The Kids and Ladder 49

Tonight, for something different, the kids watched an adult movie with me. Now, please let me define that. I mean adult as in not-kiddie. No animation or slapstick humor throughout. It was Ladder 49. Their grandfather (not that he's much of one in my opinion--he never asks to see them or spend time with them) is on a fire department. The movie had a few choice bad words, but besides that was pretty clean. I always explain to them if I hear swearing in a movie that "they are going to say some words that you may or may not have heard before. They are bad words and kids never say them. Grown-ups should not say them either, but sometimes they do. If you are not sure if a word is bad or not, you can come to me and whisper the word in my ear and I will not get mad at you. I will tell you if it is a word that should be said and I will tell you what it means."

Well, even though it had some language, I really liked watching it with them. They asked questions...good ones when some of the firefighters got hurt, or especially when they died. I told them that sometimes bad things happen and it's not something that anybody did wrong. The movie did a good job (John Travolta is a damn decent actor--despite that he's a raving lunatic like most Hollywood types) and he stated simply enough even for my children to understand that firemen put their lives at risk doing very dangerous things--but for a good cause.

Lexie asked why didn't they just let the buildings burn down after all the people were out. I told her to pretend that she woke up tomorrow outside on the grass and all she had was the clothes she was wearing. No tv, no house, no pets, no books, no clothes, no food...and then I told her when someone's house burns down, that is what it is like for them. I told her that getting the people out is the most important thing--even more than dogs and cats. You could see the little light go on behind her eyes...the light of understanding. I live for that. It gives me so much satisfaction to live life, experiencing what they experience, and being there to answer questions--and to pose questions that make them think, fathom, comprehend, understand...