Ever since my boys were able to understand words, I wanted to take them to a movie. It’s one of the activities I bonded with my parents over, and having worked in a second-run theater as a teenager, I’ve become quite the movie buff. In fact, one of my earliest memories growing up was seeing Return of the Jedi.
But when we should take our boys to the movies has been a subject of debate for some time, as well as the kinds of content to take them to see. Nowadays, going to the local theater is a significant expense, and we obviously can’t take them to see the next Marvel tentpole when they’re 3 years old. And sure, the Minions are kid-appropriate, but they feel more like a commercial than true entertainment.
And then there’s trying to decide if a movie is too intense for our little ones. We’ve often relied upon Common Sense Media as a guide, but they tend to focus more on the values a movie teaches (which is fine) than whether something will scare the crap out of our kids. There’s also IMDb, but its information is crowd-sourced, which means it’s someone’s opinion instead of informing parents if something is age-appropriate.
Then there’s the matter of taste. My oldest son latched on to mythical creatures early, so while he’s the perfect audience for something like How to Train Your Dragon, my youngest is more of the sensitive type. I’ll never forget how he cried at the end of an animal-themed movie we watched at home when a seemingly small, sweet, innocent guinea pig turned into a large, evil, and destructive rodent.
Finally, my wife and I came up with a solution that appealed to our love of film and our pocketbook: During the summer months, many theater chains, including the one in our city, have screenings of kid movies before the blockbusters start for a reduced admission price. Kids’ concessions are a little more affordable too, so if our little one doesn’t like Shrek’s jokes, you can head out without feeling like you’ve wasted half of your monthly entertainment budget. You also don’t feel like the person in the theatre who took a young child to see Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness (yes, I saw a set of parents do this) and made them watch it while they cried in fear.
So I wanted to ask you all: When do you think you should take your kids to the movies, and how do you determine what’s appropriate for them to see? What do you consider in terms of age, temperament, cost, and personal interests? Leave your suggestions in the comments. And to the parents who brought their young kids to see Creed III a few weeks ago: Just because you can take them to a movie doesn’t mean you should.