A movie you probably should have previewed before letting your kids watch.
Now it’s your turn!
Choose a prompt, post it on your blog, and come back and sign Mr. Linky. Be sure to sign up with the actual post URL and not just your basic blog URL (click on the title of your post for that URL). For good comment karma try to comment on the three blogs above your name!!
The Prompts:
1.) Write about your wedding song. What was it and why did you choose it?
2.) A movie you probably should have previewed before letting your kids watch.
3.) We talk about mother’s guilt a lot…who needs it? Describe a good mom moment!
4.) Post a picture and a description that fits into this quote for you: “How far to heaven? Just open your eyes and look. You are in heaven” -Shankar
5.)Earthquake! Where were you when it happened?
{ 123 comments… read them below or add one }
Oh my goodness, you’re killing me here with your recreation of her little voice! Sad face! The poor babies. I hope you’ll be sending their future therapy bills to your mom and/or sisters. :)
I know! We were just talking about that the other day. How all the movies and fairy tales from when we were kids are now traumatic to kids. No wonder we are all insane. Myself included, obviously. Like Bambi. Mommy gets killed in the first scene?!? And The Lion King even?! Daddy gets murdered. And the laughing creepy hyenas?!? Seriously!?!?
No joke! My mom had to leave The Little Mermaid with my brother in the theater when Ursula rears up out of the sea giant. That is SCARY! On a related note, I just read the original Hans Christian Anderson Little Mermaid story….wtcrap?? Who read that and thought, “This would make a great childrens’ movie!?” That is some DISTURBING STUFF!
I had totally forgotten that there was that kind of truamatizing stuff in that movie. I do like how you tried to expain it to your daughter, hopefully it helped.
I am CRYING over here! I know it wasn’t funny to you at the time but this is hilarious!!!!!
I remember the original Benji, and I do not remember at all being scared during the movie. However, today’s movies are no where NEAR what we used to watch. Notice the difference even in Disney – Cinderella vs. The Little Mermaid… violence has intensified. It’s been a long time since I let my kiddos just watch something.
It’s like Old Yeller. Or Up. I bawled through Up! How is that not traumatic for kids?
Benji, I remember his sad little face. I think I was more upset at that movie than my son. What were killer movies for him that I had never seen were “Dumbo” and “Bambi” both had their mothers either taken away or killed. Oi vay, and of course I was crying along right with him. Your post made me laugh though, which I can always use.
Awww, that’s so sad, she was crying! I don’t remember that movie but I won’t be showing it to my son for a while. I remember watching Beauty and the Beast for the first time, I had to cover my eyes. I was terrified. Those wolves scared me.
Wow, I’ve never seen Benji. That is one ancient movie though, huh? At least as old as me anyway. I’ve noticed that a lot of that old stuff is kinda iffy. Tom and Jerry smoke cigars and blow each other apart with sawed off shot guns, for hell’s sake. That’s why I prefer to show my kids thing like War of the Worlds, and I Am Legend, and The Shining. Cause if we’re going to warp them and make them cry in their sleep, we should do it with class and flair.
I thought Monster House looked scary as all get out.
And Susan Sarandon in Enchanted? Scary witch!
And most fairy tales have motherless children, or orphaned children, or evil stepmothers.
As an evil stepmother myself, I am appalled at the way I am portrayed in Disney films – I am so much more than a poison apple.
I am sorry your kids were traumatized but your recap of the event was HILARIOUS!!!
Hi there! Linking up for the first time.
Your story reminds me of my daughter when she was younger – she was a huge censor and the only film she allowed herself to watch was Mary Poppins. The others weren’t suitable for kids, she said, because children in them were sometimes naughty and disobeyed their parents or did dangerous things! I hope your daughter recovered from the murder of the white dog!
I wish my folks would have screened Pinocchio for me. Seriously, I was traumatized by that movie…
His nose got longer with each lie to teach a moral, okay. I get that. But what was up with the creepy donkeys? And the kids smoking?
I agree with Sandrine’s daughter, Mary Poppins is probably the most suitable!
I agree with everyone. Say it with me “Disney ruined us!”. I don’t let my daughter watch Disney and religiously screen everything. We do read the books but I edit like taking out “Belle thought he was a concieted bully” replacing it with “did not like him” or replacing “Gaston fell to his death” with “got hurt”.
;-)
Me, I am the kind of mom that never previews movies. I figure that its just another thing that therapy can fix later.
Wow-note to self for when Little Bit starts watching movies! Right now PBS is the only thing in our repetoire but I know we’ll have to branch out soon enough!
Too funny! I went a completely different way when thinking about this…I hadn’t thought of all those “wonderful” old kids’ movies!
I didn’t write about it, but there was a time when I was really tired one evening and the kids were pestering me so I told them they could watch “Talledega Nights” while I dozed on the couch. I woke up to them watching a wildly inappropriate and off color scene….oops.
I now try to stay awake. And Will Farrell is off limits….
:)
Good morning ladies!
I have never seen Benji. At least, I think I would remember that. But I am adding it to the list of “I don’t think so” movies.
I was scared of Snow White when I was a kid. Seriously that movie is scary for little kids. I still won’t watch that movie!
Benji was always a favorite of mine growing up … but everyone seems to forget about the rival dog – Boomer. Does anybody still remember him?
Here’s some info on the show – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Here%27s_Boomer
Boomer?? Man…how old ARE you? kidding…I’ve never heard of it though. :)
OMGawd! Dude. Can’t believe you wrote about this because after I completed my post I bought Benji (the compilation from Target for $5, thank you Target for that) and let The Dudes watch it. I was in the kitchen and I kept hearing #2 say, “Hey Brudder, is dis scary to you?” And Brudder would reply, “Naw, it’s just sad.” I was more caught up in laughing at the 70s sounding dialogue and music, but when I went in to investigate I was horrified. Why did my mama let me watch that shizz when I was a kid?! Oh well, I guess Mickey Mouse used to smoke, pick up whores, and get into bar fights. There wasn’t any of that in Benji but it still made me think we should stick to watching the 90s version only!
The music was killing me! Loved it!
We’re like twins living the exact same life on opposite ends of the world…errr…country.
Oh, and the dead dog part totally blew their minds! #3 was yelling “DAT DOG IS DEAD MOMMY! HE DEAD!” And #2 was just appalled, he was all, “Why would dat man do dat? I hates dat man. He’s a stupid ugly poo-poo face man.” I just sat and stared. Thank goodness for level headed #1 who informed his little bros that the dog wasn’t dead-dead, just knocked out and he would get up later after the show was over. Whew. #1 saved the day!
Yeah, totally changes everything when #1 is the one SOBBING…the little ones are definitely influenced by that as well. fyi. ;)
OK, that is one movie we will definitely not be watching around here for a very long time to come – thank you for the warning!
Movies were really…different back in the day, weren’t they? Gonna have to keep that in mind…
P.S. I may or may not have accused you of stalking me in my post today. But don’t worry! I put a disclaimer at the end and used the word hyperbole in it. That should clear everything up.
I don’t think I’ve ever even seen this movie… so think of this post as a preview for me :)
That’s exactly why I posted it. For you. You’re welcome Erica. ;)
I linked up my earthquake story, our lack there of! Ugh.
“Bambi” was the most traumatic to my chicas…
I did that with Turner and Hooch with my kids. IN the theatre. All these people were looking at me like I was crazy as I sat there trying to console #1 as the credits were rolling and she was STILL crying so hard she couldn’t see to walk. Man, I felt like the worst mom in the world!
I forgot about that movie…did Hooch die? My sister reminded me of a time we were taken to see White Fang and my step-dad cried like a baby! hahaha!
You had quite a mess on your hands! My oldest is very tender-hearted and even cried in the middle of Toy Story 3.
I have that experience frequently when I watch old movies from my childhood with my kids. Why did these movies not scar US??
Maybe they did! Maybe that’s why I’m so sensitive about what my kids are watching…
…just not sensitive enough to preview it beforehand.
I loved Benji when I was younger. But I do remember it being a fairly intense viewing experience when my dad took me to see it.
Although our son isn’t into the movie stage yet, my husband told me a long time ago that our kids would not watch Bambi or Finding Nemo. I wasn’t all that affected by movies, but apparently he is still scarred from Bambi…
I’d like to add Dumbo from that list! I always hate that he was taken from his mom and ostracized from all the other elephants. I’ve never let them watch that movie here…Grandma on the other hand…;)
I can’t even name how many movie I regret letting my kiddos watch! Ugh, it’s awful. They’re going to be so desensitized! I remember feeling so relieved that my son cried when Charlotte died in Charlotte’s Web. “Maybe they’re not completely ruined for life!” I’m still holding out, but only time will tell…
You figure we made it out okay right? There’s still hope for them!
Oh no! Poor kiddo! When I nannied, I used http://www.kids-in-mind.com. It’s a FANTASTIC site for finding out everything that is questionable for children to see in a movie. It ranks the sexual content, violence, language, etc, and gives a list of what the scenarios you may be concerned about. The best part is the lists are done by parents who know what they would be worried about their own kids seeing.
Great site Heather! Thank you! I’m definitely bookmarking it!
It never would have occured to me to preview Benji either – cute old pic about a dog!
I cringed when I read your story though – but glad it worked out.
We aren’t at the movie watching stage yet (my little one is only nine months old).
First week I’m participating in this. Off to work now, but will look at other entries when I get back.
I know…he’s such a cute little dog!
Hello all, first time linking up for me!
I would have never thought that about Benji, I can’t say that I’ve ever seen it. Luckily my little one isn’t up to movie age yet…for I’m sure my time is coming. Looking forward to reading other entries!
And like Jennie said earlier…it’s all about your individual child and what they’re especially sensitive to!
Benji may have been a better choice than what we watched yesterday… Alice in Wonderland. My six year old kept announcing “mommy I am scared, this is scary.” I didn’t turn it off… we muttled through. I guess good moms do preview…. opps!
Sometimes I feel like they need to watch until there’s a resolution when they’re scared so that they can see that everything turns out okay in the end. Usually.
This has happened so many times and I’m sure that I’ll keep on doing it! It’s just so hard to know what to let them watch and what not and then to find the time to watch the movie first! Geesh!
Thankfully my kids seem to be well adjusted and mostly unaffected by my not-always-so-good movie choices.
It’s called “desensitized” ;)…and now my kids are too. Guess I really don’t need to preview movies now…which is good, because I really wasn’t planning to. ;)
OMG love the pic of you! hahaha I actually saw Benji in the theater as a kid, but I have no recollection of it at all. It must have been so traumatic that it is repressed somewhere deep in there, and from the sounds of it, there it can stay!
I like to remind everyone how pretty I can be by posting those super flattering pictures. ;)
I bet if you watched it again you would start remembering.
I knew there was a reason I hadn’t seen Benji. I refuse to cry damnit.
xoxoxoox
Boy! Lucky it wasn’t Where the Red Fern Grows?. Poor Maile! But what a sweet heart she has.
I really enjoyed this week’s prompts. I couldn’t use just one picture, but I love how it turned out.
And the moral of the story is that you just have to know your own kids and what they can handle — and preview movies. Great photos!
Love your WW posts!
I probably wouldn’t have previewed Benji either. I mean, isn’t it supposed to be for kids? LOL
First WWorkshop. Love this blog idea of yours!! thank You!
Hope you enjoyed it!
I probably wouldn’t have previewed the movie either. I naively assume anything by Disney or with animals in it is a kids movie. UP proved me wrong.
I was crying withing 5 minutes of UP. SO sad!
I’m constantly complaining about Disney movies…but always take my kids to see them. Such a hypocrite like that.
I KNEW someone would write about this movie. I rented it from Netflix for my daughter because I thought the same thing you did. It’s for kids… right? We watched it as kids… right? Even though I don’t remember it either. I came home right after the kicking seen (she was watching it with David) and walked in to full on hysterics. I couldn’t even get her calmed down. It was horrible. New rule at our house. NO MORE ANIMAL MOVIES FROM THE 70′S!
YES! Than you know exactly what scene I’m talking about! That’s awesome that we both got to experience this with our kids. It’s amazing we’re normal functioning adults considering the movies we grew up watching!
It happens to the best of us. I need to preview movies for myself as well since I thought that ‘Paronormal Activity’ would be a cool movie to watch. Boy was I wrong. I did not sleep for a week and get scared during the day now. So I will make sure I know what the hell is going on with the kids movies now for sure.
I can’t handle scary movies at ALL…must be where Maile gets it.
Funny post! That thought never occured to me, even when i saw the movie title – of course it has been 20 + years since I have actually seen that movie so, I can’t blame ya there! I linked up my post today.
I have had a lot of those moments…..guess I should be more careful.
Oh goodness!! I don’t remember ever watching Benji when I was growing up. I knew who he was, but I don’t think I ever watched the movie. Yeah, I try to preview movies before the kids see them *lol* Otherwise it gets a bit scary sometimes :)
Not to mention my daughter is extremely sensitive to that stuff. She used to cover her eyes during Elmo in Grouchland when Elmo’s blanket was stolen by a mean man. She hasn’t changed a bit.
I saw those movies as a kid and they were hella depressing! There are several of them (maybe 10?) and I think my fav was For the Love of Benji. He’s chased by a dobberman in Greece because some secret code or something was glued to his paw. Alsmost as stupid as it was depressing. Also I think it was made in like 1977-78 which means the movie you showed your kids was probably from 75. Maybe they were crying because of the bell bottoms?
I know way too much about Benji.
Oh it was SO old school! Complete with that weird 70′s porn music. Surely you know what I’m talking about.
I didn’t realize there were so many Benji movies!
Too funny! I’m visiting from SITS (you commented just above me!) and love your site. You’re doing a fantastic job with it. The “polishing” isn’t that necessary as I think you’re great (and I was an editor before being laid off in 2008, so I kinda know good writing).
Love it! I’ll be back.
(Oh, and your Alexa rating is pretty darn good, too: 114,945 today! So you’re doing a great job!)
Wow thanks Lisa! Nice compliment coming from a professional!
Oh my gosh! I never watched Benji as a kid, but I am thinking I won’t let mine watch it either, at least until they are older. I think I will be previewing all movies from here on out!
Oh dear … what a traumatic moment for everyone. I remember watching Benji as a little kid but I spaced out all that stuff. I probably would have let my Little One watch it too. Funny how memory wipes out bad stuff. I thought Indiana Jones wasn’t scary until 5.5 minutes in when Indy’s friend gets spiked in a pretty gross way. That was the end of that … and me not watching movies beforehand. I guess we all learn the hard way. At least you can blame this on someone else for giving it to you in the first place.
It’s important to try to place blame on anything other than yourself.
That’s kind of the motto I live by. ;)
this is my first time participating in your writers workshop. thanks for the great idea, thanks for stirring up some great stuff! : )
I hope you had fun and check out a couple other participants. It’s fun to see the different spin people take on the same prompt!
I will not be showing that one to my kids. I still remember how sad it was from when I was 6!!!
Maile’s six and it’s the first movie she’s ever cried at! I know I can’t protect her from those feelings and the funny part is she got up the next day and wanted to watch it again!
Oh goodness! You crack me up! :>
I just started visiting you & your online home here a few days ago, which means the writers workshops are new to me. I put up a ‘writing’ post this morning, but since its not written from one of your prompts, I didn’t link up. Just wanted to say that I did, since You made me think & dare to do it! :>
Have a fun day!
Thanks Karen! hopefully you can play along and link up next week!
I loved Benji! ANd of course I do remember cyring…it was all very dramatic.
You can be forgiven. It’s a kids movie, how the heck can we vet everything. Btw you handled it very well! xx
This is my first time participating, and I really enjoyed the challenge! I can’t wait to read some of the other entries – lots of participants.
I appreciate your great idea!
Shoot, I bought Gremlins because I remembered watching it as a little ‘un and liking it. I hear the kids “GROSS!” “THEY KILLED THAT OLD LADY!” Oh no.
Yes, Hooch died and there was NO consoling her.
lol…we’ve had a few of those “bad choice in movie” moments. I really like your bubbles…can you do a tutorial on how to make them?
So…. everyone picked the same one as you again this week! I think you may have swayed it by announcing what you were going to write about on facebook. ;)
Anyways…. I remember loving Benji when I was a kid. I think I was older than your kids though. I hope they are not traumatized!
haha and your kids are such animal loving kids! Just stay away from Old Yeller!
I am feeling pretty out of the loop because I have never seen Benji…but it sounds like a winner. Hilarious post.
I know how you mean about watching movies from when I was kid and now sharing then with my kids. Things have changed!
So at 33, I STILL can’t watch the cartoon version of Charlotte’s Web without having a complete breakdown.
All I can think of is the episode of Friends where Phoebe had never seen the sad parts of movies because her grandma would turn them off…. “THE END!!! THE END!!!!!!!!”
So funny— It took me a minute to remember Benji…. I have definitely had the same issue with my daughter, though more with music or tv than movies. I am the bad mom that raises the volume to Lady Gaga songs forgetting that the child in the back seat will repeat everything she hears. yikes!
I was traumatized by most movies as a kid, so I probably thought Benji was scary. But I’m pretty sure my little brother loved it! This post got me thinking about all the other movies out there that I watched as a kid, but probably wouldn’t let Georgia near for a few more years… Dumbo, Snow White, Escape to Witch Mountain, Secret of Nimh, etc.
My kid cried because they did the same darn thing in the fox and the hound- they faked a dog death. How cruel.
Aw, that’s so sad! We’ve never cared for Benji in my house. As a kid I always though he was lame, so never though of getting it for my three kiddos.
We usually preview movies for our kids, and everything else too. You can’t ever be too careful with things when it comes to children. ;)
New visitor Sighned up for the workshop. What a great ideaa! Oh wow. Benji I remember that movie when I was a kid.
This is so much fun! I just joined this workshop. What a great idea! Can’t wait for next week!
My first time doing the writer’s workshop! I had lots of fun doing it :) Hahha re: the Benji movie.. poor kiddies!! Glad there was a happy ending!!!
Oh my goodness! Well, I’ll be sure not to let my kids watch that movie until they are at least 30. LOL.
Where the Red Fern Grows is probably another one that your kids would not enjoy. I am now going to have to watch Benji (just not with the kids).
I wish I had previewed Up. The beginning was so sad that my dd9 (who has bipolar disorder) was nearly inconsolable! The Mr. Linky’s not showin up for me but come see me! http://mommylebron.wordpress.com
I didn’t preview and the dead little girl in the movie we watched was really dead. It wasn’t good. Even my husband cried.
These were great prompts, Mama! I just wish I had finished mine up a little sooner. I will enjoy reading other posts tonight, as I will have the house to myself!
Thanks again for hosting this great meme!
I had forgotten about how Bambi’s mother gets shot, that was a cry I do not want to have to go through again. Luckily I remembered the white dog in Benji from my childhood so I didn’t let my little ones watch! Great prompts again this week!
Benji ranks right up there with Bambi and Old Yeller….SWEET LORD! I let my oldest watch Old Yeller when he was about five years old. Let’s just say that he could’ve probably qualified for some PTSD benefits when that nightmare was over. It was BAD. Add this to all of my other faults and short comings as a mother, and this kid will have enough material to keep a therapist in Mercedes car payments on a regular basis. :)
This was my first time being apart of your Writers Workshop. And what a great one to begin with ! =) Thanks for the reminders in life…I love your blog and love your written word….
Joey Fortman
http://www.JoeyFortman.com
A lot of those old movies have simply horrible parts in them. I think I was forever scarred by Bambi…
I remember watching that as a kid, but wouldn’t have remembered the outcome either so I also would not have thought to preview it. Glad you managed to save the day and teach a bit about movies, but man.. that’s a kid’s movie, why are they hurting dogs? And because of that, why did I enjoy it as a child?
That’s funny! I don’t remember it being that sad when I was a kid, but then again my youngest fell apart in the movie theater a few years ago watching Curious George. When he had the clump of balloons and floated away, she really thought he was going to get lost and/or hurt…who would’ve thought!
i always swore my kids would NEVER watch a video that i hadn’t watched ahead of time (or sat down and watched the whole thing with them). um well, i haven’t previewed a one, and they have watched more than i want to count. but they were QUIET!!
Funny post, as usual! Benji is definitely not a kid approved movie, it makes me cry too!
I got back from vacation last night. Totally thought today was Wednesday, and I was a day ahead. And now I’m a day late, and last on the list.
Pout.
I know I watched Benji, at some point, but I don’t really remember (may it’s old age…). I decided to write about earthquakes. I’ve been in more than a few.
Oh my goodness, I remember that Benji but probably wouldn’t have remembered how horrible it was until my own children were traumatized too. Ugh…I guess I need to watch their movies more often. Mulan…that was a Disney princess gone wrong, Huns, war, women impersonating men. We are still trying to explain that one.
Some of the older movies are harsh. Well, seem harsh now, seemed fine then. Kids are coddled nowadays. Pin a $20 bill to their shirt and send them on they’re way!
I am so late joining the party this week, but it is here. I chose the wedding song one. Love reading the posts!
I am a little late-I wrote this last week-then got called out of town unexpectedly before the link went up-and I did not have internet where I was (Amish country).
Anyway-I wrote about an Earthquake in Florida I experienced a couple years ago.
Hilarious set up! I love your face in the picture. Never seen Benji, but I’ll remember this post when my kids ask to watch it, lol.