Every Friday is "Family Movie Night" in the Di Silvestri house. We began this tradition when we first moved to Southern California last summer in an effort to establish some routine and comfort in a new house and community. I am happy to say that this tradition has "stuck" and, even though we are now settled and busy in our new community, it remains something we all look forward to throughout the week.
Each week it is the same. We select a movie, order pizza and relax the rules about candy and eating in front of the TV. Then we grab our blankets and snuggle into our sectional and against eachother.
The only difficult thing about the evening is the movie selection. It is not easy to find something that children ranging in age from three to eight will all enjoy, doesn't have objectionable content, and doesn't put the parents to sleep! But somehow, each week, we manage to pull it off, with varying levels of success.
This week's selection: The Parent Trap (newer Disney version with Lindsay Lohan).
The kids thought: It was very funny! They were fascinated by the idea of twins and switching places, and they liked the physical comedy throughout. It held the interest of all except the 3 year old, although even she sat still for most of it.
The parents thought: An enjoyable selection. We liked watching the kids laugh and thought it was funny ourselves. It opened up a discussion of divorce and why it is best for families to stay together. We also talked a bit about lying and deception.
Overtly objectionable parts: Few. A brief and single reference to sex as part of marriage which remains, at this point, over the head of our viewers, but might be flagged by an older child.
Bonus: If you ignore the lying and deception that the girls use to get their parents back together, the children in this movie love and respect their parents. I find this lacking in many "kid" movies I see, so it was great to see good relationships between parents and children being modeled.
Overall rating: B+
Happy Friday!
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2 comments:
I'd be interested in some other movie titles too, that you'd recommend for that same age group!
I'll try to post a "review" of our Friday night movie each week to share what works (and what might not).
If anyone has any favorites to share, please do!
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