Page 141 - The Intentional Parent

other forms of media as we approach the twenty-first century.
VIOLENT MOVIES
My four-year-old son and six-year-old daughter want to watch the movie Jurassic Park on video. The problem is that there are several scenes in that movie that terrify me, so I hate to think of what they'll do to my kids! Should I take the chance and let them watch the movie, or should I let them feel miserable because every other child has seen it, but they aren't allowed to?
You would think that with all of the technology that exists, Spielberg would have had the good sense to make more than one version of Jurassic Park, one of which would be "mildly bloody and mutilating." Some kids can have very bad reactions to movies —not only the bloody, violent kind, even some of the so-called family-oriented entertainment. These reactions can range from not being able to sleep and having bad dreams to full-blown phobias. There are also kids who are completely unfazed by media gore and violence. These are some of the same kids who like to touch frogs and pull the legs off bugs and who believe that the family fishbowl and a microwave oven combine to make an interesting science experiment.
No one knows your children better than you do. What is the reaction likely to be? If they are frightened by a movie, will they forget about it two hours later and beg to see it again? Or do they take life seriously, identify with all of the characters in the movie, and feel as though these things are happening to them? If you are unsure, talk with them about what is going to happen in the movie first, especially about scenes that may be frightening or
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 141