How to Rate Movies for a Child's Viewing

Posted by Anonymous , 9/4/2007 Tags:RateMoviesChildViewing
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How to Rate Movies for a Child's Viewing

Introduction

Remember when "adult" movies were ones with kissing? Today's movies are a lot more challenging for parents to monitor, but these guidelines can help.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Steps

1

Step One

Understand what today's rating system means. Beyond G, PG, PG-13 and R, many newspapers, magazines and Web sites rate films based on violent content, coarse language, nudity and adult themes.
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Step Two

Find out about the particular film your child wants to watch. Just because it has a PG rating doesn't mean you would allow your child to watch it if you knew more about it.
3

Step Three

Know your values and stick to them. If you don't approve of living together outside of marriage, your ten-year-old shouldn't watch movies that condone such behavior (even if "everyone else is going").
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Step Four

Know your child. Is she liable to have nightmares about violent scenes from a movie? Is she more or less mature than others the same age?
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Step Five

Communicate your standards clearly. Your child should know your rules about movies - for example, to ask for permission before watching any movie that's not rated G - and should know what to do if presented with the opportunity to watch an unapproved movie.
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Step Six

If you are unsure about a particular movie, watch it with your child. Be prepared to leave the theater or stop the VCR if you think the content is inappropriate.

Tips & Warnings

  • Suggest alternative activities when you must say no to a request to watch an inappropriate movie. Offer to take your child and a friend out for pizza or to a concert instead.
  • Get ready to be unpopular. You may find that monitoring your child's movie viewing at all puts you in the minority of parents. But isn't your child worth the effort?

Overall Things You'll Need

  • VCRs
  • Microwave Popcorn
  • Movie Videos
  • Popcorn
  • Televisions
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