Violent Movies and Small Children

What would you do if you saw a parent with a young child at a R-rated scary movie? And what would you do if that same parent told her child to keep quiet when he became frightened and started to cry?

I did nothing, and I'm still haunted by it. Maybe I would've just made that mother angry and defensive if I'd said what I wanted to say, which was that part of our job as parents is to protect our children from the scary stuff for as much and for as long as possible. Or maybe she would've realized her mistake and tried to comfort her child. Or maybe she would've started yelling at me to mind my own business, further upsetting her little boy.

I think some part of me knew that I wouldn't be able to reach that young mom, no matter what I said or how I said it. But I still wonder, years later, how much violence that little boy has seen in movies and other media, and whether he still cries.

If you've ever faced a similar situation, share it here or on the Parenting Grade-Schoolers forum.

For my part, I am grateful that my grade-schooler still cries when he sees something sad, and becomes upset if he even reads a story about one character being mean to another. That's not to say he doesn't love "Star Wars" or slash imaginary enemies from the dark side with his lightsaber on a daily basis. But he has tremendous empathy and concern for people, and I hope he'll never outgrow that. In the meantime, I try to protect his little heart and soul from violence in the media as much as I can.

More: 7 Strategies for Limiting Media Violence