Last night The Wizard of Oz was on TV. I have not until this point let LittleBird watch it because I figured it was too scary.
This time, I thought it would be okay for her to see the beginning of the film up to the Yellow Brick Road song.
I learned a lot about my kids in that short span of time.
They were captivated by the "rainbow" song. So much so that LittleMan was actually slack-jawed while listening.
LittleBird was very concerned about the bad lady trying to take the puppy. She ran out of the room until I told her it was safe to come back in.
The storm scene? Not an issue. At all. I don't think she grasped the concept of what was happening. That was fine with me.
The Munchkins? Kind of freaked her out. She kept calling them chipmunks, and I kept trying not to laugh.
The breaking point? Not the witch. Not the shrieking and cackling. Nope.
The ruby slippers.
When the Wicked Witch of the West threatened to take the slippers from Dorothy, LittleBird burst into tears. Huge, hiccoughing sobs. She was sitting next to me, snuggled under my arm. The tears just poured down her face. She couldn't understand why the bad lady wanted to take Dorothy's shoes.
It was something she could relate to. That someone would want to take something that didn't belong to them. My poor, sweet, sensitive LittleBird.
I soothed her. We turned off the movie. LittleBird brushed her teeth, then came into the kitchen and asked if she could have another hug.
I told her of course she could. And she said to me: I need a hug from my mamma to feel much more better from the scary part.
Don't we all need that hug. sometimes?
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Ruby Slippers Make the Difference
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10 comments:
It is kind of a scary movie, isn't it. I saw the second half of it a couple of weeks ago and forgot how dark it is towards the end.
Chipmunks ;)
Aw sweetie, I hope she always remembers those freely-given hugs whenever she hits the scary parts in life.
Peace - D
Aww .. what a sweetie she is!
It's odd what scares kids about movies, isn't it? My older son went to a children's part once, where the parents showed them the first Superman movie. He was about six, and I was not best pleased.
They thought it was harmless. He came home terrified and unable to sleep that night. Why? Right at the beginning, the young Superman's home planet gets destroyed. It completely freaked him out.
When I rang to find out what the heck he'd been watching, (he being too scared to even talk about it until much later), they were unapologetic and couldn't understand what the fuss was about. They said they'd offered to let him go off into another room by himself to play while they watched the rest of the movie!
Good grief. Some people have no understanding...
This was a totally different scenario to your own, however.
Little Bird got to watch with a loving parent who stopped the movie when things got too much, and she got the healing hugs, immediately. No long term harm is done, and in fact, it reinforces the fact that her parents love and protect her, and help her learn to confront and deal with her fears in baby steps.
@AFM: I think it will be a few years before she can see the whole thing. Not quite a "kids" movie, but that is why it is one of the greats. Lots of layers to it.
And yeah, the chipmunk thing just killed me.
@RiverPoet: Me too. Me too.
@Jay: That is absolutely horrid. Your poor son. How wretched of them to be so unapologetic. It does not sound like you had them over for a bbq anytime soon. :)
The flying monkeys didn't bother them? Ooh. Those were my freak out as a kid. That and when the Wicked Witch of the East (?) had her feet curl up under the house after the slippers were removed. Yecch.
How sweet and innocent (and cute!) for LittleBird to be so concerned about stealing the slippers!
That's a really sweet story!
I've never met a kid who didn't have a deep reaction to The Wizard of Oz...it really is a special movie.
Poor sweetie! I'm so glad she found comfort with her Mama's hugs!
Of course, you could always pop in Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" during the movie and I'm sure that would make her feel better. :)
(Waiting for the smack.)
I love Little Bird. What a soft-hearted wonder!
Thank God you didn't get to the fucking flying monkeys. I hated them when I was a kid.
Now? I use them to threaten kids I don't like. Ahhh everything comes full circle, doesn't it? *snort*
I'd cry if someone tried to take the ruby slippers from me, too. Those are some fantastic shoes. ;)
Sweet little girl.
It was the flying monkeys when I was a kid. Now, I tell my step-slave "Don't make me release the flying monkeys!" and he freaks out!
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