Rotten Weather Family Time

I was hoping for some nice family time outside - maybe raking up some of these leave - but as I look out the window of my writing space, I see gray skies, wind whipping around, and rain blowing sideways... Not the day outside I was hoping for.

We are getting near that time of year where good times outside are becoming fewer and farther between. But that does not mean "family time" needs to come to a halt as our outside walks do.

Family movie time has been a long-standing tradition. I think it was started by Disney and ABC back in the 1980's... at least in my mind it was. I remember excitedly looking forward to whatever Walt and Jiminy Cricket would put on that evening. It was always fun, and usually pretty "wholesome" - what I call "healthy" and "appropriate" today - something we don't seem to have enough of on tv "these days".

As we prepare to face these cold and rainy days and nights, I thought it might help if I put together a brief listing of my favorite family movies, and some ways you can use them to grow closer together.

The Incredibles - this is a great entertaining way to talk about family values. Watching a family of superheroes might call to questions like: if we were superheroes, what superpowers would we have? What would stand for as a superhero family? How are we similar to the family in the movie - how are we different?

There are quite a few movies out there on coping with parental expectations - yes Mom & Dad, sometimes we may have ideas that our little one may just not be able to, or may not WANT to, live up to. Talking about these expectations, and understanding where your child coming from, is a great way to bond and guide your child. A few of my favorite family movies that start this conversation:

How to Train Your Dragon - fun film about living up to dad's expectations in your own way - and superseding them if given the chance. This is easily one of my favorites of the past few years.

Kicking and Screaming - great children's movie with Will Ferrell as a too-competitive soccer-coach-dad trying to coach a team to beat HIS too-competitive soccer-coach-dad. Great humor with a great message, and one for all of us parent-coaches to check in with once in a while.

Willy Wonka OR Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - both great movies, but the newer Tim Burton / Johnny Depp work is a little "darker", but ripe with more meaning. I like that one for older kids. Either way, whichever you choose, both have plenty of opportunity for conversation - the roles and behavior of the various "not-so-nice" kids, Willy's relationship with his father in the Burton movie, Charlie's relationship with his family in both movies. Whichever one you choose, look for the opportunities to relate to your family.

Another idea for the older kids in the family - just about any one of the recent Marvel Super Hero movies ; Fantastic Four, X-Men, Wolverine, Iron Man, Daredevil, Spiderman, etc., is ripe with themes of rising above personal tragedy, family relationships, teamwork, and conquering obstacles. Once you get past all the imagery and "ZAP - BANG" (which is why we watch them, right?), take a look at them for the ideas that relate to you and your family.

So the next time you face a rainy day, or a cold snowy evening; grab a bag of popcorn, and a good movie to start the family conversation.