For Better or For Worse by Lynn Johnston for August 09, 2010

My kids still chide me about not letting them watch “Three’s Company” a million years ago!!!!!

elly doesn’t want the boys watching something rated “pg” ?

Maybe Elly doesn’t have time to sit down and watch it with them, or she hasn’t seen the program or has seen it and doesn’t approve of it.

When this strip was printed in 1981, PG was pretty much the same as PG-13 is today. In fact, you were allowed to say the “s-word” in PG-rated films like Jaws, Grease and E.T.

Nothing like forbidding something to make it more tempting.

Nowadays most children’s movies are rated PG. Straight G movies are a rarety.

Maybe in Canada it means something different, like “Pretty Graphic,” “Predominance of Gore,” or “Pure Garbage.”

Elly doesn’t have parental lock outs?

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Parental lockouts (the “V-chip”) didn’t exist when this strip was first published.

The boys are 6. I sure wouldn’t allow a 6 year old to watch something “PG” without being familiar with the show or movie. A lot of “PG” material has some pretty graphic language and violence.

v-chips didn’t exist in 8/09 (when the strip was published) ?

Myming, today is 8-09. This strip was originally published back in the early 80’s.

As reticent as I am to say this out loud, I think the JW’s got one right with the no television watching. Honestly, isn’t there an outside world experience and real people to interact with?

exactly lightenup

Very good, aircraft-engineer!

Heck, the super-strict Bible college Dad went to wouldn’t let their students OR their families watch ANY movies or cable, claiming that even “G” ones financially supported what they called “filth”. Dad had to sneak us into his workplace after hours (with permission of his boss) just so we could see Superman III. Elly’s kids have it good.

Those rating are there for a reason. I remember my son’s 3rd grade teacher decided to ignore the school policy of G movies only for the lower grades when she showed Jumanji. I was the room mom that day. Most of the kids sat in stunned silence through most of the movie and one girl ended up on my lap with her head buried on my shoulder. That was 12 years ago. It’s about the only “kid” movie that my son has never rented from Family Video, ever. Even now that he’s an adult. He watches the goriest zombie movies, but doesn’t like Jumanji. If he’d seen it for the first time when he was in 6th grade, he’d probably love it and watch it once a month.

I had the best V-chip money could buy as a kid. It was called Mom and Dad.

In those years, the lock out WAS Mom! The TV my kids had access to only had the standard channels (mine had “ON TV”- before cable- but I wired the house to limit their access while getting more “fun adult stuff” I could watch in my room.

lol, aircraft-engineer. Love it.

G mean gross PG means pretty good R means radical and M means marvelous

Those were the days growing up. First it was General Audiences. Then Parental Guidance Suggested. Then Parents Strongly Cautioned. Then Restricted. Then No Children Under 17 Admitted, which was hastily changed to No One 17 And Under Admitted (with a brief stance as The Rating Formerly Known as No Children Under 17 Admitted).

Even G-rated movies can get away with a lot more than they could in 1985. I can honestly say that I was clinging to my seat in certain scenes in Toy Story 3.

Dude, there are NO movies rated G anymore. PG will have to do.