Having 5-yr and 7-yr old girls, it’s safe to assume that I am paranoid about what makes it into their heads. Monitoring TV has become a full time job, it seems. And home-schooling isn’t the answer, it helps, but it definitely isn’t the answer. Peyton (7) learned about Gabrielle from “High-School Musical” taking nude photos of herself from church and learned the word “ass” from brownies. Greeeeeat. Well, at least we still have a pretty accurate movie rating system. Thank goodness for the G-rated movie. Wait, where’d they go? It donned on me one night at Blockbuster, it’s like they’ve vanished. Thumbing through the family section of videos, they were all PG. From “Open Season” to “Barnyard” to the “Shrek” movies. Huh? Family? PG? Since when?

It’s not that I’m a prude, I have let them see PG movies before, but they were movies I’ve already seen and was OK with. PG just has too much of a range. I remember when the 2nd Indiana Jones movie came out, they had to create the PG-13 rating so as not to give it an R rating. Should there be a PPG (Prudish Parental Guidence) for parents lioke me?

I remember watching “Ice-Age” with the girls. It was PG. Why? Because a tiger had sharp teeth? A mother may have died? Cool, they are really protecting me. But, after watching Shrek (which I loved) I had to worry about my kids calling each other “ass.” Fortunately, they didn’t catch on. But these are two different levels of PG. One for young kids and one for old kids, even adults. I need a solution. I can’t afford to see movies twice just to test them.

There IS one company that hasn’t failed me. Pixar. They keep cranking the best animated movies year after year. The problem is, until this last year they only came out with a movie every two or three years. Finally, they are one a once-a-year schedule. Plus, I  noticed something this year that I want to give Pixar credit for. There are quite a few G-rated movies coming out THIS summer. Leading the pack is Pixar’s “WALL•E” (once again a most excellent offering from these brilliant movie makers) Followed by “Kit Kitridge” (great if you have daughters) and “Space Chimps.” And don’t forget “Horton Hears a Who” earlier in the year. And the good ‘ole Vegetales.

I decided to take the girls to see “Kung Fu Panda” based on a the website, pluggedinonline, What a tremendous resource. Without trying to steer you in one direction or another, they legitimately review movies and give you every detail of why they were rated the way they were. “Kung Fu Panda?” martial arts violence. Good enough for me. The girls fight themselves everyday. Nothing new. “Surf’s Up?” (I desperately wanted to see) One scene with a penguin peeing on another one when he was stung my a jellyfish. Funny, but I didn’t want to give my 4-yr old (at the time) any ideas. Best movie review site available.

But, again kudos to Pixar who has proven that, yes, we do want a choice of good solid G-rated movies and yes, we will pay a lot of money for them. They know the formula and their formula seems to be rubbing off. Maybe I have just forgotten, but the choice of true “family movies” that seemed to be slim over the past few years is slowly growing. Keep it up.

Please feel free to comment on the state of movies today, give your reviews of any of the above movies or give some recommendations good, family-friendly movies out there.