4 PG-13 Movies I Don’t Regret Showing My 8-Year-Old (Plus, 1 PG Flick I Wish She Hadn’t Seen)

The year was 1990. The location, a multiplex in suburban Philadelphia. I had gone with my friend Carrie to see Nuns on the Run, a fairly terrible Eric Idle romp that, 15 minutes in, Carrie’s mom realized was totally inappropriate for two 3^rd grade girls. (There are many, many guns, plus multiple scenes in which men in habits sneak into women’s locker rooms.) That said, that same year I also went to see Gremlins 2 and Edward Scissorhands, two other PG-13 movies that, in retrospect, did not scar me in any noticeable way. The lesson? Ratings are slippery and don’t necessarily indicate suitability for a child.

Now that I have my own 8-year-old daughter (plus a 9-year-old son), I’m extra attuned to how little ratings mean, and what I do and don’t think is OK for her to see. A little bit of cursing? No problem. Sexist tropes or racists stereotypes? No, thank you.

Here are four PG-13 movies I recently watched with my kids without regrets…plus one PG film I have serious problems with.

PureWow’s family editor has already detailed why Morticia Addams is the ultimate feminist icon, and I would argue that this entire movie sets a good example for how to be a child and a family. (Don’t change just to fit in! Stand by your uncle even when he has amnesia!) It’s also just fun. There are definitely some darker, torture-adjacent moments (siblings tying nooses around each other’s throats and whatnot) and sexual innuendo, which likely got it its PG-13 rating. But any violence is cartoony, and the sex stuff went way over my daughter’s head.

If you don’t like the F-word, a kid walking in on an adult man peeing or use of the term “Rumpleforeskin,” do not let your child see this movie. If you, like me, kind of don’t care, I really can’t recommend it enough. This is Robin Williams at his best, and I love what an unabashed portrayal of a father’s love it proves. There are also some nuanced examinations of divorce, in a way that normalizes it for kids in that situation. Plus, we can all agree that sticking your face directly into a cream pie is just flat-out funny.

Controversial opinion: It’s good for kids to sometimes be a little scared. I remember seeing this one in the theater as a child, having trouble sleeping that night and then going back to see it a second time, one week later. Jurassic Park is a pitch perfect adventure film, one that holds up 30 years on, and allows child actors to show range and agency. And while it is certainly scary, it is neither gory nor weapon-forward (people hold guns, but use them sparingly—and on dinosaurs). I warned my daughter in advance about the guy getting eaten off the toilet seat, and she handled it pretty well, jumping into my arms at the appropriate moments. Now, I’d be lying if I said she went to bed no problem that night, but she’s since watched it multiple times without issue. Bottom line: You have to know your kid’s limits before showing them this one.

I’m honestly not even sure why this is rated PG-13! I suppose because there are mature themes and maybe because all that talk about the patriarchy could be boring for children? All I know is that my daughter loved it, dancing along to the opening sequence and following the plot lines about sexism and double standards. (“Wow, those Kens are really unfair to the Barbies just because they’re girls.”) At the end of the film, she did ask what a gynecologist is, but honestly…I think that’s information she should have!