It seems that just about everything these days comes with a rating. Movies, video games, comic books, computer software, websites, even music. I’m not sure when this particular phenomenon became the norm but these days it seems like you can’t buy a Christmas or birthday gift – or anything else for that matter – for a child or young adult without first checking to see if it’s age-appropriate.

My major problem with this, however, stems from the pitifully inadequate – and personally dreaded – Motion Picture Association of America PG-13 rating.

You see, I was there, and experienced first-hand, the creation of PG-13. By that, I’m saying it had a profound effect on my childhood from the day it was first introduced (we can, in part, thank George Lucas and Steven Spielberg’s “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom” for that one).

Back then, PG-13 was instituted as a way to protect children from too much violence, nudity and foul language. In recent years, however, it seems more like a marketing tool, less about our youth’s values and more about making as much money as absolutely possible. And while I understand that most everything these days boils down to how much money one can accumulate, it doesn’t mean I have to like it.