WATCHING A NOT-PG 13 MOVIE WITH PARENTS

Watching movies with parents is a great way of spending time with them and a splendid excuse to simply unwind. Okay, that's probably only when you're watching The Lion King together. 

I mean, we're not five anymore. We're young adults and thus, inevitably a wide array of movie genres would attract our young adult eyes. Most families have regular movie nights, with the parents sternly insisting upon it to ensure quality family time. Most of the times, we are well aware about what kind of movies we're going to watch. 

So, what really happens when we do actually sit down to watch that kind of a movie with our parents? As of yet, I have gone through this rather embarrassing experience a number of times which is equal parts daunting and mirthful. I still die a little inside when I remember the very first instance. I was five and fondly remember my brother getting a Titanic video tape for our movie night. Everyone at our home was thrilled to watch it, supposedly the best movie of that year. So my parents, brothers and I huddled on the sofa. Frankly, it was the most extravagant movie we'd seen with frequent wows and gasps appreciating every bit of the beauty the film was until, you guessed it, the painting scene. I still chuckle when I get flashbacks at the way my parents looked at each other with a jolt of disbelief and how my father suddenly rose from his seat. He was haplessly searching for the remote to switch the whole thing off with my mother praying to have had more than a pair of hands to have covered all of our eyes. And that's it. We never got to finish the movie that day. Of course all of us watched The Titanic a gazillion times afterwards, but still, I can't help but laugh about how awkward that experience was.

Another such event happened a few years later when my cousin, uncle and I sat down to watch Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle. Back then, we couldn't really watch trailers to check before watching it with the parents. We lived on DVDs and to be fair, from the cover we really didn't think it'd be a "mature" movie. My cousin and I thought to ourselves, as long as it is not an American Pie movie, we're safe. We couldn't have been more wrong. The movie was hilarious when it started until Harold and Kumar met Freakshow's wife. My cousin and I panicked at the scene and agreed with a mutual eye contact that it was best we left the room immediately before my uncle grounded us for life.

From that day onwards, my cousin and I have vowed to never watch a movie with our parents without proof watching it at least twice and maybe once more for satisfaction. I still get hiccups while thinking about those ill-fated incidents and yet I'm always left astounded at how understanding and cool my parents are. They never overreacted like I'd perceived, but instead would silently pretend to be ignorant to retain the normalcy. So lucky to have them, really.

Rafidah Rahman is a teeny-tiny Hulk, she's always angry and she's always hungry. A cynical dreamer and a food enthusiast, she's your everyday entertainment. Correspond with her at rafidah_topaz@hotmail.com  or facebook.com/rafidah.rahman.39