We had A LOT of conversations about what we could do. Nate thought maybe he could still go, but then just watch the parts "that aren't bad" (according to him)....unfortunately, this movie is pretty much non-stop violence so that would be hard to do! He also thought he could go to the first part and then just leave when the movie started, but the entire party was the movie :( Seriously, this is was really tough! We talked about how sometimes Choosing the Right isn't easy at all. We looked up The Avengers on my favorite website www.commonsensemedia.org and talked about what was in the movie. And that seemed to really hit Nathan hard: after that, Nate decided that it probably wasn't a good idea to go to the party. But what to do? We decided that instead of going to the party, he could invite one of his best friends over for a "late-over" where they could eat snacks and watch a movie that was okay. He invited his friend Zach over, they ate popcorn with Marshmallow topping (sounds so gross, but Zach brought it over) and watched Robin Hood (the animated version). And they had a blast! So, the party was forgotten and all is right in the world. What struck me was that I wasn't prepared for how hard this conversation and decision was to make. It was a no brainer to me, but Nate really really really really really wanted to go. No matter how much I know, or how much research I do, being a parent in this media generation is STILL hard! But I'm proud of Nate for making the right decision in the end, and I think he learned a really good lesson, even though it was not an easy choice. Bring on the next thing.......
Ok. This is less media related and more parenting related. Did you tell the family that he wasn't going or why he wasn't going? And if so, was that weird for you? Haha. Just wondering because I know sometimes it can be awkward to stand up for what you believe it when you don't want to make the other people feel like you are judging them for doing something you wouldn't.
ReplyDeleteI'm really impressed he would decide not to go! That really is big. I know I struggle sometimes with watching things that I know aren't good, but it's so easy to say, "It's really good! ...Except for just one scene..." I'm inspired by a 7-year old; good for him! :)
ReplyDeleteWow that's sounds pretty tough. When I was reading the first part of your post I was really wondering what could be done in that situation, but I'm glad everything turned out ok and I'm impressed by your son! Sometimes I am amazing at the types of movies some parents allow their very young children to watch.
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