Seeing the commercials on tv, it looks really cute, and my 9y boy said he wanted to go. I said okay. Then a friend on facebook went Friday night as a family outing with his 2 elementary aged kids and his wife. Everyone asked for a review. She posts that she was in shock. The language, violence and suggestions were NOT what she expected from a 'family movie of the year'. So I went online to some family movie review sites and read other reviews about it. All of the parents, about 30 were saying 'no way' should this be a movie for kids under 9 and that was streching it. All of the tweens that reviewed it said that it was okay for a kid 6+.
So today my FIL calls to say that he wants to take my 8y nephew and my son to see Rango. I said no way based on what I read. So he got mad, my nephew and son all got mad at me. FIL called BIL to say that they were going to see Gnomeo & Juliet instead .. 'well Meg read these reviews and SHE wont let C go. So if we want C to go then we'll have to see this, which the boys do want to see, its just that they wanted to see Rango more ...' FIL feels that that's just the way cartoons are now a days. I say that may be, but its because people buy tickets to see movies like that. I'm not paying for my kid to see that.. ... 'you weren't paying I was.''...
So come to find out FIL, BIL, nephew's mom, were all fine with the 8y seeing this movie, basically cause they let him do whatever he wants to make him happy. Who is having anger issues becuase they let him play T and M rated Wii games and such.
So am I being to overprotective of my 9y?
Thanks ladies for all of the opinions. We do monitor the cartoons on tv. There have been some lately on Teen Nick and Cartoon Network that we've had him turn off because the language or the violence became too much.
Hubby had said okay before talking to me, and hadn't heard about any of the reviews. That in part is why in the inlaws were mad because they had already told my nephew that he could go to it. Again, they never read reviews, and were even given me the 'Oh, well my, that does seem a bit bad, but that's cartoons these days'. I'm sure that by next weekend they'll have taken just him to see it, because again, whatever makes him happy.
The guys ended up seeing Gnomeo. My son C said that it was good. A bit sad and scary in one spot, but good. I'm glad I stood my ground.
Thanks!
We went to see it yesterday and I do not think it is appropriate at all for children. I have a 13 y/o and 7 y/o and really wish we had not taken them. The language is very bad and we were really disappointed in the movie.
We had no idea and just assumed it was kid friendly.
Overprotective? No way! More parents should take into consideration the appropriateness of television, movies and games. I say, "Good Job!".
No, I wouldn't let my 9yo see it, based on reviews I've heard. One clip I heard had language that a 9 yo wouldn't even understand. Not vulgar language, simply too advanced. It seems more like an teenage/adult cartoon. I don't invest too much in the ratings anyway. I have my own guidelines about language, violence and sex and that's what I base my decisions on. There have been many times my daughter couldn't go to the movies with her friends because I didn't think the film was appropriate.
No. You are not being overly protective. You are doing just fine. But there is no reason for the "drama" surrounding your choice. FIL and BIL don't have to agree with you about your movie rating choices for your children. You never tried to say the other kids couldn't see it, right? Only yours. So if they want to take your kid too, they choose something else. It isn't that hard. They are the ones who need to step back and re-evaluate, imho.
If they want to go see Rango. Nobody is stopping them. Perhaps they will learn to get approval for these things from the parents before they mention it to any of the kids next time.
This is my go-to site for movie appropriateness. It looks pretty bad actually. Gotta love Hollywood, right? Not.
http://www.kids-in-mind.com/r/rango.htm
Kids are COMPLETELY and totally different. I don't get why we all know that as parents, but for some reason most of us flub movies. Of COURSE the same movie may be totally appropriate for one child that is one age, and not appropriate for another child of the same age, much less older or younger. You did just FINE mama. (( <laughing> and you know it especially, since people are made at you fro x'ing Rango, but not at bil for x'ing gnomeo. Seriously... kids even within the same family, much less from different families are all different))
As per your original Q... yep. Kiddo (ds8) & Nana & I are going to be seeing it this week. But my son is the type that does great with those kinds of movies, and has been watching "older" movies since he was very small, since he was fine with THEM but freaked at "kid" movies like disney. Just because MY 8yo is fine with them, doesn't mean that every 8-18 year old will be fine.
Parental Guidance means just that: guidance. I think we forget that sometimes that means our answer will be "no".
Maybe you can see the movie first. That will help you decide whether or not to let them see it. There are certain movies that I will not let my children see. Some of those "family-friendly movies" are VERY rude, crude and inappropriate, in my opinion. I've learned to read the labels and critics. I stay away from family-friendly films that say crude humor and language and suggestive themes. those are the films that I hate my kids to watch. Don't worry about your family's criticisms. If you have a "red flag" then stick with your guns. That red flag is there for a reason. Good luck!
Based on the reviews from my friends who regretted seeing it because of the language alone, I will not be letting my kids see it. Maybe my 11 year old, but she is more mature than the average child. Thankfully, my 6 year old hates TV and movies, so I don't have to worry about it.
Bottom line, your child, you have the ONLY say on what he is allowed to see. Maybe they can play putt-putt instead. :P
Here is the link for the IMDB parental guide for the movie, so you can judge for yourself if it is acceptable for your son:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1192628/parentalguide
My children are younger and, after reading this, I think we'll take a pass on seeing it until they are a few years older.
Our newspaper also warned parents to stay clear of Rango. It has some colorful language in it, not bad for the pre-teen set. But who want's their 3 year old spitting out What the H*l!? And is it really appropriate in a children's movie.
I will not take mine to see it, he is 10. I will take him to see Gnomeo and Juliet. I heard that one was really funny from other 9/10 year old boys.
And I feel we are feeding our children more and more intolerable media earlier and earlier. (OH just wait until he gets to the high school reading list). Every thing is about the shock and awe and even in the youngest of our children it is being ingrained that you have to be more violent, sexy, crass, mean, stupid.
Stand your ground.
We are taking our 8 yo to see it. I doubt the language is going to be any worse than what he has told me he has heard on the elementary school bus.
I would let my 10 year old see it but not my 5 year old. The review I heard is that it is definately for ages 9 and up. Language and mild violence were the reasons given. I figure as long as my oldest knows not to use the language it is fine. My kids also understand it is only TV and not real life.
I know I'm late in replying but I just have to say two things. 1) You're not being overprotective at all. He's YOUR kid and that's that. 2) In my opinion, a greater issue is the fact that your FIL got mad. Seriously?!?! If I told my FIL that my girls were not allowed to see a movie (no matter who he already promised it to) he would DROP it. There would be no more questions about it and certainly no anger (at least in front of me) I'm shocked to hear that a grown man was angry about something like that. So, I'm glad you stood your ground too!!!
I have not read the reviews, but if you don't feel it is appropriate, then that is your business. I am pretty easy going, so personally I would probably let my kids see it, but that is my choice. The main thing is that everyone needs to respect other peoples opinions. I would also say anger issues are not from video games, violent type play maybe, but not anger issues.
It depends on the language you are willing to expose the child to - this goes for anyone! One of the ladies of a group I'm in could not believe the 4-letter words thru-out the movie - one that's PG! She and the dtr of another lady both said not to waste our money!
Well, I got lost at about point C and then really had no clue at the T and the M, but anyway...we just got in from seeing it. I really wanted to see it, since I am from the desert.
We had our 5 year old and she really didn't get it. However, I did stop to think that cartoons lately have a hidden connotation, but this one is pretty blatant. Here is what I recall.
At one point on of the characters mentioned something about getting off his Mama's Mangos.
A lot of use of the word Hell.
Rango tells the snake to go to Hell and the snake says where do you think I came from.
Our thoughts on it are, we can't control the things other people say, but we can control our own mouths. Really, I am sure they have already heard most of it. There was a birthday party of about 20 kids in there and one little boy said he fell asleep during the movie.
i havent seen the movie but i figure it cant be worse than transformers and we let our 4 year old see that. she loved it and isnt trying to fight people afterwards. it really depends on your kid with these movies. you know what your kid can tollerate and not. is he a follower that will watch movies and think it's the best thing sense sliced bread and do and say everything they said and did for weeks and cause trouble in the household? or is he the type that knows it's just a movie to be seen for enjoyment only and it isn't real life. you can't shelter your kids forever or when they do finally see these things they will be in shock. that's my thoughts on these things. no i don't let them watch things that are over the top bad but movies that possibly just imply badness is just part of life i think. if anything go see it with them so that when it's over you can immediatly express your thoughts about the movie with your child so he knows that certain things in it he shouldnt repeat.
I'm glad you stood your ground. More parents should in my opinion. I spent considerable time and effort controlling what I said when my son was learning language, and I wouldn't let him watch anything with bad language or inappropriate behavior. I also kept him away from commercials as much as possible, which is why we have a huge DVD library. He's 7 1/2 now, and as soon as he got around older kids in daycare and kindergarten, he learned most of the curse words from his little friends. Great! But I still screen every movie before I let him see it, and if I can't see it first, I read reviews at http://www.commonsensemedia.org/. I refuse to let him see and hear what is inappropriate just because everyone is doing it, and hearing it. He needs to know that his parents don't approve, and that we will stand our ground. This is a good lesson for him to learn. You go girl!!
What is and isn't appropriate for YOUR child is YOUR decision. I wouldn't have a problem with MY child seeing it at 9, but YOUR child is not MY child. When my daughter was growing up, if I wanted to take her and a friend to a movie, I asked the friend's parents if it was ok. If they said they didn't want their child to see that movie, we either picked another movie that the friend's parents were ok with, or picked another activity and my daughter and I saw the movie another time without the friend.
It actually says in one of the radio commercials "animated movies aren't just for kids anymore" and it's rated PG so I don't think I will be taking my kids.
So many people do not like the language in kids tv shows and movies but they accept it instead of standing up and saying no. You stepped up to the plate and said no. GOOD FOR YOU!!! Your not sheltering you child your not being ridiculous you are being responsible ! Your family may not understand but you did the right thing!
If you and your spouse make choices for the benefit of your son, why apologize? That's not being overprotective. Parents are not perfect, but [many] do try to operate out of a sincere love and concern for their children. You've researched the matter, come to a conclusion, and, for now, you've determined that it's not something you want for him. (Or, maybe it's something you'd like to watch together so you can talk about it.) On the other hand, grandparents do not want anyone to question their ability to make choices for outings with their grandchildren. Given that they've raised children (us), they figure they're experts and have the right to make any choices necessary for the grandchildren. (They don't always remember they were totally different in their thinking as parents than they are as grandparents-hence the overindulgence.) Anyway, maybe the decision would have been better received coming from DH to FIL, instead of it being "Meg's" issue. Meanwhile, remember to thank FIL for taking his grandbabies out, and tell him he's a wonderful grandpa for making that time. It really is very sweet. Maybe that will cushion the original matter. Remember, it's all about relationship. Do not lose the war in an effort to win every battle.
No--you're doing your job. You may also know that violent video games are used by the military to desensitize soldiers to killing.Glad to hear someone else thinks this is not benign. Good work, Mom!
i just saw it with my just about turning 8 year old boy,,, we went to a bd movie party for a friend.... it was def more violent than i expected. there was some minor language and stuff in it, it doesnt bother me much for my son, but thats me. but the violence did bother me, there was an awful lot and it was kind of scary if your kid is sensitive. my son isnt, but my nephew or my daughter wouldnt like it, some of the really little kids were actually crying. and sometimes i wouldnt be so bothered if it teaches a good lesson that i feel outweighs it, but i honestly had trouble scrounging up something positive in it. as an adult, the visuals were really cool and there was a lot of hidden humor that was funny. i wouldnt have minded seeing it without my kids, if i didnt have to pay for it. but i wont be bringing the little ones to see it, and im not gonna encourage him to see it again. oh, he loved it!
I know you have a ton of responses. But good for you for checking it out. We won tickets to see Rango off the radio, so we didn't think anything of it since it was a family pack to see a family flik. Well I took our 8yrd old and 4yr old, and even I was shocked at some of the language and suggestion. It's funny that people want to criticize Mom's when they aren't doing enough but when you do step on you cathc all kinds of crud too! Hmmm, I think your doing fine!
