Most of the time, I am turned off by the PG-13 rating, because usually I want the director / producer / actors to take it to the limit with "adult content." However, lately, my thoughts about PG-13 movies have been in reference to my son, who is only 6, but already wants to watch a slew of films with this rating.
At the top of his must-see list is "Pirates of the Caribbean," followed by "Iron Man" and the Transformers movie. I am still pushing "Cars" and "WALL-E," and he still loves both of these films, but other kids in his class have seen "big kid movies," and naturally he wants to check them out, too.
Really, this is a microcosm of a bigger issue. Whether the subject is movies or video games or curfews, there will often be a divide between our family's rules and the values of other families. In the case of PG-13 movies, I don't want my kid to be left out of popular culture milestones, but I don't want to expose him to too much too soon, either.
I think I need to consider each film individually, and think about what I really don't want him to see until he is older. I probably need to pre-watch these films, too. Luckily, I find Johnny Depp delicious, so pre-watching the "Pirates" films is not a problem. In fact, I can't believe I haven't already seen these.
I told my son he would probably have to wait a few years to see a couple of these films, and he asked me at what exact age would be acceptable. I threw out 10 or 11 as a ballpark age, but this made him pout and say, "I'm not going to wait that long! I'm going to see them when I'm 16!"
His number and age confusion only furthers my hunch that he is not ready for some of the content in these flicks. But if anyone has any cut-and-dried thoughts about a 6-year-old seeing PG-13 movies, I'm all ears.
Molly Snyder started writing and publishing her work at the age 10, when her community newspaper printed her poem, "The Unicorn.” Since then, she's expanded beyond the subject of mythical creatures and written in many different mediums but, nearest and dearest to her heart, thousands of articles for OnMilwaukee.
Molly is a regular contributor to FOX6 News and numerous radio stations as well as the co-host of "Dandelions: A Podcast For Women.” She's received five Milwaukee Press Club Awards, served as the Pfister Narrator and is the Wisconsin State Fair’s Celebrity Cream Puff Eating Champion of 2019.
