The First Time

Do you remember your First Time?

It’s usually a big deal. You don't forget where you were, who you were with, and what you were doing. The First Time you lost your.............

Hey, wait a sec. Back it up there.  Get your mind out of the gutter. You've got it all wrong. That is NOT what I am talking about. This is a G-rated article. I am not discussing a word that starts with S, ends with X, and has an E in the middle. No sir-eee.  Not today. Not this girl.

But, speaking of G-ratings, that reminds me of a bad parenting moment from my past. I'm sure that the next words out of your mouth will be "do tell", and far be it from me to disappointment, so I shall tell all.

Currently, movies in the U.S. are rated according to the following scale as defined by the Motion Picture Association film rating system.

• (G) General audiences: all ages.
• (PG) Parental guidance suggested: some material that is not suitable for children, and parents are encouraged to watch the film with their children.
• (PG-13) Parents strongly cautioned: Some of the material may be inappropriate for children under thirteen years of age and parents should be cautious.
• (R) Restricted: contains adult material for mature audiences.
• (NC-17) Adults only: Previously known as the X rating, theaters may refuse to admit viewers seventeen years old and under,

As defined, children will typically watch G- or, sometimes, PG- rated movies. But, (now I know) the ratings system has changed over the years. There was a rating M- (mature audiences) which was dropped, PG- was revamped to PG-13, and so on.

In the early 2000s, we were raising 4 kids in a busy household. Several of our kids (but not all) were growing out of babyhood and exploring more options out there, in tv shows, music, books , and movies. They were particularly interested in scary topics that gave a not-too-scary jolt. Things like Goosebumps, which were creepy, suspenseful stories that didn't go too far down the path of horror.

One weekend, I went to the video rental store and picked out a scary movie for us to watch as a family. I remembered seeing the movie many years before. I remembered that it was creepy, but also fun to watch. I noted that the movie was rated PG-, so I figured that it would be appropriate for family viewing. 

So, I rented Poltergeist, released in 1982.

Creepy? Yes. Nerve-wracking? Yes. Took things too far? Yes.

Bad decision. Bad decision. 

I didn't understand that a PG- rating from early 1980s was equivalent to a strong PG-13 in the 2000s. Like, it could be at the very edge of tipping over into an R- rating. I would never have rented a PG-13 movie at the ages that my children were. Three of them were too young for that. But, on this particular night, there were 4 kids, my husband and I sitting around the TV watching this movie that I had picked out.

As the Poltergeist movie heated up, one of my daughters ran out of the room to hide. That she looked a lot like the little girl in the movie, Carol Ann, who was stripped away from her family and sucked into the static-y TV screen-- that was unfortunate. Another daughter couldn't go to sleep that night. The other one was put to bed early. My pre-teen son was all in, but, he was the only one who made it through to the end of the movie. I was squirming and covering my eyes.

Here are some screenshots from 1982's movie Poltergeist, from Wikipedia.

Seeing that movie through my eyes as a parent was not the same as seeing it for my own enjoyment years earlier. I guess I remembered the movie differently from when I was younger. I also realized that yesterday's PG- rating was certainly not the same as today's.  Get this—according to the AI Overview on my Google query, the PG-13 rating, “^{_{Parents are Strongly Cautioned to Give Special Guidance for Attendance of Children Under 13—Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Young Children,}}”  was instituted in 1984 as a response to blockbuster movies like Poltergeist. To protect children, and all. Just two years after that movie came out. Seriously? It was that bad. Good movie, but bad scary.

Live and learn, I guess.

Seems like I was getting ready to talk about something else. What was that?  (Squints eyes & thinks real hard.) Oh, right, right, right. I was going to discuss the First Time you lost your.............

Hold on, this citronella candle is distracting me. The flame is reflecting on my computer screen. I'm sitting on the back deck at dusk. Even though it's a hot night, it's very pleasant out.  At night, mosquitos usually take to me like white on rice; thus the citronella candle. But, I haven't been bothered by mosquitos tonight. I'm hearing a loud chorus of night creatures, insects, frogs, birds, and owls.  You know, they said that this spring would see a huge crop of cicadas, as cicadas emerged from multiple converging life cycles in 2024.  But there weren't very many in these parts. I don't think I've seen or heard a single cicada. Weird.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, I remember. The First Time. If you had not experienced it, you had probably read about it. You had probably heard other people talk about it. But, you didn’t know how it would really feel until you experienced it yourself. And, from then on, you realized that things would be different. They would never be the same.  Do you remember the First Time when you lost your..............

Oops, I can't find my phone. I just took a shower, which I rarely do at night. I'm a morning shower person, because that's what wakes me up to start the day.  I know a lot of people who take showers at night, but I prefer to go to bed grungy and then freshen up when the day begins. The shower energizes me and wakes me up too much for bedtime. But, tonight, I was a real mess because I had been working in the garage and sanding wood and getting debris all over me. That evening shower felt good.  I think I mighta left my phone there by the shower in the bathroom. Let me go see. Yes, found it. OK, now I'm good.

Let's get back to it.

The First Time. I understand what people mean when they say that when it happens, it can be life changing. I wonder if you feel the same way?  If things changed for you after the First Time. It might have happened years ago, or maybe just recently. Maybe it’s an aging thing. Or maybe it's just a thing.

Do you remember the first time you lost...........

Your Train of Thought?

And, hopped on a completely different train going in a completely different direction? And you never knew where you were going to end up? Or how you were going to get off that train? And how to get to where you needed to be? Well, brothers and sisters, you might not be able to tell, but I'm right there with you. I am now a person who cannot focus, who constantly gets distracted, who drops one thing to start another. Over and over and over again. This is my life now.

Wrapping this up, I've learned a few lessons. First,...........

Wait, I just thought about that scenic train ride in the North Georgia Mountains that I heard about. I wonder if it is operating this summer. I should check that out. A mountain outing would be a nice change of pace for a lazy weekend afternoon. Let me go online to see what I can find out...........