Rated PG for Parental Gaffe

A (Shocking) Walk Down Movie Memory Lane

In this way, movies are different than music. When we listen to Green Day in my car, I know when the swear words are coming, and I can hack up a fake cough or emit a well-timed "So! How about ice cream tonight?" over the offending phrase.

But with movies, you don't remember the nasty stuff until it's upon you. And you're sitting there. Grimacing. Gripping the sofa cushions. Picturing your child holding court on the schoolyard recounting the scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail in which the nuns beg for a good spanking.

Distraction is futile. And so you have a choice to make. Do you leap on the pause button and say, "Whoa! Never mind! Who's up for Chitty Chitty Bang Bang"? Or do you quietly let the moment pass without drawing undue attention to it?

Personally, I like to use these as teaching moments and spark a healthy dialogue about what we're watching. "That's a heroin needle," I'll interject. "She's shooting up smack, which is a really, REALLY bad idea. Let's see if she dies."

My kid's usually unresponsive, which is fine except that it leaves me with only one decent option.

"Bueller? ... Bueller? ... Bueller? ... "

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