Some situations are viewed in black and white; right and wrong. Yet, many people think situations also have a grey area where solutions are not so easily discerned. This is not just about the choices people make, but the thought process they go through to arrive at their decisions.
What Do You Think? Submitted for Your Consideration and Conversation
Your daughter goes on a sleep over. She stays overnight Friday evening at the home of a classmate. The two girls go to elementary school together and are 9 years old.
When your daughter comes home on Saturday, she tells you how much fun she had, and seems to be in a great mood.
That night, however, she has trouble going to sleep. It is several hours before you see that she has nodded off. You’re awakened later by her screams and go in to check on her.
She is sweaty, and tells you that she had a nightmare. She says she dreamed a man in a mask was chasing her with a knife and that it scared her. Then she tells you that the nightmare character looked like the one in the movie she watched at her classmate’s house — a movie you know to be rated R, violent, and bloody.
You don’t allow your daughter to watch R-rated movies, and disapprove of the two young girls being allowed to watch this particular one. By the time your daughter goes back to sleep — on the couch, with you nearby — you are fuming mad.
You’re angry at the mother of your daughter’s friend for letting such young girls watch this nightmarish movie. You know you hadn’t specifically prohibited the movie, and aren’t sure if you actually told the mom your child couldn’t watch R-rated movies, but you still feel angry.
Do you think that the mom was in the wrong because of the age of the children? Do you think it is all right for you to judge the other mom based on the rules you set for your child? Or because the R rating is for movies possibly not suitable for under-17 children? Do you think it would be easier to let it go than confront the other mom? If you let it go, would you mention something the next time your daughter visited? Or do you think you would keep your daughter home from future sleep overs at her house?
Alternatively, what if you had told the other mom not to let your daughter watch scary or R-rated movies? Do you think you would be more likely to say something to her?
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