I have fond memories of going to movies as a kid. We used to get freebie or cheap tickets to matinees of generally old movies in the summer and go with some of the neighbor kids. My mom would drop us off and we'd bring a paper bag full of popcorn and sometimes we'd even have a bit of change to buy a box of lemon drops. These were old movies aimed at kids and the theater was never silent. We'd sit in the balcony if we could and there were times when perhaps a bit of popcorn or something else rained down on the heads of the people below. Or we'd sit below and risk popcorn rain.
I realize we were older than Sam when we did this but I thought love of movies was universal. Sam loves loves loves tv and his most recent favorite is the (&%*^#* Thomas dvds Lisa TV brought when she was here. I think he'd watch those all day if we'd let him.
Monday was a rainy and dreary day here so Ben and I decided to take Sam to see Ratatouille, the movie about the rat who cooks, in Paris no less. We'd last tried to take him to a movie (Charlotte's Web) in January and he made it through a whole 20 minutes before he was overwhelmed and scared and needed to leave. This week we tried again thinking that after ten months he'd probably be able to handle it a bit better.
He did a bit better, this time he made it through about an hour before he was overwhelmed and needed to leave. This time he didn't say he was scared, he just said he wanted to go home.
Maybe I just want him to like movies because we have a long VT winter coming up and there is a certain appeal to the overwhelming laziness of an afternoon spent in a movie theater with a bit of popcorn rather than an afternoon of Sam demands. But as always, if it's not fun for him it's not fun for me so perhaps I'll have to be content with, oh, sledding and skating and generally being cold.
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6 comments:
Based on my vast child rearing, I think Sam is still too young to enjoy a movie theater. I saw my first movie when I was 4 (Snow White), and I was overwhelmed. And nowadays, the movies are much LOUDER, with speakers surrounding the audience.
I suspect he will like movies soon enough, though, and it's great that you keep trying him every few months, to see if he is ready.
It now occurs to me that he might've just been bored by this particular movie, as he has no reference point for restaurant cooking or the industry itself. That must be why movies for very young kids follow the standard plot line (cub separated from parent, must find parent or bond with parent substitute). Pretty dry stuff for the parents to sit through!
Your post and Beth's comment reminded me of how scared some of the old movies made me. Alice and Wonderland, The wizard of Oz, and Bambie among others. I'm pretty sure seeing the same things on TV at home wouldn't be tramatic for Sam and you could find a few differnt things to do at the same time.
I wanted so badly to see that movie this summer at the drive in..but no one would go with me. On a side note..do you still have a vcr? I have all the disney movies on vhs that came out when my kids were younger..and they could use a new home. I think the older disney may be a bit more tame for the younger set. Let me know, and i can always send them back with Beth.
Phyllis, yes, we still have the old technology! I'd love to have them, thanks!
Mom, I know he was a little scared of parts of it...lots of chasing around. TV is a lot easier for him although he was still scared to watch "The Little Mermaid" at home.
I'm glad he loves his #@$# Thomas dvds! Those are the best! One little kid told Madison she was going to see "raba tubey" when she came to the theater to see that movie. Awww.
Well, the Little Mermaid IS kinda creepy! La La La
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