Ask Dali Mama

DEAR DALI MAMA:

Do you think it is harmful to let my kids (5 and 8 years old) watch PG movies with slight violence but it’s more kidding-around stuff? Like Home Alone, for example. I’d rather my kids don’t watch that kind of stuff just yet but my wife thinks it’s not a big deal. I just feel like they’re going to see all kinds of things when they get older and I’d rather protect them from it a little while longer while I still can.

—Concerned Father (United States)

DEAR CONCERNED FATHER:

I’d have to re-watch the movie but I seem to recall the main character defending himself and the house with violence against the robbers. I think it depends on the kids (how sensitive they are or how easily influenced they are) and also it depends on you and your wife being able to provide a context or framework whenever they see a movie like that—saying afterwards, for example, “In real life, of course you shouldn’t do X, Y, or Z because you could hurt someone very badly.”

If it were my kids, I would probably try to expose them to movies and shows and people and situations where people interact in a much more positively and healthy fashion and where people solve things in a much more peaceful and productive manner, especially until they are older because that kind of violence (even in a comedic sense) can seep into their consciousness and affect some of their choices and can also desensitize them to others.

Thanks for being conscious of what your putting into your kids’ minds. You’re creating a better future for them and the world!