Should Parents Let Their Young Children Go to R-rated Films?

Did I miss something? Does the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) not serve a purpose anymore? Last I checked R-rated films were for adults or older-age teenagers, not 10-year-olds.

Maybe its just me, but I don't think it is appropriate for a 10-year-old to be present in any R-rated film. You can imagine my disappointment, therefore, when I exited a theater a few days ago with several young children. The movie? '300'- The Zack Snyder adaptation of Frank Miller's graphic novel. The MPAA rating system defines the R rating as this: "In the opinion of the Rating Board, this film definitely contains some adult material. Parents are strongly urged to find out more about this film before they allow their children to accompany them. An R-rated film may include strong language, violence, nudity, drug abuse, other elements, or a combination of the above, so parents are counseled in advance to take this advisory rating very seriously." '300' is rated R for strong violence and nudity. It includes two or three sex scenes, including one nearly classifying as rape, and all the blood and gore you could want. So again, I ask, why are children going to this movie?

What are parents thinking? The R rating requires adult supervision for children attending these films, but why are they even attending in the first place? My little brother who is nearly 13 asked if he could come with me, and I specifically told him he'd have to wait a few years before he could watch this film. Perhaps I'm not giving enough credit to these parents, after all, maybe they can't afford a babysitter (after paying for their movie tickets) or come up with some better things to do with their family. Maybe there is a lack of creative atmosphere in their family, or maybe it did not even occur to them that age-appropriateness is part of watching films. But are we really so oblivious to think that films such as '300' are appropriate for young children? Why would parents allow their young children to watch such a film? There are explicit scenes of nudity and sex, and last I checked, sex education is not implemented until children are young adolescents. And parents wonder why their kids have sex at young ages and don't practice safe habits.

My parents did not let me view even PG-13 films until I was 13 years old, after that I took the liberty over the next few years of watching a couple R-rated films against their will such as 'The Matrix' and 'Gladiator.' But this is not a question of rebellion, it is a question of responsible parenting. Sex and violence are something that kids will perhaps be inevitably exposed to at a very young age. But to see parents not only allowing their young children to watch such films, but going to the movies with them is something I can not and will never understand.

I encourage parents everywhere to take a little more responsibility in exposing their children to R-rated material at such a young age. There is a reason the MPAA recommends parents to seriously consider not taking their children to films like this one. Obviously, they can not force anyone to stay at home or keep their kids at home, but is their advice worth nothing? The MPAA is not just some organization that thought on a whim one day: 'maybe we should make a rating system.' There is serious, diligent research and work that goes into the rating system and each film is analyzed thoroughly before it is given a rating. Please, parents, exercise a little more diligence yourselves in deciding the films your children will watch.