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How To Choose Films for Your Child
Is the regular trip
to the neighborhood video store or the downtown multiplex
with your child starting to feel like an exercise in
parental perplexity? If so, then there is no need to
blame yourself.
Combined with family-oriented
classics, straight-to-video releases and children’s
documentaries released by niche production companies,
the sheer volume of movies aimed at young audiences
is enough to make Mom and Dad long for the good old
days of 1960s-era Walt Disney features about animals,
princes and paupers, and fairy godmothers. Fortunately,
quality children’s films are not limited to movies
that star Mickey Mouse or Peter Pan. In fact, there
are many children’s movies that not only entertain,
but also impart the right values and paint an accurate
picture of the world in which we live. The following
guide can help you decide which movies are appropriate
for your child.
Check the rating or classification.
The ratings system used by the Motion Picture Association
of America classifies movies based on the amount of
violence, sex, nudity, strong language, and drug use
your children will see or hear. Ratings offer advance
information about movies so that parents can decide
what films they want their children to see. However,
do not rely on ratings alone to determine whether or
not a movie is suitable for your child. Movie reviews
in family-friendly publications can be a reliable source
of information about film content. When in doubt, watch
the movie yourself before taking your child to see it.
Movies must be age-appropriate. Children
of different age groups and developmental stages do
not respond similarly to visual content. A PG-rated
movie may affect a seven-year-old differently than it
would a 13-year-old. Make sure that the movie deals
with a subject matter that your child is old enough
to comprehend. For instance, a movie that discourages
violence does not have to be gory or very frightening.
Good children’s movies tackle sensitive issues
and themes from a child’s point of view, while
enhancing the child’s understanding and experience.
Choose movies that present truth and
diversity. Movies should expand your child’s horizons
and increase their awareness of how people live, relate,
and solve problems. Movies with accurate representations
of diverse groups of people can provide truthful insights
on the different ways that people go about their daily
lives. Is the stepmother depicted as a devious, scheming
grouch? Does the movie make fun of people with disabilities?
Avoid films that reinforce negative stereotypes or make
a mockery of diversity.
Examine the kind of values that the
movie teaches. Based on film reviews and your own experience
of watching the movie, can you identify what values
the movie seeks to impart to its young audiences? Good
family movies should teach children the importance of
honesty, respect, charity, tolerance, and hard work.
Does the movie condemn violence as a means to resolve
conflicts, or does it glorify crime as an acceptable
route to fame and fortune? Quality children’s movies
must truthfully show the consequences of the characters’
actions and decisions.
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