Parenting is hard. There is no doubt about it, and it doesn't matter what age or stage your kids are. It may be the most rewarding job in the whole world, but some days, it is really, really hard. Sunday Night, the movie, Boyhood won 3 Golden Globe Awards. I rarely see a movie nominated for an award (truth be told, I'm more of an entertainment kind of girl), but this is one I had the pleasure of seeing with two good friends, also moms of boys. (this post contains affiliate links)
The movie is nearly 3 hours long, and if you don't know the back-story, it spans over 12 years as the main character Mason, grows up. Each year, they would shoot for a couple of weeks to continue the story. It was fascinating to see the actors actually age and change in the movie - no slight of hand, just real time passing.
If you're a regular reader here on the blog, you probably know I have two boys. They are 8 and 14. They are good boys, with big hearts and bigger smiles. They help neighbors, they care about animals, they are nice to other kids (usually). We are a typical American family, and parenting is still hard. Watching Mason grow up and go through all the stages from being a young boy, to a teenager to a young adult, pulled at my heartstrings like no other recent movie.
Just like Mason, my boys are growing up. They are doing things that I'm not thrilled with, learning how to be separate from me and their dad. That's their job, it's what we prepare them for. Here's what I took away about growing up and about parenting from the movie, Boyhood:
1. Your kids may try things (alcohol, drugs, etc) before you're ready to think about them trying them. So keep the lines of communication open. Be ready when they're ready, and if you're not ready, be willing to say that you need a little time, and then actually get back to them.None of us are perfect, no matter how hard we try. We will mess up along the way. But parenting from a place of love and joy can put us ahead of the game. Did you see Boyhood? What did you think?
2. No matter how hard we try, we cannot make our kids happy all the time.They will be disappointed and have their feelings hurt. We're their safe spot. We love them no matter what,
3. For better or worse, every word we say and every action we take has some impact on our kids.That shouldn't scare us, but it should make us conscious and more aware of the choices we make for ourselves and the examples we are setting for our kids.
What's a recent parenting lesson or tip you've learned?
catch you soon -
OH I never heard of this but I need to see it.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Hillary! These things are really important to keep in mind at all ages, but especially during the teen years. They are tough years. I had never heard of this movie before Sunday night. I really want to see it now!
ReplyDelete#1 already scares me but you're so right about open communication. That's what I'm told by friends with kids that age. It's stressful as anything, but it helps.
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