C.S. Lewis once wrote, “It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies,” and I feel compelled to agree. There is a baleful eagerness among some Catholics to dictate what people’s lives should look like, right down to exactly what movies they should watch or not watch. For these people, the fact that “Jaws” is a family favorite at my sister’s house is scandalous but, considering the overwhelming love and devotion there, deciding what movies are or aren’t scandalous needs a little more thought.
It’s an especially important question for dads and their sons. Men, by nature, are drawn to movies that contain violence and scary images. They also want to be able to watch movies with their male spawn, and none of them want those movies to be about unicorns and dancing competitions. Unless it’s a cool unicorn, and the dancing competition is suddenly interrupted by an evil dragon with seven heads, and only a Space Warrior sent from the future can stop it before it destroys the ENTIRE CITY… Well, you get the idea.
The question is: when it’s movie time, is it acceptable for a dad to let his boys see movies that have above “G” rated content?
I’m talking about boys age 4-10, but that’s not a fixed range. Also, I am not going to try and lay out a precise set of criteria here. If I did I would then be guilty of doing the very thing I resent: “dictating what people’s lives should look like, right down to exactly what movies they should watch or not watch.” I only want to offer three tips for Catholic dads who are caught between their own fatherly impulses and what “omnipotent moral busybodies” tell them.
1. Don’t let them see nudity and sex stuff. That seems obvious, but we’re all familiar with watching an otherwise acceptable movie and then two people start panting and groping, even if it’s just for a couple of seconds. I contend that those kinds of scenes are far more damaging than violent scenes. Kids can act out the violence in something like a big wrestling match in the backyard. They have no way of handling or processing the sexual stuff. They are simply not ready for that. I myself, a grown man, steer way clear of almost all sexual content in movies. All it does is implant the seeds of lust, and lust is a bad enough problem in our society as it is.
2. Explain things. “PG” stands for “Parental Guidance” – so provide guidance. You never stop being a dad, even when you are at leisure. Your kids will ask lots of questions anyway about plots and characters — as a general rule, don’t brush them off. We watched “Ben Hur” recently, an amazing film with lepers, a crucifixion, and a chariot race that would make Russell Crowe get weak in the knees. My boys loved it — but motives, plot developments, character behavior need explaining or they will overwhelm a small mind. For instance: “Why would God make leprosy, dad?” You better be ready for that one, fellas! “Don’t worry about it, kid, just watch the movie” is not a good response.
3. The film industry rating system is not Church doctrine. “G”, “PG”, and “R” ratings are helpful, but ultimately you are the guy who rates movies in your house. You love your kids more than a board of film reviewers and you know what each individual child can handle or not handle.