https://www.instagram.com/p/CvIgnCkyExJ/

Barbie had a huge opening weekend, and beat Oppenheimer, which made me so happy! Since we were at San Diego Comic-Con last week, we haven’t had a chance to see Barbie yet, but we’re planning on doing so next weekend. We had some friends at the Con who did see it over the weekend. When we asked them if it was okay for kids, they all said that the more adult themes would probably go over their heads. Turns out we aren’t the only parents wondering about the PG-13 rating, and the whole “adult themes going over younger kids’ heads” seems to be the general consensus.

What are parents thinking?
It turns out lots of parents are on the fence like I am. Those with preschoolers and kindergarteners assume most of it will go over their heads, like I do. “I am not planning to take my 6-year-old Barbie lover to see it before I can assess,” Laura Rihn of Pittsburgh says. “It doesn’t seem like a kid movie.” She herself will be in the theater, though. “I’m excited for it and plan to see it. If I feel like the adult stuff will go over her head, I’d be fine with her watching it at home.”

For parents of kids just a few years shy of that magical age of 13, I found a lot planned to see it and don’t rely much on the rating system when choosing content. “I am letting my 9- and 10-year-olds see it,” says Becca Miller in Baltimore. “But I think the rating system is generally super-outdated and they get exposed to far worse in public school.”

In New York City, LaToya Jordan has no qualms about taking her 11-year-old daughter, for the same reasons as Miller. “PG-13 means nothing to me as far as a rating goes and I don’t pay attention to that. We’re New Yorkers; she sees R-rated stuff just walking down the street. But seriously, we watched the trailer together and it looks cute. She’ll probably whisper questions to me regarding anything that comes up that might be too adult and over her head.”

What do the experts say?
Common Sense Media’s executive editor Danny Brogan says the film has received its PG-13 rating due to “suggestive references and brief language,” and gave a few examples without spoiling the whole film.

“One scene shows Ken asking Barbie if he can stay over as they’re ‘girlfriend and boyfriend.’ When Barbie asks ‘to do what?’ Ken pauses before saying ‘I’m actually not sure.’ It’s a funny line and kudos to Mattel for letting director Greta Gerwig have some fun with the brand,” says Brogan.

Chances are, the bedroom humor would go right over my 5-year-old’s head, but my 4th and 6th graders will definitely catch the reference. Barbie also slaps a man in the face when he touches her butt (a lesson I am fine with all of my kids learning, to be honest).

According to Brogan, there are also a few stronger words such as “bitch” and “crap,” as well as a bleeped-out “motherf***er” to be aware of, but nothing overtly graphic.

[From Yahoo]

We haven’t decided if we’re going to take our kids to see Barbie yet. We’re pretty lenient when it comes to movies. Our 9- and 5-year-olds have seen both Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Mission: Impossible Dead Reckoning Part 1 (we sometimes use this website for guidance). Honestly, my older son gets more scared of scenes where someone is going to get “in trouble” (he’s a rule follower) than if they’re going to, say, get eaten by a dinosaur while on a toilet bowl. We also keep an open dialogue with them in general, hoping that as they get older, they’ll never be too uncomfortable to ask questions about something they don’t understand. We hope that if they’re exposed to something new while they’re with us, they’ll feel safe asking us questions about it, and that will continue as they grow and are exposed to new things while they aren’t with us.

Anyway, when it comes to Barbie, our indecisiveness is more along the lines of, “How many times do we want to miss the movie for a bathroom break” rather than “Do we want to explain what the patriarchy is.” I will explain the patriarchy all day long, but maybe I can do it after we stream it at home when we can pause for potty breaks? At the end of the day, it’s up to parents to decide what they want their child to watch, but from what I’ve read/been told, I don’t think Barbie is one of those PG-13 movies that you need to keep your child away from. Since I have a few days to finalize my decision, I’d love to know what those of you with children who have seen it think!

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cu49XPLvbfp/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Cuo1cUft4p2/

Source: Read Full Article