How to Know If that Movie, Video Game, Book, or Website is Cool for Your Kids

Last year i was surprised when I heard some some of my kids' friends were going to see the movie, Coraline. Really? Even though it's animated, it looked like a horror movie to me. Sure enough, I later heard that many of the kids were having nightmares for weeks after seeing it. But how do parents really know what a movie is going to be like before they see it? Or a book, website, music or video game, for that matter? There is one website that I turn to for media reviews whenever I'm in doubt.

Common Sense Media is the most comprehensive, non-preachy, practical guide to all things media for kids that takes you way beyond generic ratings like PG-13 and M. With reviews of everything from movies to video games, what I love about this site is that it gives you the information and lets you make the decisions.

Every family has their own values about what they might not want their kids to see and Common Sense Media gives you the information to make an informed decision. You may be fine with nudity, but not OK with any amount of violence. Or maybe you're okay with violence as lon as there are no guns. Common Sense Media tells you precisely what you'll get for the good stuff: Educational Value, Messages, Role Models and what to watch out for in terms of Violence and Scariness, Sexy Stuff, Language, Consumerism, and Drinking, Drugs and Smoking so that you can make an informed decision based on what you , personally are cool with, not what some movie reviewer thinks you should be. I love that I can know exactly which bad words my kids might hear, or how far the violence goes. You might also might want to know if there are positive girl role models in the film or what kind of message it sends your kids. Common Sense Media gives you that information and more, including age recommendations and even parent reviews.

Common Sense Media is also a great place to find books, movies and video games for your kids or others as gifts since you can get recommendations on the best ones and really know what you are getting.

Finally review site that helps parents take kids to the movies, but doesn't leave us in the dark.