Went to see Land Of The Dead with Elitist John tonight – nothing like a zombie horror flick on a hot, sticky summer day. The film was classic George A. Romero – formulaic, yes, but well-crafted and entertaining. While I’m no afficionado of the horror genre, it was pretty good.

The one thing that alarmed me wasn’t the movie, but the mothers who brought their 2, 3 and 4 year-old kids to this movie. The language was very course, the violence everywhere, and yet these women saw nothing wrong in bringing their kids to a movie that carries a strong R rating. Granted, the kids fell asleep fairly quickly, but it’s still not what I consider good parenting.

The first movie I saw in a theatre was Star Wars. I was 4, and my dad pre-screened the film to make sure it wasn’t too much for me to handle. My parents made sure I knew the difference between acceptable language and drove home the fact that movies were not reality. Yet I doubt that these parents do the same with their children. Maybe they couldn’t get – or afford – a babysitter, but there are many other movies currently playing that will entertain the kids and their parents without resorting to tons of f-bombs, graphic dismemberment, and some jump-out-of-your-seat ambush scenes.

Some parents need to RTFM.