Comments on: Watch Out for the Wild Things http://betsybrownbraun.com/2009/10/11/watch-out-for-the-wild-things/ Child Development and Behavior Specialist. Parent Educator. Best Selling Author Wed, 08 Feb 2012 15:40:21 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: Betsy http://betsybrownbraun.com/2009/10/11/watch-out-for-the-wild-things/comment-page-1/#comment-15 Betsy Sun, 08 Nov 2009 01:17:14 +0000 http://betsybrownbraun.com/?p=825#comment-15 Thanks to you, Carley, for taking the time to read the blog and comment. (Sorry for the delay in my response.) It can be a tricky world out there in medialand. I recommend either previewing a movie before allowing a child to see it, or visiting one of the many good websites which help you to determine the appropriateness of a movie, like www.kids-in-mind.com Good luck to you! Betsy BB Thanks to you, Carley, for taking the time to read the blog and comment. (Sorry for the delay in my response.) It can be a tricky world out there in medialand. I recommend either previewing a movie before allowing a child to see it, or visiting one of the many good websites which help you to determine the appropriateness of a movie, like http://www.kids-in-mind.com Good luck to you! Betsy BB

]]> By: Sharon Gold http://betsybrownbraun.com/2009/10/11/watch-out-for-the-wild-things/comment-page-1/#comment-13 Sharon Gold Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:32:06 +0000 http://betsybrownbraun.com/?p=825#comment-13 Thank you for this posting. There is no doubt that, when deciding what movies are appropriate for a child, parents would like to be fully informed so that they can make the best decision for their children, and not have to rely on someone else's judgment, such as, for example, the MPAA. For that reason, I commend to you and your readers a website called "Kids In Mind" (www.kids-in-mind.com). This website uses objective criteria to rate films on a scale of 0 to 10 in three categories: (1) SEX/NUDITY, (2) VIOLENCE/GORE & (3) PROFANITY. The site also explains in detail why a film rates high or low in a specific category, and, for the parents' benefit, it lists scenes in the three categories. In addition, the site includes instances of SUBSTANCE USE, a list of DISCUSSION TOPICS that may elicit questions from children, and it sets forth MESSAGES the film conveys. Again, unlike the MPAA, the site does not make any judgments or age-specific recommendations. After parents read the full descriptions, explanations and ratings, however, they are more fully informed and in a good position to make a decision regarding the appropriateness of the specific film for their children. As for "Where the Wild Things Are," I saw it with my 7-year-old son. He loved it. But this movie is not for everyone, and certainly not for very young children (and so we did not bring my daughter, who is under 2). Also, you should know that this movie is somewhat slow and much more dialogue-driven and character-driven than it is action-driven; in some respects, it was more like an arthouse/indie movie than like a family movie. So, if your child likes a lot of action, this movie may not be for her or him. One interesting thing about this movie was that it spurred a number of interesting conversations with my son about emotions, how to deal with anger, sadness, frustration, lonliness, etc., why some children lash out when upset, the importance of family, etc. -Sharon (Mother of 7-year old son and 16-month-old daughter (who is at Les Enfants, where I saw this reference to your blog)) Thank you for this posting.

There is no doubt that, when deciding what movies are appropriate for a child, parents would like to be fully informed so that they can make the best decision for their children, and not have to rely on someone else’s judgment, such as, for example, the MPAA. For that reason, I commend to you and your readers a website called “Kids In Mind” (www.kids-in-mind.com). This website uses objective criteria to rate films on a scale of 0 to 10 in three categories: (1) SEX/NUDITY, (2) VIOLENCE/GORE & (3) PROFANITY. The site also explains in detail why a film rates high or low in a specific category, and, for the parents’ benefit, it lists scenes in the three categories. In addition, the site includes instances of SUBSTANCE USE, a list of DISCUSSION TOPICS that may elicit questions from children, and it sets forth MESSAGES the film conveys. Again, unlike the MPAA, the site does not make any judgments or age-specific recommendations. After parents read the full descriptions, explanations and ratings, however, they are more fully informed and in a good position to make a decision regarding the appropriateness of the specific film for their children.

As for “Where the Wild Things Are,” I saw it with my 7-year-old son. He loved it. But this movie is not for everyone, and certainly not for very young children (and so we did not bring my daughter, who is under 2). Also, you should know that this movie is somewhat slow and much more dialogue-driven and character-driven than it is action-driven; in some respects, it was more like an arthouse/indie movie than like a family movie. So, if your child likes a lot of action, this movie may not be for her or him.

One interesting thing about this movie was that it spurred a number of interesting conversations with my son about emotions, how to deal with anger, sadness, frustration, lonliness, etc., why some children lash out when upset, the importance of family, etc.

-Sharon
(Mother of 7-year old son and 16-month-old daughter (who is at Les Enfants, where I saw this reference to your blog))

]]> By: Carley Knobloch http://betsybrownbraun.com/2009/10/11/watch-out-for-the-wild-things/comment-page-1/#comment-11 Carley Knobloch Mon, 12 Oct 2009 16:50:21 +0000 http://betsybrownbraun.com/?p=825#comment-11 Betsy-- Thanks for talking about this. I had this exact same thought when seeing the trailers. My kids (my thinks-she's-16 4 year-old and timid 8 year-old) are excited to see this movie, but seeing the quickly-cut trailer on a small TV is one thing... seeing it larger than life in the theater is quite another. I admit, we too have shown our kids movies that they weren't quite ready to see. Our 8 year-old was horrified at the final scene in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (my husband and I just stared at eachother in disbelief-- sorta forgot about the sacrificial ceremony at the end!) Made us think twice about what's classified as a "kids movie" these days. Betsy– Thanks for talking about this. I had this exact same thought when seeing the trailers. My kids (my thinks-she’s-16 4 year-old and timid 8 year-old) are excited to see this movie, but seeing the quickly-cut trailer on a small TV is one thing… seeing it larger than life in the theater is quite another. I admit, we too have shown our kids movies that they weren’t quite ready to see. Our 8 year-old was horrified at the final scene in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (my husband and I just stared at eachother in disbelief– sorta forgot about the sacrificial ceremony at the end!) Made us think twice about what’s classified as a “kids movie” these days.

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