What's a mom to do

Right now, at this very moment, my kids are watching one of the great Disney movies of all time, "The Sword in the Stone". This movie, like many of the great Disney movies, gives me no cause for concern, unlike many of the not so great Disney movies that have come out in the last several years. I think the first Disney movie that I was really disappointed with was "The Little Mermaid". What kind of message was it trying to send anyway? It doesn't matter what parents say, kids should go out and do what they want and daddy will rescue them no matter the cost. I don't think so. Kids these days think too much that their parents do not know anything, do not understand the way their children are feeling and the kids don't need extra encouragement along that line of thinking. That movie is not now and never has been in our collection. And it's not just the idea that children should disregard what their parents have to say. And it's not just Disney. Many film companies have begun to market to adults while using kid-friendly wrappings. Movie content that should be rated above PG and isn't because it is disguised with animation or dialogue that children won't pick up on, hasn't tricked me into letting my children see certain movies before I have seen them and given my parental consent. Isn't that what PG means? Parental guidance suggested. How can I give my parental guidance if I haven't seen the movie first? One particular movie that just came out, "The Last Airbender", has caught the attention of two of my children. They keep telling me that it is rated PG so it is alright to go see. I sweetly remind them just what PG means. Alongside the PG arguement is the fact of how long was taken to rate that movie. If it took so long to label it PG what, exactly, is in there that was debated over? One of my favorite websites is kids-in-mind where I can go and see how much sex/nudity, profanity, and violence is in any movie. They don't give away any plot or story line but they tally up every little detail to every big detail so you know for sure what you're up against. They also have a rating system of their own from 1-10. The higher the number the more intense the content. They have not steered me wrong and we have opted not to go see several movies because of what I have found on this site. It appalls me to find out from my kids what their friends have been allowed to see. At times my kids have spouted the, "It's not fair" phrase when referring to what everyone else is allowed to do. I am not everyone else's mom but if I were they would be treated unfairly right along with my kids. So what's a mom to do? The only answer is, use the experiences I have gained, the wisdom and knowledge of my life and what has been passed down to me through my parents, through whose eyes I can now see much more clearly, to keep my children safe. To explain to them why I make the decisions I do when all around them the current is going in another direction.
I'm the mom. It's what I do.