“Lets go to the movies”
There are a few theaters in Vegas that do free movies in the summer for kids, well one free movie at a certain time and day of the week each week. They’re all films that are older and on DVD now. Today I decided to take the girls to see Cars on the big screen.
Jon mentioned how Eden doesn’t normally sit through a long film at our house and he was right. Eden didn’t sit through a long film at the theater either. She started squirming and occupying herself with mischief about half way through. She was a little bit of a pain, but it mostly was okay. I think I just need more snacks and something that she can do in the dark. Any ideas on that would be welcomed.
Lilah liked the movie but she had her fingers in her ears for about half of it. She doesn’t like loud noises and there are plenty of them in the theater version of Cars, engines roaring and loud singing. She said it was loud but she’d like to go back. She puts her fingers in her ears a lot. Mostly when we hear something load outside and whenever we go to a public bathroom. I try to kept her fingers out of her ears because who knows what germs are now growing in her earwax, but it doesn’t work. She hates loud toilets so she plugs her ears after she goes. Very lovely I know.
It was an okay experience. I think I’ll only try a couple more of the movies, not all four or five that I had planned.
July 3rd, 2007 at 2:45 pm
Isabel is the same way in movies. Two weeks ago we went to see Open Season and she barely made it through that one. I had to hold onto her to keep her from tumbling down the aisle. Then last week we went to see Flushed Away which I thought was quite good, and I thought Isabel would enjoy it because for some reason we had all the happy meal toys and she was quite attached to those, but half way through the movie she was done and kept saying go home, go home! So instead of fighting her the whole time we just left. Katia would have been good through the whole thing but Isabel is just not that patient yet. Guess its the age.
July 3rd, 2007 at 3:10 pm
I don’t know where I got the idea, but I’ve had it running around in my head that shy children are often biologically predisposed to reactive negatively to stress. I googled up an article to support this:
On Lilah’s second Independence Day, we had fireworks at Lacey’s Mom and Dad’s house. I took Lilah out to watch. After a particularly loud firework, she wanted me to pick her up. The next firework gave a series of loud pops. Lilah buried her head in my neck and grabbed on with everything she had: arms, legs, fingers. I don’t think I could have broken her grip if I wanted to.
And she was shaking. You always hear “shaking in your boots”, but I’d never actually seen someone shake in fear. It broke this daddy’s heart. I rushed her inside to calm her down. She wasn’t crying, just in shock.
So I think Lilah’s shyness is partly biological. She’s hypersensitive to loud noises and to bad vibes from adults, especially adults other than her parents.
Another Lilah story: A family friend, Julie (am I spelling that correctly?), got married a little while ago. Lilah, Carolyn, and I were in the vicinity of the wedding cake. Lilah reached out her hand to stick her finger in the frosting. I think Carolyn and I both said “Stop!” at the same time, and I probably grabbed her arm. Lilah was mortified. She closed her eyes, cuddled up to me, and refused to acknowledge that anyone in the world existed. She was shutting out the world. I don’t remember how long it lasted, but it was pretty long.
The article goes on:
July 4th, 2007 at 11:21 am
I can remember being similarly mortified as a child when being scolded or overwhelmed by a situation. I grew out of it for the most part, but I think Jon is right…some of us are pre-disposed to react to stress with anxiety. Now as an adult, I tend to get an upset stomach, be more suseptable to illness, and have small panic attacks. Stress is no fun for the hyper-sensitive!
I think Lilah’s sensitivity is a defense mechanism….it will be very useful in her teenage years to help her stay out of trouble. Don’t squelch it, embrace it. I know I got into lots of trouble when I tried to de-sensitze myself. Allow her to freak out, even if you don’t understand, that way she will feel like she is still loved even with her quirks.
As for the movies, we make sure our kids are adequately hungry before we go. We don’t let them eat constantly while there…sometimes I say things like, “you can have more after this song is over”. That way they are watching the movie while anticipating their treat. Eden is jsut at an awkward age for movies…she’s too big to sit still and stare off like a baby, but not quite old enough to really care about the plot. You might just have to wait until next summer, or make it a fun Lilah & Mom date.