Last Saturday, Josh and I went to the movies, but I got something more important out of it. Perspective.
Although I had already seen it, Josh had also expressed interest in seeing Pacific Rim. Now, I generally don’t pay twice to see films in the theaters anymore. The last time I did that had to be more than 10 years ago…. probably Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (also, not a good reason.) However, I enjoyed the film, as the action was interesting enough to warrant a 2nd showing, as well as make up for the hammy acting. Also, with this kind of “big monster – big robot” spectacle, it deserves to be seen on the big screen. Josh, Lily, and I try watch old school Toho Studios Godzilla films, so this fits right into that theme.
More importantly, Josh and I had been arguing more or less the whole week, with him doing stupid 8-year old boy things, so I thought this would be a good way to reconnect.
We made it just in time for the film. Surprisingly, even a month after the film’s release, the theater was packed? Huh? If they were beginning to call it a flop domestically, how do you explain all the people packing the theater a month later? Anyway, Josh liked the film a lot. Afterwards, we went out for a late night frozen yogurt.
The whole parent-child dynamic can be both fulfilling and frustrating. As a parent, it can be hard to keep the right perspective, know when to instruct, when to punish, and when to praise. It can be hard sometimes to not come down like a hardass when your kids make mistakes. In the end, when I look at these two pictures, I realize that for all their faults, our kids love us, and all they want is to be loved back.
