- Is your toddler eating a properly balanced diet?
- Is your toddler receiving the right amount of sleep?
- How do you instill the right values in your toddler?
- How do you get your toddler to stop throwing temper tantrums?
- "What is the proper sequence for showing your children the Star Wars movies?"
- "What is the proper age to begin showing your child the Star Wars movies?"
My answer to these questions typically revolves around the idea that I will not show them to my son. At this point I am met with a scoff or a snort of derision, and I immediately understand what non-sports fans must feel. I truly am happy for any blogger friends who were part of release, and premier activities for the upcoming movie. I know what I felt like walking away from meeting professional athletes, or going to a game. It truly is an awesome feeling.
But, I fall into the tiny sliver of the human race that believes the Star Wars movies were wildly overrated, and wholly unworthy of the media attention the franchise receives. They're good movies, but by no means the best movie series of my lifetime.
You know how excited the fanatics are about seeing the upcoming Force Awakens movie? That's how excited I am about the day that I don't have a Facebook feed stuffed with Darth Vader memes, and pledges not to spoil the movie for those unlucky enough to have not seen it yet. All of this is to say that I just don't care. Jar-Jar ruined any warm feelings I might have had for the original three as a child. And to be honest, I wasn't all that excited before Jar-Jar was on the scene.
If my son stumbles on these movies when he grows older and likes them, more power to him. But I don't cherish the idea of showing them to him as some sort of right of passage. Honestly, Meg likes science fiction more than I do. She grew up in a family watching Star-Trek, while I was more at home watching television shows set on this planet.
Maybe she'll show Jamie more of the Sci-Fi classics. It'll have to be at a time that I left the room, however, because I don't care.
Bottom line:
I might eventually watch the new Star Wars movie. I might not. I'm not really looking at it as a top parenting priority, either. My son will end up just fine and a perfectly well-rounded individual, either way.
He'll have to determine on his own whether they are the movies he's looking for. May the force be with him. Or something.