<p>I have no idea why this is bothering me so much, but it’s been 2 days now and I’m still thinking about it.
My DH and I went to an afternoon showing of Ted, an R rated and pretty explicit movie (language and sex). A family came in with 3 young boys(I’m guessing they were @ 9, 11 and 13).
The parents sat in one row and the kids went back a bunch of rows and sat next to us. I know it’s crazy, but I had a hard time enjoying some of the best parts of the movie(which were ofcourse the rounchiest) because the kids were next to us.
I was really mad that the movie was ruined for me, and think those kids had no business being at that movie.
My youngest S, was not allowed into the movie 2 weeks before his 17th birthday(he was with his 18 year old brother and friends), why is it ok for such young kids to attend with their parents(and not sit with them).
Am I wrong to think the parents are irresponsible?</p>
<p>I think it’s irresponsible, too, but get ready for a deluge of opposing opinions.</p>
<p>Despite what the parents may choose for their own children, they were exceptionally rude letting them sit unaccompanied at an R rated movie which resulted in you feeling uncomfortable. I would have been too. What people choose to let their kids watch in their homes is their business, but in public spaces it’s a different story. I’m always uncomfortable when people bring their young children as young a 3 (lack of babysitter?) or 5-9 at action movies packed with violence. Most have at least a PG-13 rating. Kids often get very upset, talk, have to leave the theater, etc.</p>
<p>I totally agree. My students (3rd grade, age 8) went to some inappropriate movies, like The Hunger Games and Twilight. I asked why and the answer was usually, “My mom wanted to see it”. When I asked if they felt uncomfortable during some scenes, and insisted “our eyes were covered”. Geez.</p>
<p>OTOH, I remember we took our kids to see Austin Powers, the Spy who Shagged Me when we were on vacation once. It was such fun and our kids were much too young to fully appreciate the humor, but we worried nonetheless. Fortunately the rest of the audience were a bunch of hippie types and were cool about our kids.</p>
<p>I think it was rude for them to let the kids sit so close to you. I just heard that Ted was a raunchy comedy and haven’t seen so I can’t weigh in on whether it was appropriate for pre-teens or not. Is it raunchier than anything kids can easily watch on their ipods or on TV these days? Right or wrong it’s still up to the parents to decide the degree of raunchiness they feel is appropriate for their kids, hence the ratings system…as a guide.</p>
<p>If kids should be restricted completely from seeing a movie, it should be NC-17. If it is R, parents should be at the movie with them - meaning they should be sitting with them, not several rows away.</p>
<p>I would have allowed my youngest to see Hunger games when she was 8, but she had read the book. I haven’t seen the film, so I don’t know how appropriate it would be your younger kids. I took her to the Harry Potter films too - but again, she finished reading the entire series (twice) by the fall of 3rd grade. Would I have let her sit in a different row from me - no! Which films are appropriate depends on the individual kid, but the parents still need to be “involved.” </p>
<p>Sometimes I do wonder what parents are thinking. That was one of my first thoughts when I heard about the shootings in Colorado - one of the victims was 6 years old! If her mother had thought twice about taking a 6YO to the midnight showing of a PG-13 movie, she might still be alive today. (I wouldn’t take a 6YO to any midnight show, but that’s just me).</p>
<p>If you see my youngest, now 10YO at the movies, you will see her sitting with me - probably along with her 14YO and 17YO sisters. Too bad so many families don’t do things together anymore - though I’m sure that family will tell you they all “went to the movies together.”</p>
<p>Would not have taken mine when young to such a movie. However it gave me pause when my Japanese sis in law, visiting us, took her then 9 or so year old D to see “Something about Mary.” When I expressed a little surprise, she said, “Oh, that’s an American cultural value, and in Japan we are less worried about such things.” And that made me realize how it is just a cultural value, and perhaps less an expression of absolute right and wrong. Her D was not in the least bothered by the movie, and has grown to be a fine and intensely academic young woman, like her parents. </p>
<p>CTS scout, had the same thought about the 6 year old in CO, though feel nothing but sympathy for the family.</p>
<p>Thanks all, I love having a place to let off some steam.
Just for the record, Ted is much raunchier than Austin Powers.</p>
<p>We have always sat with our kids when we attended movies with them, even when they were in HS or older. The last movie we all saw together was Avetar, I believe. Our kids were easily traumatized and very upset when H insisted we go to 3 Mouseketeers. I had to leave the theater with them in one of the early scenes. The manager was kind enough to give us a raincheck so we could bring them back to a more family-friendly movie. They were also upset by Snow White’s Wicked Witch and S was even upset when the teacher read him “3 Billy Goats Gruff” in preschool & was allowed to sit in the director’s office reading books. H was also upset by “Harry & The Giant Peach,” in JR K. Our S happened to read one of my library books when he was 8 and had a nightmare about it. (Had to be much more careful about what books he could find around the house after that.)</p>
<p>Have never taken my kids to any late movies, but D has gone to some of the Harry Potter & other premiers with her buddies. We had our kids in bed by 8 or 9pm until they were done with grade school.</p>
<p>Would not take a young child to a violent movie or one with lots of nudity, especially one as young as 6 or in grade school. </p>
<p>Personally, do NOT like Austin Powers, as I find him very irritating (saw him on airplane movies).</p>
<p>Another one who thinks it was incredibly rude for them to be around you rather than the parents but it’s up to the parents to decide whether or not the movie is appropriate. </p>
<p>I remember going to see Signs and someone brought a young toddler who screamed and cried during the first half of the movie. Someone finally asked the parents to leave. There was applause.</p>
<p>How about all the movies we had to sit through with our kids that were unsuitable for adults? Like the first Pokemon movie - really, my kids can never repay me for that one. Or the feature films with the Olsen twins.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t have brought very young kids to an R-rated movie. I did bring my mature, quiet, well-behaved kids to what I considered appropriate R-rated films for a while before they turned 17. They weren’t gross-out comedies, because I can’t do those.</p>
<p>I make no excuses for parents who let their kids disturb other patrons in a movie theater, restaurant, or anywhere else. That’s the height of rudeness. If their kids are sitting with them and are well-behaved, I tell myself that parents who bring their kids to R-rated films must have their reasons.</p>
<p>I took my son to Sideways when he was 15. I didn’t realize exactly how explicit parts of it would be. When it was over, I told him to sit tight so that people could not see that I brought my 15 yr old to the movie. 
As it happens we fell into conversation about the movie with the people who had been sitting in front of us, and they were impressed by S’s insightful comments. :D</p>
<p>I really don’t think that those parents should have let their kids sit separately no matter what the movie. It is their job to monitor their kids’ behavior, and that cannot be done from several rows away.</p>
<p>I would have complained to mgmt that there were “unaccompanied” kids in an R-rated movie so that the parents would be forced to take responsibility for them and sit with them.</p>
<p>This was D’s first R rated movie (that I know of) (she is 17-1/2). I suggested it was probably better not to mention it to her father, so the next day when he asked which movie she had seen she blithely said “People Like Us”. I discovered that she is a pretty convincing liar :(.</p>
<p>My two boys were always allowed to see whatever movies they wished. Of course, they were never easily upset by anything. We also frequently discussed things in the movies. They would see movies with more gore and violence than I could tolerate, but they laughed at me, and they have both turned out to be fine young men. I do think they should have been sitting with their parents.</p>
<p>Nothing worse than thinking you’re going to enjoy a nice meal at a “romantic” restaurant and an “adult” (R) movie with your spouse–and having to put up with someone else’s annoying kids in both the restaurant and theater. One of my pet peeves. (IMO the younger generation of parents is clueless. If you can’t afford a babysitter, do what we did: STAY HOME. I love kids. I have 7 of them myself. But on the rare occasion that we do go out, we’d like some time away from kids.)</p>
<p>I had the same thought about the infants and young children in that midnight movie in CO.
What kind of parents would even THINK of taking kids to a movie like that at that time of night?!</p>
<p>When I had babies, I was way too tired to think of going anywhere late at night. Late was after 9pm around our home, because the kids woke up at the crack of dawn and you had to be ready and cheery for them! You really do wonder about parents and/or authority figures, sometimes. When we couldn’t get sitters, we stayed home. Isn’t that what we’re SUPPOSED to do? Infancy and childhood go by so quickly anyway, unless you have babies continuously, which is a whole other subject.</p>
<p>I dislike misbehaving kids as much as anyone but the OP didn’t say that they were misbehaving in the theatre. She was uncomfortable with them sitting near her because of the movie’s content. It wouldn’t have bothered me, but it clearly bothered her.</p>
<p>I think parents need to make these decisions for their own families, as they do with many issues, and, although I may disagree, it really isn’t any of my business. I recall years ago being in a movie theatre seeing Bull Durham and a couple and their 8-10 year old son sat in front of us. I thought that was inappropriate but it certainly didn’t ruin the movie for me.</p>
<p>I haven’t seen Ted but I checked and it’s a 14A rating here in Ontario, so my guess is that there will be lots of younger teens viewing it here. I also noticed that The Dark Knight Rises has a PG rating and from what I’ve heard, that is a very dark movie that contains violence. It always seems that people are much more concerned with sexual content than violence. I’ll never understand that.</p>
<p>People do seem more concerned about the sexual content of movies rather than the violence. I think it should be the other way around.</p>
<p>Regardless, if you take your kids to an R movie, you should be sitting with them. </p>
<p>I let my kids see R movies starting at age 13 or 14, but I always sat with them.</p>
<p>There are plenty of R rated movies that I think kids could see, but I agree the parents should sit with them. I’m baffled though why parents take such young kids to see movies that are clearly inappropriate. Have they no friends? When my kids were little friend of mine and I used to trade off babysitting so we could enjoy evenings out with our spouses without having to pay for babysitters.</p>