Is this your story? (Sept 4, 2009)
Posted by Reel Mountain Theater on Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Dear Mark,
Either funny or maddening:
It will depend on whether this is YOUR story or not!
Either funny or maddening:
It will depend on whether this is YOUR story or not!
We
have decided to take firm position on movies rated 'R'. The policy is
pretty clear, and is stated on our website, ticket counter and even
read on the phone recording: under 17, customers must have their parent
standing next to them when they arrive for the movie. Parents with kids
under 6 are not permitted to bring the kids in.
Lots of possible discussion on this issue, so here are the high points. Yes, some people DO bring kids under 10 to R movies! Almost daily, I use a standard answer of "Everyone's different" when I observe something I wouldn't do in a million years, or if someone pulls a bonehead move and my kids ask about it. If no one is harmed, I use the old "Everyone's different", referring to your and my ability to make our own decisions. The kids get that.
When I'm managing, I get a bit edgy when customers make choices or act in ways that affect another customers experience at Reel Mountain. Then, we must step in on the other customers behalf. Time and time again, we were fielding strong concern about young children in auditoriums that contained R material. Without a rule from the Motion Picture Assn, we decided to make up our own, and publicize it ahead of time, so we could enforce it. That's where the 'No 6 year old's' policy came from. It's tough to advise a parent what their child can or can not watch, but under 6 seems to distract other customers so much that we confidently stand behind it.
Do you have a 16 year old that can handle R rated movies? You remember the good old days of sending a note to the theater that included your cell phone number? Yes, we do too. The problem with that system was that on regular occasions, minors would present authentic notes from their parents... but when we called to verify them, the phone would ring in the theater and the young customer would answer! A little bit messy if you're the young customer, or the theater staff, or the parent. So in a case of a few bad apples ruining it for everyone, we changed the policy to the way it reads today. You should also know that if your child attends a sleepover and they go to a movie, and it's rated R and the host parent tries to vouch for your child to see the R film- it won't work. A parent must be at the ticket counter to admit the child.
Sometimes that can be a bit of a hassle, but we hope it is perceived by the kids as parents working together. My 12 year old daughter thanked me this week for not letting her see PG13 or R movies all the time (we're very conservative with our own children). She said: I think that the more you are exposed to something, the more you think it's OK. WOW! She has been listening! We're on the right track!
Her statement tells me that parents decisions DO matter to kids (no matter what they say at the time) and we're trying to help keep those decisions under your control as a parent when we sell (or don't sell) tickets to R rated films.
I admit, after the fact we do laugh at the creative methods to get into movies by our young customers- and they're keeping us on our toes, to be sure.
Lots of possible discussion on this issue, so here are the high points. Yes, some people DO bring kids under 10 to R movies! Almost daily, I use a standard answer of "Everyone's different" when I observe something I wouldn't do in a million years, or if someone pulls a bonehead move and my kids ask about it. If no one is harmed, I use the old "Everyone's different", referring to your and my ability to make our own decisions. The kids get that.
When I'm managing, I get a bit edgy when customers make choices or act in ways that affect another customers experience at Reel Mountain. Then, we must step in on the other customers behalf. Time and time again, we were fielding strong concern about young children in auditoriums that contained R material. Without a rule from the Motion Picture Assn, we decided to make up our own, and publicize it ahead of time, so we could enforce it. That's where the 'No 6 year old's' policy came from. It's tough to advise a parent what their child can or can not watch, but under 6 seems to distract other customers so much that we confidently stand behind it.
Do you have a 16 year old that can handle R rated movies? You remember the good old days of sending a note to the theater that included your cell phone number? Yes, we do too. The problem with that system was that on regular occasions, minors would present authentic notes from their parents... but when we called to verify them, the phone would ring in the theater and the young customer would answer! A little bit messy if you're the young customer, or the theater staff, or the parent. So in a case of a few bad apples ruining it for everyone, we changed the policy to the way it reads today. You should also know that if your child attends a sleepover and they go to a movie, and it's rated R and the host parent tries to vouch for your child to see the R film- it won't work. A parent must be at the ticket counter to admit the child.
Sometimes that can be a bit of a hassle, but we hope it is perceived by the kids as parents working together. My 12 year old daughter thanked me this week for not letting her see PG13 or R movies all the time (we're very conservative with our own children). She said: I think that the more you are exposed to something, the more you think it's OK. WOW! She has been listening! We're on the right track!
Her statement tells me that parents decisions DO matter to kids (no matter what they say at the time) and we're trying to help keep those decisions under your control as a parent when we sell (or don't sell) tickets to R rated films.
I admit, after the fact we do laugh at the creative methods to get into movies by our young customers- and they're keeping us on our toes, to be sure.
