New Warhorn Media post by Nathan Alberson:
Good show. I agree that it is a bad movie, I was so bored when it came out.
Never seen the Clone Wars either. I watched so much stuff when between age 9 and 15 and today I consider most movies and TV just a waste of time.
Now my question: I think Nate mentioned he watches the Star War movies with his kids. What is an appropriate age for the kids to see the movies?
My 7 year old really wants to see the Star Wars movies and Iron Man. We restrict screen time very much, we have no TV, just Amazon Prime and Youtube, and we always watch what the kids watch. Until now it was mainly Fireman Sam, Robin Hood (animated series from France), Paw Patrol etc.
Vetoes went out for Ninjago and PJ Masks which we (parents) consider stupid and fear-inducing.
What do you guys think about “appropriate age”?
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I’m going to be completely honest here. We have carefully avoided addressing that issue because we think it’s something that should be left to parents’ discernment. Kids vary in maturity, in susceptibility, in wisdom and understanding. Some kids are scared of certain things, some are more likely to be led astray by certain things. Some dads are better at talking through issues with their kids, some moms have more tender consciences.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this. I’m hesitant to even lay down principles apart from the principle of showing your kids things that will edify and encourage them in godliness, and help them build discernment. Personally I think talking through the paganism and feminism of Star Wars can be a great way to do that, but you have to be the one to decide when and how to do that. And whether. If you decide to never show your kids Star Wars it ain’t gonna bother me none.
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My eldest son is 11. His TV and movie experience is still about as limited as your son’s. He’s seen a movie here and there, but not many. No Star Wars, Harry Potter, superhero, Lord of the Rings, etc. Part of that is just because usually we’re all together as a family. If our younger kids aren’t up for it, we’re not watching it as a family. If we’re not watching it as a family, generally there’s no opportunity for Tate to watch something.
However, a larger part of it is just that I think movies are way more powerful than we give them credit for, and a 10 minute conversation about feminism with a 10 year old is about useless against the powerful propaganda he’s imbibed through a major motion picture.
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We have established a family tradition in which when a child turns 10, he or she (along with older siblings) can watch the original Star Wars trilogy. Why 10? Because I saw the first Star Wars movie around my 10th birthday.
I don’t allow my kids to watch the other Star Wars movies or the LOTR movies or the Harry Potter movies (or read Harry Potter) not so much out of concern for the moral value system but predominantly because I think they are lousy on an aesthetic and literary basis. We do keep an eye on and limit what our children read and watch, even as teenagers, but artistic quality plays a bigger role in our family than it seems to do for most Christians. For example, I let the kids watch certain Wagner operas despite the Wagnerian ethos because the artistic quality is so high.
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