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Tonight, I am featuring a guest blogger (my wife!) with an article she wrote recently on her blog
It is interesting what we allow into our homes and cars by way of video games, music, movies, language and more...isn't it? Here is a question to think about during this reading: What is God not God of in your child's life?
Saturday night, my husband and I sat down to watch one of the movies I'll be featuring in my "Movies Music &; More" section. It wasn't an extraordinary film, but a good one none-the-less. After watching it, I contemplated what age of viewer I would recommend this film to. We did not let our three boys watch it, the oldest being 4, even though it was a "PG" movie.
What does "PG" mean anyway? According to the MPAA, a "PG" rating is described as:
PG -- "Parental Guidance Suggested. Some Material May Not Be Suitable For Children": The Rating Board applies this rating when the members believe the film contains themes or content that parents may find inappropriate for younger children. The film can contain some profanity, violence or brief nudity, but only in relatively mild intensity. A PG film should not include drug use. (http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question467.htm)
Oh, and check this out...
PG-13 -- "Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate For Children Under 13." The MPAA added this rating in 1984 to denote films in which violence, profanity or sexual content is intense enough that many parents would not want to expose their younger children to the film, but not so intense as to warrant an R rating. Any movie featuring drug use will get at least a PG-13 rating. A PG-13 movie can include a single use of what the board deems a "harsher, sexually derived word," as long as it is only used as an expletive, not in a sexual context.
(http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question467.htm)
"PG-13" didn't even exist until 1984! Interesting. I always thought some "PG" movies made before the 90's were a bit off.
So media is telling us to be good parents and judge weather our kids should watch something.
Hmmm.
Hmmm.
My suggestion to parents for the film we watched will be for teens and older, but screen it for anyone younger than 13. Then the thought occurred to me...what if their kids throw a fit (like most kids) that they don't get to watch the movie, but "mom and dad" do!? My response? God gave those parents the responsibility to raise those children, no matter how old they are. Most of you can probably think of key verses that would support that thought...but have you ever thought of this one?
Mark 8:36 "What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul?"
Now apply it to parents and their kids...
What does it profit a parent to gain their kid's ______________ (affection? popularity? fill in the blank), but to lose their child's soul?
Yikes. That gave me shivers because I compromise in things some times. I don't always choose the ugly battles because I want my boys to like me. My heart is heavy right now.
My husband and I knew a woman who allowed her son to play very violent video games because she wanted him to "fit in" at school. This is a woman who professes to be a born-again Christian mind you, in a ministry leadership position. She was allowing her child to play video games that are violent, bloody, and gruesome...just so her son would "fit in".
One of our family's favorite verses is Romans 12:2 "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." I wonder how much we willfully allow, even invite, into our house "conforming to the pattern of this world" in order to (ultimately) have false peace in our house.
How are you doing in your house?
