Iโ€™m a horror movie fan. Yes, I find some twisted pleasure in being scared out of my wits. Somewhere along the line (the tightrope of adolescence, that is) the suspense and thrills of horror films equaled comfort.

However, the last film I watched in a theater did not leave me terrified by what was on the screen. The true shock was occurring in the theater itself. I counted at least five children, all under the age of ten (some considerably younger) sitting alongside their parents. This movie was rated R by the MPAA and for good reason. Language and themes played a part in the rating, but the major reason was the violence. Even if this had been tamed down to a PG-13 rating (what part of 13 donโ€™t these parents get?) I still would have been appalled. I wanted to approach all of these parents and ask them if they understood the ramifications of their actions. But then I would have had to explain what the word โ€œramificationsโ€ means and the whole point would be lost.

Stupidity is rampant and creates a slippery slope. The trait is passed down to their children without concern for their future. Itโ€™s difficult for me as a logical, semi-intellectual father to even understand the thought process someone would use to justify bringing a child into an R rated film.

Are we really that pathetic of a society that we need to have someone at the door of the theater explain โ€œpsychological damageโ€ to a parent with a toddler in tow, waiting to check out the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre? I hope not, but itโ€™s looking more and more like that may be the case.

Perhaps we need to treat films like Disneyland rides. You must be this tall to see this movie. Or, better yet, we can equip theater chairs with electro-shock capabilities and any parent caught bringing their seven-year-old to an R rated movie gets zapped. And zapped. And zapped again.

Unfortunately, those solutions are just pie-in-the-sky fantasy. The only viable answer (at least in the near future) is for parents to get educated on the emotional differences between a child and an adult, the capacity of a child to differentiate reality and fantasy, and the ways in which violence can affect the growth process of a child. According to the American Medical Association, young children are especially susceptible because they are easily impressionable, cannot discern motives for violence, and (most importantly) learn by observing and imitating. Several medical groups agree that increasingly violent entertainment has the following negative repercussions: Children will increase anti-social and aggressive behavior. They may become less sensitive to violence and those who suffer from violence. They may view the world as violent and mean, becoming more fearful of being a victim of violence. They will desire to see more violence in entertainment and real life and they will view violence as an acceptable way to settle conflicts (Congressional Public Health Summit, 2000).

Until we, as a society, work on limiting our childrenโ€™s exposure to violent films, the disturbing trends will continue. I suppose until changes occur I will keep renting DVDโ€™s and keep me own house in order.

I hope you will do the same.