"At 23 I thought I would be somebody" ~Reality Bites

You are flipping channels and you see it; That Movie. The movie that you loved so much as a kid and haven’t seen in forever. You settle in and wait for the memories to flood back.

Two hours later you sit in front of the TV, floored. This was the movie you loved so much? You were a kid when you watched it last, but there was so much sexual innuendo and violence. Or, even worse, it hits you differently. You find yourself identifying with the parents instead of the children of the story.

When you were a kid you remember thinking “When I have children I am NOT going to treat them like that.” Now you see where the parents are coming from. You would do the same thing the parents did. You feel like if your 7 year-old self was standing before you, she’d be bitterly disappointed in the way you’ve turned out.

There have been so many movies over the years that have done this to me. I never realized the sexual tension between Gena Davis and Jeff Goldblum…The realness of Reality Bites…the struggle of Angela’s parents on My So-Called Life. Hell, I was unaware that there was an abortion in Dirty Dancing until a few years ago when I watched it again. I just thought she had a bad flu or something.

People put so much emphasis on not letting children see anything sexy. A movie can show someone’s head being ripped off and get a lower rating than a tame love scene. If they are afraid of children growing up and doing what they see in movies, I’d rather they fall hopelessly in love than go on a killing spree. It goes over their heads more than you think.

My mom never told me I couldn’t see anything because it was R rated or unfit. I think limiting a child to what they can see is like telling a child they aren’t smart enough to understand, and no one likes to be told that. I hope I remember to do that when I’m a parent.