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Family movie night is a staple activity in our house. In the summer, we use it when everyone\u2019s had a full day of outside time and we need to settle. Or when we\u2019ve all been running in different directions and need to reconnect.<\/p>\n
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Lots of people will tell you the secret to a successful family movie night is letting the kids pick the flick, but I disagree. There\u2019s plenty of time for them to watch the movies they choose, like rainy cottage days, long car trips, airport delays or during an impromptu girls night in when someone\u2019s sitter cancels and mommy\u2019s friends descend on the house like a plague of locusts. Family movie night at chez Millard is always mommy\u2019s choice. Not because mommy is a control freak (okay, not entirely because of that) but because it\u2019s my way of sharing important movies they wouldn\u2019t otherwise watch, and memories they wouldn\u2019t otherwise hear. It also ensures we don\u2019t have to sit through Sing!<\/em> 11 times (and that\u2019s one of the good ones!)<\/p>\n At first, my daughters were not pleased about mommy making the selection. I\u2019m pretty sure they thought I was going to subject them to something silent, or black and white, what with me being 100 years old and everything. But now that they\u2019ve experienced how much more engaged I am when it\u2019s something I\u2019m into, they\u2019re all for it. I\u2019ll admit, I spent much of Kung Fu Panda 3<\/em> and Norm of the North<\/em> on my phone or puttering around the kitchen with one eye on the television going \u201cuh-huh\u201d every time they asked \u201cdid you see that, mommy?\u201d My inability to be \u201cpresent\u201d all the time, and to consistently meet my kids on their level, is one of my greatest flaws as a parent. I\u2019m not good at playing Barbies or faking interest in Minecraft. And I\u2019m terrible<\/em> at pretending to enjoy bad movies.<\/p>\n Vintage flicks already on repeat include The Pagemaster, Matilda<\/em> and E.T<\/em>. (they can barely wait to hear young Elliott call his brother \u201cpenis breath\u201d every time).<\/em><\/p>\n Recently we watched the Incredible Journey<\/em> remake called Homeward Bound<\/em>, followed by the original version of The Parent Trap<\/em> (NOT the Lindsay Lohan remake) and Clue<\/em>. The last one was a mistake but they were so into the board game I thought it would work. It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n My kids are seven and 10 and sometimes we push the envelope \u2013 ie. Clue,<\/em> but now I\u2019ve started making a list of classic and memorable films from my childhood that we can watch together, meaning I\u2019m right beside them and can explain, question, advise and reminisce. My list includes:<\/p>\n And eventually:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Honourable mention goes to Chariots of Fire<\/em> because the first time I was to be alone in the house with a boy my dad rented it for us from the video store, because nothing is going to kill the mood between two teenagers like a bunch of dudes in the 1924 Olympics.<\/p>\n People love movies, or I least I <\/em>love movies, because I love to be scared, inspired, and entertained. Watching an \u201cold\u201d movie can remind us of different, simpler times. Movies can prompt stories and jog memories. For me, sharing something I loved with my girls gives them a window into my past and my own childhood. Maybe it\u2019s because they\u2019re still young (and interested in me), but my kids love hearing old stories. They\u2019re just starting to wrap their heads around the fact that their Grandma is also my mom, or that their uncles are also my brothers. So when I tell them stories about the time Grandma got so mad at me or the time Uncle Paul flushed my stuff down the toilet it\u2019s like their heads are going to explode. They can\u2019t get enough.<\/p>\n Regardless of era, movies can open the door for important conversations, too. As parents, they can give us a jumping off point from which to ask things like \u201chow do you feel about that?\u201d or \u201cwhat would you have done in that situation?\u201d or \u201cwhy do you think he made that choice?\u201d We have some of our best family conversations after a movie. Except for Clue.<\/em><\/p>\n Using a family movie night to reconnect might seem silly, given that you\u2019re all sitting in front of a screen. But at least it\u2019s the same <\/em>screen, and if your kids are like mine, a movie won\u2019t stop them from talking, ever. So there\u2019s no danger of them zoning out. And once that warm little body snuggles into you or you feel those feet on your lap and hear those giggles, you\u2019ll get over it.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What are the movies you have shared or can\u2019t wait to share with your kids? Comment below or share your picks with me on Twitter and Instagram at @wineandsmarties.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Family movie night is a staple activity in our house. In the summer, we use it when everyone\u2019s had a full day of outside time and we need to settle. Or when we\u2019ve all been running in different directions and need to reconnect.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-806","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-mom-moments"},"yoast_head":"\n\n
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