Family movie nights have always been something special in my household. Starting as a kid, I still remember those Friday nights when we would all hop into the car and drive over to the local Blockbuster or Rogers Video (I grew up in Ontario) to pick out some snacks and a couple of movies to rent. It was always something I looked forward to, and occasionally I was gifted with a few new movie posters to hang on my wall. This was incredibly thrilling as a pre-teen, especially during my whole Leo/Titanic phase.
As I grew up, movies continued to play a big part of my life—from hosting Lord of the Rings marathons with my sister, to watching chick flicks at sleepovers, and movie date nights with the hubby. Because of this, I am excited to continue the family tradition with my son, who is finally reaching an age where he can sit still long enough to enjoy a movie.
My little guy has never really been interested in watching movies. Sure, he has been happy to watch nursery-rhyme cartoons, Blippi and YouTube videos of toy cars driving into water (don’t ask), but whenever I would try and encourage him to watch a movie with me, I was always met with a shake of his head or a flat out “No” in response. I always put it down to his age … Having only just turned three this past summer, his not wanting to watch movies, yet, wasn’t surprising.
However, his enjoyment of Paw Patrol did eventually lead him to have some interest in seeing the film that came out a few months ago. With the promise of popcorn, my son, husband and I found ourselves first in line at the Yukon Theatre to see the Mighty Pups on the big screen.
It was a real delight for me to see his reaction to his first trip to the theatre. We planned it well, picking seats at the back and the end of an aisle (just in case our boy decided he was done with the experience and wanted to leave). I was relieved to see that the theatre had filled up with other families, just like us, with little ones in tow; so I knew that it wouldn’t be too terrible if my son made a bit of noise. All of the kids were eager to see their favourite characters on the big screen, and it helped to create an awesome family-friendly atmosphere.
And, to my surprise, not only did my little boy sit through the whole movie, but he had an absolute blast of a time. I think he was mesmerized by seeing a movie on such a big screen, amongst so many other families—plus, the snacks were a neat treat, too! It made for a wonderful experience and it gave me a bit of hope that we could soon have our own movie nights at home. After all, I have an entire collection of my favourite kids’ films that I want to share with him. My husband does too.
It’s funny, really. I have spoken to a lot of other parents who have said that one of the things they get most excited about when it comes to having children is the chance to connect with them over things that they grew up loving. Whether it be a favourite storybook or a cartoon, these stories meant a lot to us as kids, so getting the opportunity to share them with our own children is like experiencing it again for the first time through their eyes. It really is magical.
And so, it really warmed my heart when Little Buddy told me that he wanted to watch a movie with me. He said he wanted to have a movie night with me, just like ones I had described having when I was little.
Fantastic!
I let him pick the film—and I wasn’t surprised when he picked Frozen. After all, so many of his friends at school love the movie and he is already familiar with the characters and songs.
We were both giddy with anticipation as we got ourselves set up on Sunday afternoon for our mommy-and-son movie night. We got the couch all cozy, with blankets and some Frozen plushies. We created a platter of mostly healthy snacks (he was eager to indulge in the big Aero bar he got for Halloween), and we snuggled up as the movie started.
I’m not going to lie; I teared up a little. As a movie lover, this was a special moment for me and I relished in it. And I couldn’t help but laugh out loud as he began to scold Elsa for not being nice when she ran away from the palace (he’s still a little too young to fully get what was going on, obviously).
It certainly was a different experience for me as I found myself watching him watching the film, more often than watching the screen itself. To see him giggle at the funny parts and get nervous when he thought Anna was going to turn to ice, made me appreciate the magic of movie storytelling. It’s what I’ve always loved about movies; and so, to see one fully engaging my own child is a marvellous thing.
And as the movie ended, I asked him if he did indeed like the movie. I wasn’t so sure, as he started to become a little restless towards the end. His immediate reply was the request to watch it again, which assured me that my wish of doing this again with him will undoubtedly come true. I couldn’t help but smile and give him a hug.
I can’t wait.
