By Rene Marcus De Senarclens

This article aims at helping parents to make sound choices when looking for movies to show to their children.

What makes a movie “suitable” or “appropriate” for children?

The same that makes your actions in every-day life acceptable or unacceptable. Every story comes with a conflict. In a good story this conflict is heightened until the audience bursts with curiousity on how the hero might resolve the many challenges brought upon her / him. It is the resolution of this conflict, which makes a movie suitablefor children more than anything.

Brute force vs. constructive resolution

In many movies it is simply the stronger wins. It makes us happy to see the hero win and if the cause is just, almost anything goes: cars exploding everywhere and the bigger parts of the city laid to waste. Of course these scenarios have not a lot to do with reality, but the number of people who think they need to teach their children to be strong (or more essentially stronger than others) is frightening. Only in a constructive resolution both involved parties can come out as winners. Otherwise there might be resentment, which may lead to an even more severe conflict and more violent responses (and this is what we don’t get to see often in movies when heroes respond with force).

Criteria for child appropriate movies

- Constructive resolution of conflict

- Positive message

- No profanities or coarse language

- Feel-good atmosphere

- Age-appropriate content

- Creatively stimulating

- Sexuality and nudity

Positive message: A movie, which comes with a positive message will have an influence on your child’s values and conduct. It is essential that you talk to your children about the message of a movie and emphasize on its importance if you want to make sure it understood the meaning.

No profanities and coarse language: Children playfully learn or to say it in different words: children’s way to learn is by playing. They observe and imitate, which is a very powerful way of learning and let’s be honest here: is there a more enjoyable way of learning? By imitating what they hear and say, children also adopt language and make it their own long before they fully understand what everything means. Hearing coarse language will make healthy children adopt, because that is what they do: they learn!

Feel-good atmosphere: Like with grown-ups the impression of a movie sticks with children for quite a while. Make sure they get to see things, which make them feel good about what they see and also about the way they feel about themselves.

Age-appropriate content: Children may see totally different things watching a movie than parents and it is thrilling and enchanting to see what they detect and what their conclusions are of things when they laugh. However, everything they experience and learn should be at an age where they can follow your explanations, because one thing is for sure: Children will ask! Unless you want to find yourself in a situation where you are forced to lie (which good parents won’t do), you will want to show your children movies with content you feel comfortable talking about when they try to understand what they saw.

Creatively stimulating: Children sit on a treasure, which most of them lose over time: their creativity. Our academic education system does not work with children’s creativity enough or like Ser Ken Robinson (professor of the arts, knighted by the British queen for his services to education) puts it:

“Education is not a linear process of preparation for the future: it is about cultivating the talents and sensibilities through which we can live our best lives in the present and create the future for ourselves.”

Show your children movies, which make them want to draw pictures or tell sequel stories they made up themselves before they go to bed or invite them to do so: you might be surprised about the outcome!

Sexuality and nudity: Allow me to remark that I am not entirely sure whether a young child will take damage seeing nudity (e.g. naked legs) in a movie. While it will probably simply see them for what they really are: body parts, which allow us to go places.

On the other hand I firmly believe that a child will always recognize violence and always be disturbed by it. However, I recognize that nudity and sexuality and its impact on children is perceived differently and therefore will not recommend children’s movies containing such.

Movie research

The IMDB (International Movie Database) makes a fantastic place to research for movies with all the information about a movie in place a parent could wish for (Even for Movies in production there is basic information already available)

By John T Jones, Ph.D.

There is an old joke about President Taft who was greatly overweight. A boy was talking to his mother at breakfast looking out over the ocean. He said, “Mother, can I go swimming?” She smiled and answered, “Not now, David. The president is using the ocean.”

Each of our presidents had a favorite food. Taft was a ham man while FDR liked Welch Rabbit, a cheesy concoction spread over toast. I’m sure that President Taft would have loved that too. Now that would have added to his girth.

George W. Bush loved huevos rancheros or “ranch eggs” which happens to be my favorite Mexican dish although I can get away with not having it for about one week.

As Taft was broad, Lincoln was tall. His mother said that if he grew still taller she would have to scrub her whitewashed ceiling. Lincoln is said to have picked up a couple of boys who had found walking barefoot in mud and he had them “walk” on the ceiling. His mother thought that was very funny but Abe had to whitewash the ceiling.

When a lady sat on Lincoln’s top hat he said that all she had to do was ask and he would have told her it would not fit her.

From President Washington’s hounds to President Obama’s Portuguese Water Dog, our presidents have owned dogs. Maybe you remember a couple of uproars about presidents and their dogs. Mrs. FDR took her mutt, Fido, on a military flight kicking a soldier off. President Lyndon B. Johnson hung his Basset by holding its ears. Johnson said that was good for Bassets.

Johnson’s dog, Him, was run over and killed on the White House grounds. (Where was the Secret Service?)

Herbert Hoover’s son raised alligators in the White House.

George Washington, the third president of the Continental Congress, was the first to be called, President of the United States. He approved the Great Seal of the United States. He was not elected by the people.

Jimmy Carter was the first president to be born in a hospital. President Jefferson stopped bowing and started hand shaking as a greeting. He was very intelligent. President Kennedy said to a group of top scientist and other scholarly types that it was the largest gathering of great minds since President Jefferson sat in his study by himself.

Four of our presidents have been assassinated, Abraham Lincoln, James Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy. There have been attempts on Andrew Jackson, FDR, Truman, Ford and Reagan. Reagan was seriously wounded and it was a miracle that the doctors were able to save him.

Some of our presidents had miraculous powers. George Washington was said to cure lepers. Lincoln was said to make a cow disappear in his hat. Hmm!

Well we know that our presidents can change things or make them disappear.

George W. Bush made the Clinton surplus disappear.

Obama made our impression that he was intelligent disappear.

By Paul Archer

Being a typical bloke, I’m terrible at multitasking, never ask for directions when lost in the car and would never, under any circumstances, ask for assistance in a store.

Have you ever been in a store browsing and a sales assistant comes up to you unannounced “can I help you Sir?” When this happens to me I instinctively say “no thanks, just looking” even if I actually do need some help.  This instinctive knee-jerk reaction is commonplace when selling, particularly on the phone.

The golden rule with handling knee-jerk reservations, is to appreciate that most customers will have a negative initial reaction to a sales call. You’ve interrupted them, they probably weren’t expecting you and possibly don’t want to speak with you, so they’ll quickly come up with a reason to get you off the phone. It’s natural; you’d do the same wouldn’t you?

If you’re sure of the value you can provide, then plan a response to the common objections you’ll get.  I stress this, plan your approach, don’t can it or sound as though you’re reading off a script.  Yuk.

Typical knee-jerk reactions are “I wouldn’t be interested right now” and “I need to think about it” or “I already have that covered”

Remember they just want to get rid of you, these are knee-jerk reactions. Deal with the initial retort and you could be on a roll.

I wouldn’t be interested right now

You need to come back on this one, “I know you must get a lot of calls on this and this must be tiring…let me just say Bob, that this call will honestly make a difference to you”

Then come back with some more value that you can provide.

I need to think about it

This is a classic because it’s hiding something. We need to isolate what that is. Customers use this when they’re busy and want you to go away but they don’t want to tell you directly.

Be open with them “Bob, I see…however, when I say that to people, I normally mean one of three things.  1. I’m not going to do anything here, 2. I like the idea but I have no budget or 3. I like the idea but I see some problems. Bob, do you mind me asking which one are you?”

I already have that covered.

“That’s great Bob and I’m glad you have this covered. But if you ever have a need to compare with another supplier, can I ask that you consider me? Bob, before I go…what might be happening for you to be considering someone different?”