It has been in the news all weekend. Parents lined up with kids to watch the new Batman movie, The Dark Knight. This comes days after reports from a Chicago baseball game in which a parent was videotaped in the stands giving a sip of beer to a child.
What is wrong with parents today? My husband and I also saw the movie The Dark Knight during opening weekend. I have to admit we sat in astonishment at the amount of kids in the theater. These were little kids, some barely five years old-brought into a movie that some adults should have reservations about watching.
I was even more shocked to turn around and see parents sharing their giant margarita for two with their six-year-old daughter. I am still secretly hoping it was non-alcoholic, but something in my heart tells me it was not.
It wasn’t long before kids were crying all over and parents were refusing to leave despite the amount of violence and fear-driven material the kids were absorbing. I will probably never forget the look on this kid's face near where we were sitting. Halfway through the movie, I turned to look at him. As an adult, there were times when I had to turn away from the movie because it was so graphic and intense. I am not trying to take anything away from the movie. It was really well done and the actors made the characters so realistic. But this poor little kid was sitting as if in a trance staring at the screen. He looked like he was ready to just cry at any second. His face was so scared, it almost was like a surreal painting.
Why is it that as parents we would think it is ok for our kids to see the latest blockbuster without first checking it out? These movies and images have an everlasting effect on kids. These movies will scar a kid. I know, I was one of those kids.
My parents were never the type of parents to say no to movies. I was exposed to porn at a very young age. It tears up kids. It tears up kids’ self images. I know The Dark Night was not porn, but those images of violence can be just as scary for a kid.
It isn’t natural and anytime you are exposed to something not natural, it has never-ending effects. I know it seems innocent enough, but it effects how kids view life.
Center for Research on the Influences of Television on Children (CRTIC) has concluded that the more exposure kids have to tv and movies, the more kids believe it is representative of the real world. This is a scary situation.
I remember seeing Dancing With Wolves and Fatal Attraction at a very young age. I know it sounds silly, but I still have certain scenes burned in my brain despite only seeing it once.
I realize several parents have complained since taking their kids that the movie should have had an R-rating as opposed to PG-13. At some point parents have to grow and take responsibility. You can not tell me from any of the ads that were shown before the release that these parents didn’t realize it wasn’t the typical comic book movie.
Get a grip on reality. Get a sitter and check the movie out first as an adult. Don’t scar your kid and definitely do not let those younger than even that 13 age requirement go. Show some responsibility. Protect your child’s mind. Later as an adult, they will thank you for it and appreciate you for the judgment and sacrifices you made going against the status quo.
