Recently, I have been watching many children’s movies. It’s not like I have “young” children, although Shaan is 14 (going on 40—can someone please save me from the pre-teens?). These were actually movies that I wanted to watch, and Shaan was gracious enough to join me (it’s our thing—watching movies together). I was pleasantly surprised by the material that Hollywood movies are now addressing, and surprisingly, our schools are not.
Our first movie was “Inside Out,” and can I just say, if you have not watched this movie yet, you definitely should. No matter your age, we can all learn a lot from this movie. It tackles the heavy topic of anxiety. While it revolves around a young teen growing up and emotions changing, it also shows how the parents respond to some of her behaviors—and their own respective emotions.
I’m the first to admit, when it comes close to our annual event Build IT LIVE, I myself suffer from some anxiety. There are so many deliverables and expectations; it can become overwhelming. What this movie does is make it acceptable and even vital to have these conversations with our kids. I took our young niece and nephews with us, and it allowed us to have a dialogue about emotions without it becoming overwhelming. They learned that each of us is filled with different emotions, and that’s okay, but we need to make sure we don’t allow anxiety to take over.
There needs to be a balance—WOW. We even laughed at the Chasm of Sarcasm—I’m sure many teen parents can relate—and saw similarities in the movie and Shaan’s current actions. Now, when I see issues with how he is behaving, I refer to the movie, and he checks himself. A five-star movie review and a must-watch for any parent with kids, at most young ages, to watch together.
The next movie was “Despicable Me 4.” Now, of course, no one can resist a Minions movie, but many don’t always read between the lines. Without giving away too many spoilers, we learn how misunderstandings can cause lifelong rifts in relationships. The resulting anger and resentment lead people to make rash decisions, some with far-reaching impacts. Now, this may seem like a dark topic, but don’t worry, it’s all in the hilarious Minions fashion. But it does show us the impact of our actions and our ability, at any age, to atone for our mistakes.
And finally, while not a cartoon, the movie “IF” with Ryan Reynolds (enough said, with that good Canadian boy). This was one I waited to see on demand, while the others I watched in theaters (don’t hate me, Ryan). The concept of imaginary friends may seem like something for children, but this movie delves into the reason why our subconscious creates these figures. Our mind will create what we need in that moment, and the movie touches on not only the why behind these figures, but also why we disconnect ourselves from our inner child. It ends with the ability to see the “what IF” in life and understanding that we all need somebody sometimes—no matter our age.
Our minds are complex things, and I can only imagine what our young children are dealing with in the age of social media. Where once taboo, our mental health is something we need to discuss—at any age. If we allow ourselves to have these conversations as young children, and as parents open a healthy dialogue, hopefully we will be able to support each other with our mental health. It’s important that we do.
