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At what age do you/did you let your kids start watching.... (1 Viewer)

KarmaPolice

Footballguy
I already know I am probably on the prude end of the spectrum here, but I was still curious since I am having the battle more and more with my son and it seems a lot of his friends are watching stuff above what he currently is.  Just curious on opinions on when you let your kids watch, or would let your kids watch:

Animated shows like Archer, Family Guy, American Dad

Stranger Things

Game of Thrones

R rated horror movies

R rated action movies 

R rated comedy movies 

 
The animated stuff and comedies, high school.  Stranger Things- middle school.  The rest, probably at sixteen, depending on why they are rated the way they are.

His buds may be not quite truthful on what they are watching.  And they may not have told their parents.

 
I'd be fine with my 8 year old watching stranger things right now. All those others probably not until he's at least 13 but I really don't know yet. 

 
I watched Deadpool with my 14yo, soon to be 15yo son over Thanksgiving break. I would have watched him him a while ago but with 4 younger siblings we waited until they were out of the house at Grandma's. I don't think I'd have let him before this year. 

He and his 12yo brother watch the animated stuff, their younger siblings do not. 

 
I'd be fine with my 8 year old watching stranger things right now. All those others probably not until he's at least 13 but I really don't know yet. 
Really?  

All kids are different and this kind of decision needs to be based on the kid.  My 14 year old would have nightmares if he watched Stranger Things, but that's just the kind of kid he is.  He loves history, and is taking a class in high school called "America at War" covering all of the wars/conflicts almost through present.  He came home and talked about Somalia from '93 or '94 or whatever it was and we talked about that a lot.  I told him we should watch Black Hawk Down since I love that move, but realized he could never get past the gore.  

 
I watched Stranger Things with my 10yo (and S1 when he was 9)... he had no problem with it in terms of being too "scary" and loved it. The wife thought we'd watch S2 as a family, including our 6yo daughter... daughter opted out partway through the first episode- too scary, and not so interesting for her.

 
I already know I am probably on the prude end of the spectrum here, but I was still curious since I am having the battle more and more with my son and it seems a lot of his friends are watching stuff above what he currently is.  Just curious on opinions on when you let your kids watch, or would let your kids watch:
Animated shows like Archer, Family Guy, American Dad - never watched Archer, the Seth McFarlane stuff when kids were around 7 or 8. Wasn't really on their radar before then, either.

Stranger Things - kids were 13 & 10 when this came out, no issue.

Game of Thrones - we don't watch.

R rated horror movies - Older one allowed. The younger one loves horror and has seen a lot of scenes from these on YouTube (even stuff like Saw). I punted on taking him to the 2017 It ... he has seen the 1991 TV miniseries version. Not averse to letting him see It on DVD or cable when it comes out. Two years ago and before, he was not allowed.

R rated action movies - Older one not really interested, but I'd be OK with it. Younger one has seen violent fare (e.g. Predator, Aliens) as young as 8. Neither child has seen Deadpool yet, for comparison ... I told youngest he'd have to wait until he's 13 for Deadpool (he wants to see it bad, I suspect he's seen many scenes from it on YouTube).

R rated comedy movies - Older one not really interested, but I'd be OK with her watching the less sexually-focused ones (which are rare in this genre). Younger is into action & horror, not raunch. We shield him from overt sex scenes (e.g. like what's shown on Penny Dreadful), so the Porky's/Revenge of the Nerds type stuff is a few years off yet. Younger one did watch a stripped-down version of Animal House (basic cable edit) with me recently -- he got about half of it.

 
Really?  

All kids are different and this kind of decision needs to be based on the kid.  My 14 year old would have nightmares if he watched Stranger Things, but that's just the kind of kid he is.  He loves history, and is taking a class in high school called "America at War" covering all of the wars/conflicts almost through present.  He came home and talked about Somalia from '93 or '94 or whatever it was and we talked about that a lot.  I told him we should watch Black Hawk Down since I love that move, but realized he could never get past the gore.  
Of course all kids are different. My 8 year old loves scary ####. Never has nightmares.

 
Debating on when to allow the kids to watch:

The Holy Grail

Slap Shot

Have a 12 year old boy, 10 year old boy, and 7 year old girl. The 7 year old would be out on Slap Shot, and my 10 year old plays hockey. Leaning toward The Grail for all three of them, any maybe Slap Shot for just the two boys.

 
For people on the more “prudish” side. What exactly do you think is going to happen to your kids if they watch this stuff? Is it just having to deal with the nightmares? Having to explain sex earlier than you want to?

 
For people on the more “prudish” side. What exactly do you think is going to happen to your kids if they watch this stuff? Is it just having to deal with the nightmares? Having to explain sex earlier than you want to?
The bolded is the big one for my wife and I.

As far as nightmares go ... kids can be all over the place on them. Some never get them and love the rush of being (safely) scared during a horror movie. Others get upset watching Frosty melt in Frosty the Snowman.

 
For people on the more “prudish” side. What exactly do you think is going to happen to your kids if they watch this stuff? Is it just having to deal with the nightmares? Having to explain sex earlier than you want to?
For my 10 year, i haven't let him watch anything in the OP.

The bolded is a big issue.  Sometimes he has a hard time falling asleep when he sees something upsetting.  

 
The bolded is the big one for my wife and I.
@Doug B - I was going to ask this because one thing that interests me is parents reaction to sex vs violence and the reason they would be more lax on one vs the other.  

I haven't gotten to that point for either, but I think I am the opposite on the issue, and in my mind would rather them see a minute of nudity/sex vs an ultra violent movie.  Again, I might be singing a different tune in a few years after we cross that bridge because I will probably watch stuff with him, and who wants to watch sex stuff with family? ;)

 
For people on the more “prudish” side. What exactly do you think is going to happen to your kids if they watch this stuff? Is it just having to deal with the nightmares? Having to explain sex earlier than you want to?
It's funny looking back, I distinctly remember my dad telling me that he'd rather have me watch sexually explicit movies than violent. My parents were on the prudish side but they let me watch but trouble in China when I was 11 or 12. 

The biggest hesitation I have with letting them watch certain shows is their starting to repeat things they hear in wrong places or around their 6yo brother or 3yo sister, who then repeat those things. Nobody needs their 6yo son talking about pegging at school.

 
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@Doug B - I was going to ask this because one thing that interests me is parents reaction to sex vs violence and the reason they would be more lax on one vs the other.  
Look at what Scoresman specifically wrote -- "having to explain sex earlier ..."

I don't think seeing, say, a bare breast or butt on screen is necessarily damaging. Sex acts on screen are a different thing altogether -- small children have a hard time making sense of them and their imaginations can send them in the wrong direction ("Why is that man hitting that lady?"). Clear shots of genitalia can also be confusing and lead small children to comparisons with themselves ("I don't have that, why?" or "Why don't I look like that?").

 
Debating on when to allow the kids to watch:

The Holy Grail

Slap Shot

Have a 12 year old boy, 10 year old boy, and 7 year old girl. The 7 year old would be out on Slap Shot, and my 10 year old plays hockey. Leaning toward The Grail for all three of them, any maybe Slap Shot for just the two boys.
Watching the Holy Grail is a right of passage for my kids as freshmen in high school.  That's about the age I first saw it, and I just think that is the age I think kids are ready to get the humor (I skip past the oral sex reference scene, but that's cause I'm a prude).

 
Look at what Scoresman specifically wrote -- "having to explain sex earlier ..."

I don't think seeing, say, a bare breast or butt on screen is necessarily damaging. Sex acts on screen are a different thing altogether -- small children have a hard time making sense of them and their imaginations can send them in the wrong direction ("Why is that man hitting that lady?"). Clear shots of genitalia can also be confusing and lead small children to comparisons with themselves ("I don't have that, why?" or "Why don't I look like that?").
Yep. Adults seem to have similar issues.

 
My 8th grader watched the first season of Stranger Things last year.  I'm fine with that.

My HS senior can watch anything on that list but I overheard a college freshman recommend GoT to him recently and I suggested it was inappropriate for high school aged kids.  I hope he listens.

He also started watching American Horror Story and I told him that I knew he wouldn't like it, and that the first season is as scary as it gets.  That seemed to do the trick because I don't think he was into it.

I'm less concerned about violence/horror with him since he is pretty gentle and his mind is in the right place.  Much more concerned with him controlling his mind and avoiding seeing too much sexual deviancy before he's mature enough to handle it.

 
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My 12 year old doesn't like TV or Movies.  He occasionally watches Nick Teen shows with my 8 year old daughter but that's about it.  He's on you tube alot, but I'm not sure what he's watching there.  Rogue One was probably the only movie I have taken him to see at the theatre since Muppets Most Wanted.  I wish he liked movies.

 
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Debating on when to allow the kids to watch:

The Holy Grail

Slap Shot

Have a 12 year old boy, 10 year old boy, and 7 year old girl. The 7 year old would be out on Slap Shot, and my 10 year old plays hockey. Leaning toward The Grail for all three of them, any maybe Slap Shot for just the two boys.
I have the same age boys and I've been on the fence with this movie for like a year.  Still sitting on the dvr. 

 
I already know I am probably on the prude end of the spectrum here, but I was still curious since I am having the battle more and more with my son and it seems a lot of his friends are watching stuff above what he currently is.  Just curious on opinions on when you let your kids watch, or would let your kids watch:

Animated shows like Archer, Family Guy, American Dad

Stranger Things

Game of Thrones

R rated horror movies

R rated action movies 

R rated comedy movies 
My 13-year-old son can watch the animated shows, but he doesn't.

I don't watch Stranger Things.

I haven't let him watch GoT. I don't think he has any interest.

I don't think he has seen any R-rated movies. It would have to be on a movie-by-movie basis right now. I wouldn't allow him blanket access to just any R-rated flick.

 
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Doug B said:
Look at what Scoresman specifically wrote -- "having to explain sex earlier ..."

I don't think seeing, say, a bare breast or butt on screen is necessarily damaging. Sex acts on screen are a different thing altogether -- small children have a hard time making sense of them and their imaginations can send them in the wrong direction ("Why is that man hitting that lady?"). Clear shots of genitalia can also be confusing and lead small children to comparisons with themselves ("I don't have that, why?" or "Why don't I look like that?").
 I can't go a day without a kid walking in when I am taking a leak or getting out of the shower.  My son helps change his sister's diaper.  Not sure why it's confusing that they know boys and girls are different.  

The son has already had stuff in school about body stuff and puberty and we haven't gone into gory details, but he knows where babies come from, so I guess that's where I come from as being confused when people say they don't want their kids to see that.   If it's just that you don't want to talk about it, I get that and that's a whole different thing.  

I guess it doesn't compute to me when you say that something that is natural like nakedness and sex is damaging, but seeing people getting killed isn't.  

 
Psychopav said:
My HS senior can watch anything on that list but I overheard a college freshman recommend GoT to him recently and I suggested it was inappropriate for high school aged kids.  I hope he listens.
OMG.... there's no quicker way to get a kid to want to do something than to tell them they can't or shouldn't.

Any kid that wants to watch or listen to something is going to find a way.  It's a completely fruitless effort.

 
OMG.... there's no quicker way to get a kid to want to do something than to tell them they can't or shouldn't.

Any kid that wants to watch or listen to something is going to find a way.  It's a completely fruitless effort.
Maybe.  Kid's 17 so really at some point he needs to be the one calling the shots.

 
Scoresman said:
For people on the more “prudish” side. What exactly do you think is going to happen to your kids if they watch this stuff? Is it just having to deal with the nightmares? Having to explain sex earlier than you want to?
@Scoresman -  my son does scare easily, so that is a concern for me.  He is VERY in tune to stuff that could happen - tornadoes, shootings, etc.. and worries a lot about that, so I tend to play it a bit safe with that or make sure I am watching with him so we can discuss it.  

As far as something bad happening because of him watching stuff?  No, I don't think he's going to become a serial killer or something because he watched a horror movie.   I guess I come from it on the other end, and the question would be: Why exactly do they need to see that stuff?  Not to the point of having him in a bubble or anything, but I guess overall I tend to think that kids don't have a lot of time to be kids anymore.  Seems like they go from Blues Clues and Crayons to  South Park and cell phones overnight.  Sure part of it is selfish on my part, but we have just always taken the gradual approach and figure there's plenty of stuff in between and it never really crossed our minds to go that much farther than some PG-13 stuff, and even some of that has pushed it. It just seems to have accelerated this year as far as what he is trying to get me to let him watch and I was just curious where we were on the prude spectrum. 

 
@Scoresman -  my son does scare easily, so that is a concern for me.  He is VERY in tune to stuff that could happen - tornadoes, shootings, etc.. and worries a lot about that, so I tend to play it a bit safe with that or make sure I am watching with him so we can discuss it.  

As far as something bad happening because of him watching stuff?  No, I don't think he's going to become a serial killer or something because he watched a horror movie.   I guess I come from it on the other end, and the question would be: Why exactly do they need to see that stuff?  Not to the point of having him in a bubble or anything, but I guess overall I tend to think that kids don't have a lot of time to be kids anymore.  Seems like they go from Blues Clues and Crayons to  South Park and cell phones overnight.  Sure part of it is selfish on my part, but we have just always taken the gradual approach and figure there's plenty of stuff in between and it never really crossed our minds to go that much farther than some PG-13 stuff, and even some of that has pushed it. It just seems to have accelerated this year as far as what he is trying to get me to let him watch and I was just curious where we were on the prude spectrum. 


I'm from the "Make em smoke a whole pack" school of parenting, so I'd suggest you sit down and watch "A Seribian Film" with him and then ask him if he still wants to keep pushing it.

 
The son has already had stuff in school about body stuff and puberty and we haven't gone into gory details, but he knows where babies come from, so I guess that's where I come from as being confused when people say they don't want their kids to see that.   If it's just that you don't want to talk about it, I get that and that's a whole different thing.  

I guess it doesn't compute to me when you say that something that is natural like nakedness and sex is damaging, but seeing people getting killed isn't.  
Yeah, I won't claim it's logical -- much more a "feels OK/not OK" than anything else. I think for any individual parent, it's either a visceral thing or it's not.

Consider your caveat about "gory details". That makes me think there may be adult aspects of sexuality you actually don't want your kids to see right now (don't know your kids ages or gender). So, for instance -- even after what you wrote above -- you wouldn't consider the pegging scene in Deadpool appropriate for all ages, right? Or am I wrong to assume that?

And if my assumption is right -- that you don't want your kids seeing the pegging scene -- you can apply that to why other parents don't want their kids to see other aspects of sexuality. It comes down to personal sensibilities and really has nothing to do with logic.

...

As for violence ... I've always found that easily passed off as "that's not real!" to our kids once they got past the Disney/Nickelodeon stage (about 9-ish for both of mine). They both love movie-making shows like Face-Off that gives them a glimpse of how things are done behind the scenes. I think this curiosity about special effects has allowed them to have a level of remove from the violence they see on movies, TV, video games, and YouTube.

 
 I can't go a day without a kid walking in when I am taking a leak or getting out of the shower.  My son helps change his sister's diaper.  Not sure why it's confusing that they know boys and girls are different.
On this, I was talking about quite small children -- definitely pre-school and younger. And -- no logic -- to me it's totally different with family vs. on TV/movies. Visceral -- no thought. :shrug:

 
My girls are 15yo and 16yo. I've never restricted or monitored anything they've ever watched in their lives. Then again, they've never given me any reason not to trust them.  :shrug:

 
Mrs. Rannous said:
The animated stuff and comedies, high school.  Stranger Things- middle school.  The rest, probably at sixteen, depending on why they are rated the way they are.

His buds may be not quite truthful on what they are watching.  And they may not have told their parents.
@Mrs. Rannous -  this could be as well, or they have only seen an episode or two and it's not a daily thing.   I have heard directly from a few parents that their kids from 6-10 are watching GOT, South Park, Walking Dead, and R movies with them, so it is a mix of both probably. 

 
Yeah, I won't claim it's logical -- much more a "feels OK/not OK" than anything else. I think for any individual parent, it's either a visceral thing or it's not.

Consider your caveat about "gory details". That makes me think there may be adult aspects of sexuality you actually don't want your kids to see right now (don't know your kids ages or gender). So, for instance -- even after what you wrote above -- you wouldn't consider the pegging scene in Deadpool appropriate for all ages, right? Or am I wrong to assume that?

And if my assumption is right -- that you don't want your kids seeing the pegging scene -- you can apply that to why other parents don't want their kids to see other aspects of sexuality. It comes down to personal sensibilities and really has nothing to do with logic.

...

As for violence ... I've always found that easily passed off as "that's not real!" to our kids once they got past the Disney/Nickelodeon stage (about 9-ish for both of mine). They both love movie-making shows like Face-Off that gives them a glimpse of how things are done behind the scenes. I think this curiosity about special effects has allowed them to have a level of remove from the violence they see on movies, TV, video games, and YouTube.
None of this is logical or scientific and there is no right or wrong.  I hope I am not coming off that way, I am just curious about all this and how different people handle it.  

You do bring up a great point about being able to explain away violence and say it's not real.  We definitely don't have that option for sex stuff.  

And no for sure about Deadpool in general.  I guess I maybe am more black and white as far as if I feel my son is ready for ________ movie, he is ready for all the content in it or I probably wouldn't bother (or I better be ready to talk about it)  There are spectrums of all levels of ratings - ie Die Hard is a lot different than Deadpool even though both are R rated. 

 
None of this is logical or scientific and there is no right or wrong.  I hope I am not coming off that way, I am just curious about all this and how different people handle it.  

You do bring up a great point about being able to explain away violence and say it's not real.  We definitely don't have that option for sex stuff.  

And no for sure about Deadpool in general.  I guess I maybe am more black and white as far as if I feel my son is ready for ________ movie, he is ready for all the content in it or I probably wouldn't bother (or I better be ready to talk about it)  There are spectrums of all levels of ratings - ie Die Hard is a lot different than Deadpool even though both are R rated. 
Glad you made this clarification, because I kind of thought you were ignoring the fact that these kinds of norms can vary among reasonable people.  There are stories of family beds where the parents have sex right there with all the kids in bed with them.  That's crazy to me (and most I would imagine).  Your level of boundaries with your kids is also further down the road of "openness" than where I am.  I know that is due to my upbringing and the lack of openness I was raised in.  But, my kids have different boundaries than yours do and they've never walked into a bathroom I was actively using at the time, and wouldn't be comfortable with.

Funny story related to that and a slight hijack.  My wife would tell me stories of when she was growing up (even at the teenager stage) she would leave the door open to go to the bathroom when just her mom was home, and they would have conversations with each other while they were using the bathroom.  She thought that level of openness was completely normal and assumed we would be the same way when we were married.  I told her under no circumstance was I comfortable with her in the bathroom when I was using it, and I didn't particularly care to have her leave it open either.  She was almost bummed I shot this down with her.  Fast forward 16 years.  I was going to go into our third bathroom which is usually not in use.  The door is kept closed so the dog doesn't get into stuff in there.  I always knock, then go right in because its always empty.  I knocked, opened the door a crack and saw the light was on and stopped, and in this sliver of time my wife freaked out to the level that has not been seen before or since.  People's perspective can change over time.

 
Two boys, 14 and 11.

older son- Has watched both seasons of Stranger Things. He loves the Simpsons, and has caught some Family Guy, but knows not to watch that when 11 y.o. Is around. We’ve watched Alien and Aliens, he loves them. He wanted to see IT, but we didnt get a chance to go. A few weeks ago, he asked me if he could read the book.  (He’s a huge reader) I discussed it with my wife, and came to the conslusion that despite some of the sexual references and acts, we’d rather him read a classic if he wants, since he’s 3 clicks on a computer from seeing it already. He’s 800 pages into the book and loving it.

younger son- Has seen some simpsons, not into it. Has watched Stranger things, not really his cup of tea either. There are still movies that we watch with the older son and not him.

Both saw Holy Grail for the first time last year. Both liked it, 14 yo loved it.

 
My girls are 15yo and 16yo. I've never restricted or monitored anything they've ever watched in their lives. Then again, they've never given me any reason not to trust them.  :shrug:
Same, I’ve given very little thought to any of this. My three (11, 15, 17) all have Netflix on their owns devices, occasionally ask “what you watching these days?” but don’t pay it much mind.

 
Glad you made this clarification, because I kind of thought you were ignoring the fact that these kinds of norms can vary among reasonable people.  There are stories of family beds where the parents have sex right there with all the kids in bed with them.  That's crazy to me (and most I would imagine).  Your level of boundaries with your kids is also further down the road of "openness" than where I am.  I know that is due to my upbringing and the lack of openness I was raised in.  But, my kids have different boundaries than yours do and they've never walked into a bathroom I was actively using at the time, and wouldn't be comfortable with.

Funny story related to that and a slight hijack.  My wife would tell me stories of when she was growing up (even at the teenager stage) she would leave the door open to go to the bathroom when just her mom was home, and they would have conversations with each other while they were using the bathroom.  She thought that level of openness was completely normal and assumed we would be the same way when we were married.  I told her under no circumstance was I comfortable with her in the bathroom when I was using it, and I didn't particularly care to have her leave it open either.  She was almost bummed I shot this down with her.  Fast forward 16 years.  I was going to go into our third bathroom which is usually not in use.  The door is kept closed so the dog doesn't get into stuff in there.  I always knock, then go right in because its always empty.  I knocked, opened the door a crack and saw the light was on and stopped, and in this sliver of time my wife freaked out to the level that has not been seen before or since.  People's perspective can change over time.
Methinks you almost walked in on some solo sexy time - maybe that's what caused that level of freak out.  

 
@Scoresman -  my son does scare easily, so that is a concern for me.  He is VERY in tune to stuff that could happen - tornadoes, shootings, etc.. and worries a lot about that, so I tend to play it a bit safe with that or make sure I am watching with him so we can discuss it.  

As far as something bad happening because of him watching stuff?  No, I don't think he's going to become a serial killer or something because he watched a horror movie.   I guess I come from it on the other end, and the question would be: Why exactly do they need to see that stuff?  Not to the point of having him in a bubble or anything, but I guess overall I tend to think that kids don't have a lot of time to be kids anymore.  Seems like they go from Blues Clues and Crayons to  South Park and cell phones overnight.  Sure part of it is selfish on my part, but we have just always taken the gradual approach and figure there's plenty of stuff in between and it never really crossed our minds to go that much farther than some PG-13 stuff, and even some of that has pushed it. It just seems to have accelerated this year as far as what he is trying to get me to let him watch and I was just curious where we were on the prude spectrum. 
I was asking out of curiosity mainly, not opposition.  I don't even have kids, but it makes total sense to me not to have to deal with nightmares or premature sex talks, etc.  

At the same time, I don't know why exactly, but it irks me when I see parents go overboard protecting their kids from things.  I think maybe because its rooted in religion most of the time.  I went to Catholic school up until 7th grade, and the kids who had parents who super strict and didn't let them watch the good movies, or play the good video games were more often than not the ones who were socially awkward and picked on a lot.  Just a bad way to raise kids, IMO. 

Sites like http://www.pluggedin.com/movie-reviews/ just piss me off.  Look at their review of Lady Bird.  It recently broke Rotten Tomatoes' record for best reviewed movie of all time, but this site just can't put their God aside for two seconds to enjoy a great film.  It's basically broken down by how many times the "F-word" was used or how many times people kissed.  Give me a ####### break.  

 
you think if you don't let him watch it will stop him? probably make him want to watch it more. had this talk with a co-worker about WWE wrestling. my advice was watch it with the boy and explain anything you think needs explaining. can't imagine that many elem school kids are discussing GOT, but maybe i'm totally out of the loop.

also should admit to watching all kinds of horror movies with my 5-month daughter so maybe i swing the pendulum a little too far in the other direction

 
you think if you don't let him watch it will stop him? probably make him want to watch it more. 
I don't buy into that as a reason to do it.  Yes, I am fully aware that he could watch something on his phone or at a friend's house that we don't normally allow in the house, but I think it's still my job to have consistent boundaries of what I expect too.  

Like its been said above, there is no right answer to this and every family and kid is different, but I also don't base my decision on what he could have access to.  I have caught myself wanting to give in because it would mean I could watch more stuff I want to with him and don't have to watch Disney channel as much, but that is not a reason to do it either. 

 
I don't buy into that as a reason to do it.  Yes, I am fully aware that he could watch something on his phone or at a friend's house that we don't normally allow in the house, but I think it's still my job to have consistent boundaries of what I expect too.  

Like its been said above, there is no right answer to this and every family and kid is different, but I also don't base my decision on what he could have access to.  I have caught myself wanting to give in because it would mean I could watch more stuff I want to with him and don't have to watch Disney channel as much, but that is not a reason to do it either. 
yeah good points on the last paragraph. i overthink things a ton, so i hear ya. Best advice i can have is to not let your kid watch the Walking Dead, if simply to not have him have to endure terrible writing and the crap they put on. 

as for the other shows, i think it is hard to simplify. Maybe best advice is to see it first then you can judge. I don't think violence is all that crazy. but everybody needs to figure that out on their own. Hell nightly news is much scarier then most of the horror stuff out there. I would also think the decision is based on how bad he wants to see something. maybe start with one that is easier and see how it goes. My dad was the kind that didn't filter anything and i remember watching stuff like Texas Chainsaw Massacre at like age 7-8. Scared the hell out of me then, but a few nightmares is the worst that happened because of it. 

I got a lot of scrambled mess there, but i think it depends on what the kid really is interested in seeing so he can discuss with his buddies, you watch it first, and if you want watch it a 2nd time with him. 

 
What the hell. WWE wrestling is made for kids. Your co-worker’s a kook. 
Probably comes from the fear of the kids pulling the moves on each other with no regard to being safe.  My 6 year olds are crazy enough anyway.  Anytime we watch wrestling they love it and want to duplicate the moves.  I am extremely explicit that they are trained professionals, yada yada yada.

 
Of course all kids are different. My 8 year old loves scary ####. Never has nightmares.
See this is my two daughters as well. 

My kids have pretty much watched rated “R” movies since they were young. My wife and I use parent previews and Common Sense media to filter out the stuff they don’t need to see. My wife and I joke all the time about “Hey there are 53 killings in this movie—so that’s okay. Oh no there is a 5 second implied sex scene in the one—nope, not showing them this one.”

Each kid is different in their maturity and what they can handle. The Exorcist is still one of the scariest movies out there in my book—my girls were probably 10-15 when they saw it with us and they laughed and thought it was funny.

 
Probably comes from the fear of the kids pulling the moves on each other with no regard to being safe.  My 6 year olds are crazy enough anyway.  Anytime we watch wrestling they love it and want to duplicate the moves.  I am extremely explicit that they are trained professionals, yada yada yada.
Sit down or I'll put you in the Banks Statement.

 
Probably comes from the fear of the kids pulling the moves on each other with no regard to being safe.  My 6 year olds are crazy enough anyway.  Anytime we watch wrestling they love it and want to duplicate the moves.  I am extremely explicit that they are trained professionals, yada yada yada.
Yep, my dumb ### put one of the neighbor kids in a boston crab (or whatever the hell that was) when I was a kid.  

 
Kids aren't able to process things with the same filter an adult is.  They are still learning about the world and what is true/false, right/wrong, good/bad, etc.  Exposing a developing brain to violence, sex, vulgarity is setting them up for failure in multiple areas.  Sex is a deeply rooted, serious part of growing up and distorting it though media at too early of an age can have long-term effects.  Numbing a person to violence and vulgarity when they are young can cause a very lax opinion of such things in adulthood.

All that said, this stuff should really be taken on a case by case basis.  My 11-yr old son is intelligent, highly observant and extremely emotional.  He hears about a lot of shows and tends to become obsessive about things he is interested in. I had a lot of issues with sexuality at an early age that lingered into my adulthood and I don't think it would be good for him to start that train before he is ready, so he isn't allowed to see anything with nudity/sex yet and won't until at least 13.  Also, he has a "want to be cool" mentality that would probably see him start to repeat foul language when around his friends and that wouldn't be good for him socially, so we really limit that as well.  Violence tends to be tied with those two, so he hasn't really seen much of that yet either.  I allowed him to watch Stranger Things (over my wife's objections due to the language).  He has seen very little PG-13 stuff and nothing R rated.  I feel like this will be a struggle between him, me and my wife until he is 18 as we all three seem to have different ideas of what is appropriate.

My daughter is 7.  She isn't interested in more mature things yet, so no issue there.  I doubt we will have many problems with her other than it "not being fair" that her brother gets to watch stuff she can't.  That may all change with puberty :fingerscrossed: .  But, she is at a wonderful age right now, and aside from the occasional sleep deprived meltdown is the sweetest person on the planet.

 

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