Did I mention how angry I am with the MPAA?

Ah yes - the Motion Picture Association of America.

Did you know that if you walk into a theater, buy your 16 1/2 year old a ticket to an "R" rated movie (The Pineapple Express) and then try to send him in on his own, you will have some short, silly looking woman who works for said theater tell you that he cannot watch the movie? Even when you tell her that this child is YOUR son and is just months shy of 17 and you have NO problems with him seeing the movie?

Holy Age Restrictions, Batman!

I am flabbergasted. I understand the ratings. I understand about rules, however, I am the child's parent and if I say he can go watch some stupid "R" rated movie then MPAA be damned. He doesn't need me to hold his freakin' hand while he watches it. Yet, that is exactly what I had to do.

My plan was to watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2 w/Bec & her friend, C. What ended up happening is me sitting in a theater with a bunch of teenyboppers (who really didn't ALL look 17 or accompanied by their parents) watching a movie about smoking maryjane & friendship.

Now either way, I realized I was going to be sitting watching some kind of teenybopper movie, but I was looking forward to a chick flick (which is usually SO not my style). I also got a bit miffed that it was ok to leave my 13yo *ok, almost 14yo* in a theater alone because I was required to sit with my 16 1/2 yo according to the MPAA. On the way home, while I was still spitting nails at the stupidity of it all, I wondered aloud if the MPAA has police and if they randomly target movie theaters across the country and bust all the under 17's in "R" rated movies? I mean seriously...unless that's the case, I don't understand the total adherence to the "under 17 must be accompanied by adult" rule. And apparently from the looks of the theater, they didn't care about anyone, except for Jerm, not getting in.

Ah well, like I told Jerm - few more months and this won't be an issue anymore. He was only angry because he knew I was looking forward to the Sisterhood movie, but truth be told, it wasn't a hardship to watch a movie with him. And let's face it, it's pretty cool that my 16 1/2 yo is totally cool with me watching a movie with him. In fact, we spent the whole afternoon together yesterday (including a late lunch out) and I enjoyed it immensely.

Oh and as an update on said Jerm...He is due at the imaging center Thursday morning for a barium swallow chest xray series and then sees the pediatric cardiologist on Sept. 2nd. While I hope they don't find something awful, I am hoping they find something that explains his episodes. He also had his physical yesterday and he is 6' tall and 139.5lbs. Tall and lanky. I cannot believe he is only 6' because he looks taller to me - well except when he stands next to his Dad and then I can tell he is about 3" shorter. :oP

Life is good even if there are snotty ticket takers at movie theaters policing for underage watchers who are actually OK'd to be there by their parent.