I would like to thank the Academy...

(The words, "don't swing so high" barely left my mouth when the hammock frame came apart and fell upon him. He thought it was funny so I took a photo)

I don't want to use this space to rant, but this is my diary and today, rant I must. I would like to rant about the use of questionable language in G rated movies and the affect it has on my son. Satch has had a thing for language since he was a wee babe, and now at 4 yrs old, he asks for the meaning of unfamiliar words and memorizes entire lines from books and movies. And there are some words that he has never heard spoken in our home...words that I now regret him having heard on film...words that I resent now being a part of his vocabulary. That said, I would like to thank "the Academy" for the following:

STUPID: "That stupid blockhead of a brother of mine." - Lucy Van Pelt (It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown) This was one of my favorite films. I do remember the use of "blockhead", but I didn't remember the word stupid being used at least FOUR times in the script. Thank you, Charles.

STOOGE: "You're Mufasa's little stooge" - Shenzi (Lion King) I saw this with my friend A and her two children when it first debuted in 1994. I remembered that it was a wonderful film. I didn't remember the word "stooge" being used - it was 15 years ago. Thank you, Disney.

SUICIDE: "How about a suicide pact? " - Barry ( Bee Movie ) My son picked out this rental at Blockbuster. I cringed when I heard the line and then cringed again when my son asked me what the word meant. I helped him reason out what was meant by the word in relation to the film, so he thinks it means that the bees could get hurt. I would not tell him what it meant. I don't think a 4 year old needs to know that. Thank you, Jerry Seinfeld.

SUICIDE (AGAIN): "Why didn't I think of that? Oh, because it's suicide" - Queen ( A Bug's Life) Thank you, Pixar & Disney.

MORON: "The Moron Festival?" - Bessy (Back at the Barynard) Admittedly, this slipped under my radar at 10am one Saturday morning...I'm not sure how...I think I was clearing the breakfast dishes...or perhaps it was just one of those days. Thank you, Nickelodeon.

*The kicker is that we're not big tv people and Satch started watching videos during "Quiet Time" aka the nap that dares not speak its name. I used to read to him during quiet time, but now he only wants to be read to at bedtime or other parts of the day.

Because I don't want to leave things on a negative note, I would like to conclude with some films that we LOVE. I would like to thank the Academy for the following:

• Charlie & Lola - Thank you, Lauren.
• The Red Balloon - Mercí, Albert.
• The Snowman - Thank you, Raymond.
• Kipper - Thank you, Mick.
• Pingu - Danke, Otmar.
• Shawn the Sheep - Thank you, Nick.
• Wallace and Gromit - Thank you, Nick.
• Winnie the Pooh - Thanks, Walt.
• Max & Ruby - Thank you, Rosemary.
• Blue Planet: Open Ocean/The Deep - Thank you, BBC.
• Secrets of the Ocean Realm: City in the Sea/Star Gardens - Thanks, PBS.
• Secrets of the Ocean Realm: Great Whales/Sharks - Thanks, PBS.

Postscript:

A Mother Rising Reader left this fabulous link in the comment section, Kids in Mind. It's a site that gives parents the skinny on kid flicks.

A friend also told me about this site, Common Sense Media.