New favorite thing

As previously (and continually) discussed, we have a pre-teen at home. We have found that we are in an in-between place with her media interests. Still liking Hannah Montana and Wizards of Waverly Place, she also love to watch Psych and CSI. She will only look for books in the teen room at the library and enjoys to flip through People Magazine. Although she still appreciates a good Disney flick, she has moved on to more mature movies. I feel like I can pretty easily monitor most of her consumption....I watch TV with her, she is not allowed to watch an 'adult' show alone (plus the only TV we own is in the middle of the house), I can read her book choices pretty easily, and our computer is in a community space and we monitor what sites she visits.

Movies...at least movies in the theater, are a bit tricker. Since the MPAA rating system has many flaws, we don't rely on those alone. Simply listing the reasons for the rating doesn't really tell you...does crude humor mean some fart jokes or Superbad? Although R-rated movies are definately out....PG-13 are not becoming common. I used to go and see questionable movies first, like Harry Potter...but we rarely go to the movies any more, I don't really want to spend money and time seeing a movie to see it again, or not.

So, The Internet Movie Database (IMDB) has a Parent's Guide section for each movie that describes exactly what sexual content, gore, profanity, etc. is contained in the movie. This is also a good for the G to PG move. It is great. You can make a better informed decision about bringing your kids to a PG-13 movie with hopes that that $30 you just spent will allow you to stay the 2hrs without covering her ears and eyes.