Previews

Rejoice! A holiday miracle has happened-- my husband and I went out on a hot date last night. With the Turtles going to bed by 6:30 every evening, we decided we would be wild and crazy, get them a babysitter, and go out for dinner and a movie. I know. We've outdone ourselves.

In order to enjoy our date, some prep work needed to be done. A frozen pizza was purchased for Vivi and the babysitter, a movie was rented, and the popcorn was pre-popped. After dinner, Vivi was to take a bath and then she could stay up and watch Babe, the film I had chosen for the occasion.

Now, being a person who isn't really familiar with kids' movies, I thought a film about a sheep-herding pig would be totally innocuous. When we got home from our date, however, the sitter informed us that Vivi was rather upset about a sheep dying and Babe getting sick. (Ummm... a sheep dies in it? There's blood? What about the happy little pig?) So it was no surprise this morning when Vivi said, "Mama, that dog bited the sheep and there was blood! Why did that sheep die?" I didn't want a night out to lead to these kinds of questions!

It seems that knowing the back story of a movie might serve me and my family well. Last night, my husband and I chose to see Brothers. I had vaguely heard that it was about a couple of brothers (duh!) and that the movie was getting good reviews. I was not prepared for what I saw though. The film profoundly affected me and while I won't give the ending away, it wasn't exactly light, hot date kind of material.

Next time, I'll read the reviews and see the previews, for everyone's sake.

Comments

  1. abernierDecember 28, 2009 at 3:06 AM

    Dearest Mama - this is said to you gently gently gently: please don't let Vivi watch movies that 1) you haven't seen *entirely* (not just the back story) yourself first, at least not until she's older (6 or 7) OR 2) that you watch with her, remote in hand, ready to pause or turn off in order to take a break and check in with how she's doing. I have always been really sensitive to what I see/hear in movies, and my twins are the same way, the boy especially. Movies are usually made to have some startling scenes, which can really throw a little kid, especially one that hasn't been overexposed to media. We've watched Babe here too, and my kids have also been sad about the sheep dying and the mean dogs.

    Wow, you saw "Brothers". I would like to see it, but because I know how sensitive I am to imagery, I'm reading up on it as much as possible so that I can be somewhat prepared for what I'll see. The "movie spoilers" internet sites are my friends!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mama Mama Quite ContraryDecember 28, 2009 at 8:57 AM

    No offense taken, Abernier. We have a very strict TV policy around here and Vivi watches probably no more than 3 hours of TV a month. The movies are special events for her and I chose one that I thought she would enjoy. It isn't really feasible for me to spend two hours viewing something in advance of my child but I'll definitely be careful to choose something that I have already seen when we give her this opportunity again.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mama Mama Quite ContraryDecember 28, 2009 at 8:59 AM

    To clarify, I'll be showing her stuff that I remember enjoying as a child since I don't have time to preview something new.

    ReplyDelete

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