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Rites of Passage:  Paranormal Activity

Kids grow faster than you realize and before you know it, they've gone from watching the Hannah Montana show to asking to see R rated movies.  And while I normally toe the line on ratings - no, you can't see that since it's rated R and you're thirteen - tonight was the occasion that I crossed that threshold with Eldest.

Eldest is closer to seventeen than thirteen and was asking to go see Paranormal Activity.  She honestly didn't expect to go but I surprised her by purchasing two adult tickets on Fandango to assure that we had seats for that showing; a good thing since the show was sold out.  I started to write that there were multiple reasons for taking her, but the simple reality is that we both like horror movies and I wanted to enjoy her company for the evening. 

Besides that however, is the understanding that some things are first time events - the first glass of wine with dinner at home and the first driving lesson, for example - and it's a bit more special if you can share those moments.  In my world, taking a child to their first R rated movie is a threshold.  But before doing that however, I did the research so that our evening together wouldn't be uncomfortable.  My criteria was that there would be no sexual scenes and no drug glorification, a la Cheech and Chong.  The research is worth the effort if you can have a memorable evening together, tailored to your common interests.

And besides, it was a great Halloween flick that she'll talk about for years.

So consider those first-time moments to share with the kids, but only after doing the research first.

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