Mom Day and Scary Movies
My oldest and middle son both waited over a year for their Mom Days. Why? Well, normally I would take my oldest skiing for a day or go with my middle son to a movie, but as the pandemic hit and the theaters started to shut down, my sons knew exactly what they wanted. My suggestion to watch what was playing really fast while we had the chance was met with scorn. They were determined to wait for A Quiet Place 2. Nothing else would suffice.
That seems like a pretty scary movie, Kristen? I thought you didn’t like scary movies? Well, you would be right. I am not fond of scary movies and if you had asked a younger me if I would ever be sitting in the movie theater (not once, but two times) with my teenage sons watching a movie where folks are hunted by vicious aliens, I would have answered with an incredulous, “Of course not!”
I used to wonder how I would connect with my boys when they became teens. I loved the little boy stage and I guarded them carefully. They were allowed fifteen minutes of screen time every day. Their books and shows were carefully curated. We spent hours outside every day and soaked up science and nature and sunshine.
Eating sushi with Judah and chatting about the incredible use of parallels in a scary movie, not how I pictured a day with my teen. Nonetheless, it was a delight. I adore my pesky teenage boys and if they want to watch a scary but clean movie, I’m game!
Theo wanted to watch the same movie, but instead of a sit-down dinner of sushi, he wanted to get a BLT and giant order of onion rings at a local drive-thru. Two boys, one scary movie, two different days together. For me, it was a perfect way to spend time doing something my sons loved. Perhaps they enjoyed it more because I flinch and jump whenever the aliens appear, but I’m OK with that. A moment spent together hiding my eyes as the aliens attack, priceless!
