-23-2009 @ 1:01PM

Coraline was way scarier.

isisaquaria 4-23-2009 @ 3:49PM

Really, my six yo was bored to tears reading and watching it....I guess kids are just different.

My oldest (13yo) is thrilled that her summer class this yr for college is gender in the media..

First movie.....Rocky Horror Picture Show--the best cult movie on the planet!

maria 4-23-2009 @ 1:44PM

My kids saw Star Wars at a friend's house when #1 son was maybe 7, making his brother 5 and sister 3. At first I was thrilled that they were so enamored w/something I liked too - but then when we re-watched them together I grew more and more uncomfortable w/how violent the newer ones were. We have phased them out largely - The originals seem a lot less graphic - esp #1 - But #1 son (now 9) reads every Star Wars comic he can get his hands on - still too violent for my tastes but doesn't seem as bad in comic book form and he's reading...

Ali 4-23-2009 @ 3:17PM

When I was younger my parents were very concerned about the ratings of what I watched and I was censored from seeing many things that came out even into my teens (for example no R-Rated movies until I was 17 or unless my parents screened them beforehand). At some times I resented it (for example, I was 7 years old when Titantic came out and because all my friends were watching I wanted to see it too but alas the PG-13 rating made it not happen), but now that I look back on it I was a very sensitive child with an active imagination and who was easily scared by things that were aimed at my age level and realized that my parents made the right decision. As for as Star Wars, my mom had no objection to me watching the original ones with my father however when the new ones came out with their PG-13 ratings, my mom was hesitant but allowed me to see it with my father present. I wasn't 13 and some of the material went over my head but my father explained anything I asked about. I think if parents let their children watch movies that are aimed at above their child's age level, they need to be prepared to explain anything the child may not understand or be disurbed by.

cricepng 4-23-2009 @ 3:55PM

We try to screen any movie before our almost 7-year-old son can see it. Movies and TV shows with crude humor or sexual innuendo do not usually make the cut unless its use is very limited. Graphic violence, sexual content, magic and profanity are also possible reasons for us to add a movie to the "when you're older" or "not until you are out of school and completely on your own" lists.

TV shows are some of the worst things geared toward children. We have vetoed a lot of shows that his friends may be watching, but we don't want him picking up the shows foul humor, language or attitudes.

It gets harder when they go to a friend's house. We hope the parents will respectfully get our permission first.

We have let him watch all of the Star Wars movies except for the last prequel (Revenge of the Sith).

isisaquaria 4-26-2009 @ 12:56AM

No magic--

So The Black Calderon, Cinderella, Alladin etc are banned for a 7yo--wow.

No Harry Potter, how boring. Childhood is about magic--Guess the kid is not going to Disneyland before he is 18.

J.R. 4-26-2009 @ 7:39PM

Isis: I have to say, the condescending attitude you have towards, well, 98% of other parents kind of gets old. I'm no parent yet, but you come off as just rude most of the time. And you are basing a lot off of one statement. She said she sometimes bans magic, but I think she was more referring to Harry Potter - I'll get back to that in a second. But even IF she has an issue with all magic, who are you to judge her for that?

As a teenager (15) who grew up without Harry Potter, I honestly do not feel I missed out. I was allowed to read Lord of the Rings, and did - contrary to what some people seem to think, there is a difference between the two. I've also read a numbed of other classic books. Oh, and by the way, I don't think my childhood was 'boring'. I am honestly quite pleased to not be a part of the slobbering fans who obsess over J.K. Rowling. She can take a hike, as far as I'm concerned.

But whatever. I guess in your perfect life I seem like a loser, so I will say no more here to you. But I will say that I don't envy your older daughter in the least.

cricepng: Good on you! Too many kids are allowed free run of the TV nowadays.

sonia 5-12-2009 @ 11:22PM

For my 12 and 8 year olds, I go by my own judgement and the ratings. Some children at 12 and 8 are more mature than others the same age, I believe a parent should use their own judgement on what their child should watch

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