More Than Meets the Eye

By Pastor Ryan | Posted September 16, 2007

This summer's blockbuster movie, "Transformers" recently opened in the theaters across America. You may remember the popular cartoon and toy line made famous in the 1980's about alien robots which disguise themselves as everyday vehicles. I grew up as a Transformer fan, owned all the toys and watched the cartoon. So when Hollywood announced that the all-too familiar robots from my childhood were coming to the big screen I thought, "sweet, I'm there!"

When opening day arrived, I bought my ticket, and walked in to claim my seat. The first thing I noticed was how many little kids where in the packed theater. This surprised me because I hadn't realized the toy I enjoyed when I was a kid made the jump to the next generation. As the lights dimmed and the movie began I quickly realized to my dismay that this was not a movie for any 1st-4th grader. The movie included material inappropriate for younger audiences. Once again Hollywood tainted a fun film for kids with unnecessary mature content.

Needless to say, the movie's tag line, "More than meets the eye" turned out to be true but not in the way I had anticipated. Unfortunately I think many parents will be bind sided like I was by a mature film cleverly marketed to children.

To better equip you as a parent I've pulled together tips on how to protect your child from inappropriate media all without throwing the baby out with the bath-water. Here are a few things that will help you make good choices when it comes to movies:

  1. WAIT You want your children to stay as innocent as possible for as long as possible. Guard your child from dark content and scary movies, a spirit of fear is hard to work through once it has been introduced into the life of your child. I would rather be on the safe side and be called someone who is sheltering my child then allow Hollywood to influence my kid and their conscience be seared. When in doubt trust the Holy Spirit in you and if you feel a check in your spirit don't let them view it.

  2. CHECK Look up the movie on the internet and find out about the movie. There are three good websites I recommend: 1) http://www.kids-in-mind.com -- this is the best one I have ever found that lets you know what is exactly in the movie, dealing with content that a child should not see. (WARNING: this site gives every detail about a scene and is not appropriate for kids to read on some of the movies posted. This site is for parents only.); 2) http://www.pluggedinonline.com/movies -- this is put out by focus on the family and is intended for parents of Teens but is good for parents just wanting to get their hands on good info for all age groups; and 3) http://www.crosswalk.com/movies -- this site helps bring up discussion material for parents to talk to their kids about the movie. It can be very helpful but doesn't really answer the question on "go or don't go" to the movie.

  3. GO BEFORE -- it helps if you go to the movie before your child sees it. This is a sure way to avoid introducing your child to inappropriate things.

The Do's and Don'ts about Movies and TV

DO's

  • Go with your child to the movie
  • Talk about the movie afterward. Discuss how it relates their Christian life
  • Make it a special event instead of a common thing
  • Regulate what they watch on TV
  • Require your kids call to get permission to watch a movie at a friend's house

DON'TS

  • NEVER never let your kids watch scary movies
  • Don't permit a TV in their bed rooms or allow them to watch TV alone
  • Don't own a TV without parent controls set
  • Don't underestimate the impact of ungodly images on your child's spirit