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Parental discretion (or: When can a 10 year old watch Alien?)

Started by The Enigmatic Dr X, 17 November, 2015, 08:17:52 AM

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The Enigmatic Dr X

A question for those of us with sprogs.

Do you let them see films with a higher certificate than their age? When?

I take the view that provided I am aware of the content (and I do check) then I am master of what they watch, not a set of arbitrary criteria imposed by a bureaucrat. My view is that I know better what makes my kids tick than someone working to an "average".

So, no shagging but plenty of violence, provided it is goodie v baddie stuff with no moral ambiguity. That's my take. I'm not fussed about language (they hear worse in school) and the violence in most films is the same as some cartoons.

So, Terminator 1 - out for the shagging. Terminator 2 - in.

But what about you? I'm skewed by my folks letting me see pretty much anything (the rude bits were fast-forwarded). But I'm scarred by seeing the Evil Dead at 11.

And, more to the point:

Can my 10 year old see Alien?

And, as Christmas is coming, what about the greatest Christmas movie ever - Die Hard?
Lock up your spoons!

Spaceghost

If it were up to me alone, I would let my 11 and 8 year olds watch Alien. It's my favourite film of all time and a bit of an obsession for me, so I can't wait to introduce my kids to it. Unfortunately for me (and the kids), my wife will not stand for it.

I've got her to bend the rules a little bit and, with her blessing, shown the kids Poltergeist, Jaws, Dracula (the 1979 one with Frank Langella), both Hellboy films and Space Balls, all of which are of a 12 certificate or higher (no 18s though).

Me and the eldest had a day off together recently, and while the missus was out, I let him watch Terminator 2, which he loved to bits. I've sworn him to secrecy though, as the amount of swearing in it would send my wife into an apoplectic rage. As you say though Doc, he hears worse at school, so I don't see it as an issue.

The next time me and the lad are at home alone, I'm thinking of letting him choose an 18 certificate to watch. He's expressed an interest in seeing An American Werewolf in London, which I saw when I was about 12 or 13 without suffering any trauma.

In short, play it by ear. If you think they'll be alright with Alien, go for it. My biggest concern about letting them watch Alien isn't that they'll be too scared, it's that they won't like it. I'd be mortified...
Raised in the wild by sarcastic wolves.

Previously known as L*e B*tes. Sshhh, going undercover...

Pegasus P Artichoke

I have two kids and I have a very good idea of what will be too scary or too much for them when it comes to films

I've never been too worried about age certificates on films as long as I know it's something that they can handle, but I was brought watching pretty much anything regardless of age rating.

If we are watching something and it's getting too much then the kids just say so and the films goes off. Me and the boy have started watching the Mad Max films together and he is loving them, he's fascinated by the car.

Alien I would play by ear as that's designed to be scary and some kids find something's scarier than others but Die Hard is a fantasic Christmas movie and should be enjoyed by all ha ha
We'll give them back their heroes

Old Tankie

I would be less concerned about shagging and more concerned about violence.

IndigoPrime

Quote from: Old Tankie on 17 November, 2015, 09:45:25 AM
I would be less concerned about shagging and more concerned about violence.
Mm. It's strange the way modern society works in this regard, and it continues into adulthood for a great many people. Look at US mainstream films and telly, quick to censor sex and blood, but happy to rack up insane bodycounts without even thinking. I got a bit weirded out by Agents of SHIELD when the characters in the previous season just started killing everyone they went near. I always think of that episode in Invisibles, where you get the backstory of someone casually offed without a second thought by one of the main characters a few issues earlier. (Swearing only really bothers me in that words with impact are now losing them, due to overuse, but then language evolves.)

As for the films and the readiness of any small human to see them, I suppose that's down to the individual parent. Only they know their kids, and can have a good guess at what will or won't affect them. That said, there is that random element. I remember being totally spooked by a scene in Ghostbusters for years, but watched 'worse' fare when young. That all said, you'd have to have a pretty well-balanced and tough 10-year-old to get through Alien without being horrified.

TordelBack

The wife and I have been having this very discussion re: Alien.  The Boy (9) has been lobbying to watch 'proper scary film', and Alien is top of the list(it gives the missus nightmares). I'm inclined to go for it myself - he can chicken out at any point.

Apparently his mates all watch Walking Dead (I doubt it TBH), but I draw the line there for now - it's an adult (if childish)story about what shits people are a lot of the time, as opposed to ladies being terrorised by robotic killings or monsters with acid for blood.

I'm finding myself curiously prudish about sexual content (as opposed to plain nudity) in movies, something I never thought I would be. The Neeson Rob Roy for example, one of my all-time favourite films and a corker, remains out of bounds for the kids for its particularly unpleasant rape scene,and perhaps the dialogue surrounding the Sibbald gang's woman. The sex scene in Terminator, I dunno, I'll have to review - I'm not so fussed by vanilla shagging, more by sexual violence and attitudes to women.

Pyroxian

Hate to say it, but Alien is full of sex - it's just implied (and will probably go over an 11 year old's head).

I saw it when I was 13 (but had been watching horror films for 5 years beforehand, starting with American Werewolf at the cinema, which scared the crap out of me at the time). I waited until my younger brother was 13 before showing him Alien / Aliens (swearing him to silence so my parents wouldn't find out I'd shown them to him).

Pyroxian

Quote from: Tordelback on 17 November, 2015, 10:26:04 AMThe sex scene in Terminator, I dunno, I'll have to review - I'm not so fussed by vanilla shagging, more by sexual violence and attitudes to women.

Sex scene in Terminator is fine (he'll probably be more embarrassed about it than anything) - Its between two people who are in love with each other, and (for once) very plot relevant as it leads to the birth of JC.

TordelBack

Cheers, Pyroxian. But there's no chanceof my showing the lad American Werewolf - can't have a third generation of this family blighted by Agutter worship. Also, demon Nazis behind the curtain are a scare too far.

Spaceghost

Quote from: Tordelback on 17 November, 2015, 10:42:34 AM
Cheers, Pyroxian. But there's no chanceof my showing the lad American Werewolf - can't have a third generation of this family blighted by Agutter worship. Also, demon Nazis behind the curtain are a scare too far.

Oh yeah, I'd forgotten about that bit. Perhaps I won't let my son watch it just yet after all...
Raised in the wild by sarcastic wolves.

Previously known as L*e B*tes. Sshhh, going undercover...

Pyroxian

Quote from: Tordelback on 17 November, 2015, 10:26:04 AM
The wife and I have been having this very discussion re: Alien.  The Boy (9) has been lobbying to watch 'proper scary film', and Alien is top of the list(it gives the missus nightmares). I'm inclined to go for it myself - he can chicken out at any point.

There's always "The Thing" as an alternative :)

M.I.K.

Quote from: IndigoPrime on 17 November, 2015, 10:19:49 AM
Quote from: Old Tankie on 17 November, 2015, 09:45:25 AM
I would be less concerned about shagging and more concerned about violence.
Mm. It's strange the way modern society works in this regard, and it continues into adulthood for a great many people. Look at US mainstream films and telly, quick to censor sex and blood, but happy to rack up insane bodycounts without even thinking.

I don't think it's society. I think it's instinct.

Take any group of mammals and you'll see them knocking the hell out of/pretending to slaughter each other from a very early age, (probably because the quicker they learn to defend themselves in the wild, the better), but they don't need to know how to reproduce until they're old enough.

...and the scariest bit in American Werewolf is that bit when he unexpectedly opens his eyes in the bed in the middle of the wood.

Satanist

Mine are 7 and 10 and always look forward to the nights mums out with her pals and we get a pizza in and watch something they shouldn't. They call it the lads night in.

We've recently watched all the terminator and aliens and some of the evil deads, Halloweens, elm street, etc. The Thing is a particular fave in our house. I tend to stick with the older stuff as to their young eyes its obviously fake. Funnily enough they self censor themselves whenever any sexiness comes on by covering their own eyes but I think that's just cos I'm there.

I think you know your own kids and its up to you to make a judgement call. Mine are pretty immune to gore and the film that scared them the most was Gremlins last Xmas.

Next ups A Serbian Film  :) Only joking next ups Dog Soldiers.
Hmm, just pretend I wrote something witty eh?

Karl Stephan

The kids are probably knee deep in internet snuff p0rn videos  :lol:

The Enigmatic Dr X

On balance, we've decided to let small boys be small boys and not push this on him. When he asks, he's ready for it.

It's selfish of me to want to watch Alien with him.
Lock up your spoons!