So the other day, my older daughter said “can we watch a family movie?” She usually asks this if she is aiming for treats (she’s so smart!) like popcorn or hot chocolate (yes, we have simple tastes around here!).
Being the annoying mom I am, I said “I’ll think about it.” Remember, at this time, I’m making supper, thinking about the gazillion things I have to get done, and not sure I want to take the time after supper to start a movie (“don’t the kids need to take a bath? Do homework? Make their beds? Put away laundry?”).
While supper was getting cleaned up (thankfully a team effort), Rachel asked “Mom, do you have the movie “The Princess Bride?” She must have seen it on the PVR! We said yes, let’s watch it. It’s my husband’s favourite movie! I think we all remember the feeling of watching this movie for the the first time:
Wait a minute, this is a book INSIDE a movie?!? MIND BLOWN!!!
So we started watching the movie with the girls tucked under a blanket on the couch, with their hot chocolate and caramel popcorn. I took a few pictures of the girls, but they couldn’t take their eyes off of the movie! I could tell they were pretty impressed.
They loved the part with the Dread Pirate Roberts climbing the rock wall (“whose the guy in black?”), and when it came time for the poison scene, they were SUPER concerned that he was going to die!
Then, when Princess Buttercup fell down after him on the hill, they could not stop laughing. The joy of watching my kids watch something for the first time that I enjoyed as a child cannot be compared! Enjoying it again through their eyes was wonderful.
So, I’m going to challenge you to find something simple this weekend to enjoy with your kids that you’ve forgotten about – tobogganing, skating, watching a classic movie, play Monopoly, cards, etc. Anything you wish!
Remember, being a parent is hard. But, we can find the little joys in life that make the journey a bit easier (for all of us in the family)!
