Saturday, July 24, 2010

What are you thinking?


We continued our kid free weekend this morning by getting doughnuts (y'all must get the impression that I'm a doughnut eating fool, nah...I just want to be but know that Kyle will say no, and get them once or twice a year).  Anywho, after doughnuts and a little thrift store shopping we headed to the movies.  I really miss going to a movie on a Saturday morning, it's not very crowded and you have to get a snack since the movie will last through lunch time.  We saw Salt with Angelina Jolie and I really enjoyed it, if you liked the Bourne Identity movies with Matt Damon, you'll like Salt, you just have to leave reality at the door, which is fine with me because hello: it's a Movie.  There are however certain men in my life that seem to take issue with all the things which "couldn't really happen" in these action movies.

But the point of this post is the people behind us brought their children with them.  Now this is not a loud child complaint or even a crying child complaint, no it's a what is wrong with you parents complaint. When I noticed those babies (they were probably 2, 4, and 6) my heart started to hurt and I started praying, for protection for them from what they were about to see.  And sure enough the movie starts with a scene with an interrogation scene that was caused me to look away.  Then from there on out it was pretty much shoot em up violence straight through.

I realize that I sound judgmental and that is certainly not my intent, but I really cannot understand how parents decide that it is okay in the name of their own entertainment to expose their children to a movie containing things that will be scary and confusing and will begin to change how they see the world after a time.

The most ironic part of it to me was that there were three G rated movies playing at the same time in that theatre, but instead they took their children to see a PG13 movie.  I know that it is hard raising children, that you yearn for some time when you can leave your life behind and become lost in the movie on the screen, I get that, truly.  But it is not worth the damage done to your children to allow them to be exposed to the cold realities of our world before it is necessary.  I think we all could stand to remember that God who desires what is truly best for our lives warns us to be careful what we put into our minds and hearts and that applies to the movies we watch as well.


Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.  Put away perversity from your mouth; keep corrupt talk far from your lips.  Let your eyes look straight ahead,  fix your gaze directly before you.  Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.  Do not swerve to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. -Psalms 4:23-27, The Bible


Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things. -Philippians 4:8, The Bible

3 comments:

Nilam said...

You know, Jenny, I can't agree with you more. There have been a few movies that I have seen in the last year that were completely inappropriate for young children, yet there were still young children in every movie. It's flat out selfish. If you want to see a particular movie that is inappropriate for your kids, get a babysitter. If you can't afford one, then either go alone and let your spouse watch the kids or wait for the movie to come out on dvd and watch it one night after the kids go to bed.

There are no excuses for exposing children to violence or scary images for your own entertainment.

agcat01 said...

Amen! On everything including the donuts.

Jenny said...

Thanks Nilam and HT :)