PG13 movies for preteens?

My nearly 12-year-old daughter begged and begged us to watch Twilight. We relented after reading up on the content of that film. Yes, it's about vampires and has gothic overtones, but we ended up watching it with her and it wasn't too bad in the sex/evil/horror departments.

What is your opinion about allowing preteens watch PG-13 movies. I guess our tack is to take it on a case-by-case basis and to have lots of oversight and discussion before and after...

Children are going to be exposed to world views, no matter how much we try to shelter them. I do feel that limited exposure to violence, sexual content, etc. is helpful though. No need to rush them into something they aren't ready for. At 12, they are definitely not ready to see all of the ways of the world.

I agree that discussions with your child after a movie are important. They might interpret something in a different way and  as a parent, you would be able to clear it up. Also, it may give you the opportunity to bring up conversations that would feel weird or embarrassing otherwise.

I think vigilance over what your daughter views is extremely important even after she's 13 and beyond.

I think that you really do have to treat it on a case by case basis. Why is that movie rated PG 13 ? Each child handles these issues different. Some can handle the language, but are not ready for sexual content. Some are not phased by violence.

I think as a whole we have allowed our kids to view too much that they are not really mature enough for. We are rushing them into the next phase of life. Kids are in such a hurry to grow up and we have to make sure they enjoy each and every phase of their life. It won't be long before they are all grown up and making their own choices.

Talk about it...talk about it...and oh yeah...talk about it. Using a case by case approach is probably ideal. Some PG 13 movies are less violent/sex/horror viewing then others. I've seen some PG movies that made me say, UH NO. Children want to see the latest and greatest and there always seems to be an endless supply of friends who's parents let them watch anything. It's best to keep up to date on what movie has the worst rep and what movies got a rating because they had cursing or showed more violence then a lesser rating covered. The choice also should be made keeping in mind the maturity level of the child. I have an 18 yr old who at age 13 was no where near as mature and common sense bound as my now 10 yr old is. On the other hand I have a 16 yr old who is more mature now then some 21 year olds that I've seen. We talk about everything in our family. We discuss and hash out daily what choices can be made. Many times discussions about why a movie was not allowed to be seen have proven to the child that it's for their own good. Of course in the discussion sometimes it's proven to me (the parent) that the child is ready for the next level of choices too. Talking before and after a decision is always useful.

I agree with the readers above but you also can go to a website that has good family values and lets you know exactly what's in the movie and how many swears etc... we use it for our teenagers and pre-teen. It's very helpful if you aren't able to see the movie first. http://www.movieguide.org/ I hope this helps