Movie Night and Childish Memories

The cutest thing happened recently. Cooper had a stack of business card calendars in his room. At bedtime he asked his dad if his dad could take the children to the movies. Ray seemed surprised at the question, and then I saw the tickets that Cooper had.

He told me that he had found them in the garbage can and they were movie tickets. Of course, I didn't want to squish his little beliefs, so I played right into it. I told him that they could use the tickets to go to the next kids movie that came to town. Ray grinned at me.

About a week later, we heard that Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was going to be playing at the movies. So we packed up the kids and I took them all down to the cinema. I walked in ahead of Cooper and told the man that my son was paying for the movies. Cooper handed him the tickets, and the man looked blankly at me for a minute, and then he caught my eye, and the $50 I silently slipped him.

He smiled at Cooper and told him what a nice boy he was to take his family to the movies. Cooper beamed and then we all walked into the movies to enjoy the show.

Before we had left home, Cooper had been a bit upset that his dad couldn't come to the movies. He was staying home to do some work. I told Cooper that he could take his dad to the next movie that came to town that Daddy would like to see.

A few days later, while we were eating dinner, Cooper asked Ray when they were going to the movies. I told Cooper that there was a movie coming that Daddy would love to see! Everybody listened with great interest...

Where the Wild Things Are.

Dane asked if it was a horror. To which I replied that we don't watch horrors in our house. *laugh*

Everyone had a turn guessing what this wild movie must be about. Cassidy then showed up with the book in hand and I proceeded to read them the story, while the children finished dinner. They thought it was wonderful. Cooper was very pleased to hear that Daddy wouldn't miss out after all!

While the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs was still playing at the cinemas a friend of mine called to invite my kids to see the movie. All of them had already been, except for Dane and I didn't think he would be interested in going to a kiddy show, so I didn't tell him right away.

A little later, I was talking to Dane about the fact that he had told Cooper the tickets were calendars. I am pretty sure this went over Cooper's head, because *he* knew they were movie tickets, because, after all, he had paid for his family to go to the movies with the tickets!

But all the same, I wanted to discuss with Dane how unkind it was to squish a little boy's beliefs. I explained to Dane how when his Uncle Carl was four years old he had thought he had caught a fish when he was out fishing with his dad. It wasn't until he was fifteen years old and sharing the story with his grandparents in England, that my dad told my brother that he had never caught the fish. My dad had put it on the hook.

It was that kind of thing that gave a kid great memories. I can't remember how many times he told that wonderful story of how he caught a fish when he was just four years old. *smile*

And then, when they were old enough to know the real story, then they have wonderful adult memories of the types of things their parents would do for their childish little hearts. So now they had new warm feelings inside.

Dane looked at me very thoughtfully, but didn't say anything. Later, when he heard about the movie, he asked me how much it was. I told him it was $8. He disappeared upstairs and a little while later he appeared with a "movie ticket" in hand. Suddenly this ticket that had no value had value. *roflol*

He grinned at me and told me he had dug through his closet because he knew he had a quarter. He had paid Cooper a quarter for the ticket. Could he please go to the movies?

I love childhood!
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