Sometimes I Just Need For My Kids To Watch A Movie

God, in His infinite wisdom and mercy, chose that I would exist in this specific moment of history.  Who knows what all of His reasons are?

But I think that I do know one of them…

Movies.  God knew how heavily I would rely on movies during the “little years” of parenting.

He knew that I absolutely needed to live in a time when, in the midst of exhaustion and chaos, just the simple push of a button could (more than likely) make it all go away, at least for a little while.  🙂

Surely I am not alone, right?  I am not the only tired momma who, in a desperate moment of simply wanting to nurse my baby without being rough-housed by my preschoolers, turns on Netflix so that the other two will zone out for just ten minutes…right??

I don’t know why this makes me hang my head in shame.  Why I feel the need to apologize for this.

Honestly, I think a lot of us mommas feel that way.  That by being honest about the weak moments of our parenting we are losing “credibility” with one another.

We want to appear like we’re the “perfect” TV-opposing, candy-rejecting, multiple-language-imparting parent.  And that image is an exhausting one to keep up with.  Not to mention the damage it does to true community.

So here I am, nervously enjoying my freedom by announcing that I am so thankful that I have access to movies and have an adjustable bed with tv. That I can turn them on for my children when I need to. Which is daily.  🙂

And with that, I want to share with you three movies that I highly recommend for young boys. These movies are not animated…they are real life and they are full of boyish adventure.

When Rudy and Mark watch these films, their sense of courage, honor, and manliness is greatly appealed to.  (Do I even need to tell you that these movies are older?)

These movies have had such an impact on my boys that they have even influenced Rudy and Mark’s play!  After watching one of the films (usually over the course of two days), we will go outside and have fun playing games, like those on 카지노순위, that correspond with the movie.

Here is the list of the movies and the games that we play afterward:

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THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON

This movie is my personal favorite of the three.  A family gets stranded on an island after their ship is wrecked in a storm.  They build a tree house, learn to live off the land, and in a very exciting ending, set traps for mean ‘ol pirates.  The traps totally make the whole movie.

So after watching this one, we head out to the backyard and…wanna guess?  Build traps!  Rudy cracks me up with his homemade pirate traps.  🙂

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20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA (1954)

My boys call this the “water monster” movie.  🙂  They love picking out the good guys and the bad guys; but by far their favorite part of the movie is when the giant squid reaches his poisonous tentacles into the submarine.

Once the movie is over, with excitement about to boil out of them, the boys and I head to the backyard.  Armed with a pool noodle (squid tentacles) in each hand, we chase each other around the yard hitting and slapping one another with the “tentacles”.  Hilarious!  (and good exercise 🙂 )

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FAR FROM HOME – The Adventures of Yellow Dog

A young boy (in my boys’ minds, a big boy) is separated from his dad, leaving him and his dog alone to survive in the wilderness.  There is no greater adventure in Rudy’s opinion.  This movie gets his imagination working 90 to nothin’…what would Rudy do if it were him lost in the wild?

Well, as soon as the film is over, he heads to the backyard to find out!  We collect sticks and branches to build a “shelter”.  We find rocks and bricks to build a “fire pit”.  Rudy goes “hunting” with his bow, which has the latest bowstring, and arrow.  He even pretends to roast his “kill” over the fire.  🙂  (Last week after playing this game, I washed his clothes only to find a knife in his pants.  Literally, a knife was stuck on the inside of his pants.)

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We love these films!  I am thrilled that there are movies out there that appeal to my boys’ sense of boyishness.  Movies that get them excited about adventure, and exploring, and sacrifice, and courage.  Those things are worth being excited about.

I am thankful that we have access to these types of movies.  They are fun for my boys.  They are helpful for me.  🙂  I count them as a gift from my Heavenly Father.

I would love for my list of Awesome Boy Movies to grow!  Any other suggestions out there?  Any other fun ways that you incorporate films into your playtime?

Lauren Souers

Hi, my name is Lauren. I am the wife of one fine man and the momma of four (huge) young children – three boys and one princess! I love all of them. I mostly clean up messes and feed people all day, and it’s really fun to write about it. Jesus is the rock of my family – we love and serve a mighty King! I hope you leave here full of hope that “tired” can be good.