Movie time

We have a Netflix subscription, mostly for the benefits of getting BBC series that we love and can't find elsewhere.

HOWEVER, we discovered, and Christopher loves, that you can instantly watch a large number of movies and tv shows, any time, as much as you want, as many times as you want. For the adults, this translates into more movie nights. For Christopher, this translates into unlimited amounts of Kipper, Barney, Bob the Builder, Blue's Clues, and anything else that's available and we permit.

When Bryan realized this feature was available, the first thing he let Christopher watch was what he deemed "superheroes". So Bryan finds a comic that he liked as a kid called "Justice League" and lets Christopher watch it. Now, I'm super picky about what I let Christopher see, and usually if there's even a chance that the video is questionable or may have plot themes he'd ask me about later, I'll watch it with him to be sure I can control what he's seeing and how he's interpreting it. But Bryan assures me that this is a kid's comic, and it'll be fun for Christopher.

Now, you must know here that Bryan's computer has headphones because it has no speakers. And that Christopher is very computer-savvy and knows how to operate the video player that Netflix runs on. So, several rounds of "Justice League" later, I walk by and see a half-dead guy bleeding from the mouth and laughing wickedly as he lays dying and the superheroes stand around. WHAT?!?!?!?!? I have a minor tantrum aimed at my dearly beloved husband, who had no idea that this version of Justice League was in fact terribly violent.

When I pronounce that there will be no more superheroes EVER in this house (I really don't like the fact that they're violent, and that after watching even so much as The Incredibles, Christopher goes on a destruction spree), Christopher has a complete meltdown. "WHY can't I have superheroes?" Well dear, because I don't want you shooting, hitting, kicking, exploding, and otherwise destroying my house, your family members, your toys, your dog, and your friends. Nor do I want you asking me why the "heroes" can and you can't. "But WHY?" Because it's not right, it never was, and it never will be. But it's not like that goes into a little kid's head. Somehow the interest a four year old has in on-screen violence is greater than the interest they have in moral values.

So he is now parked next to me laughing at Kipper episodes. And when he came to me after watching one yesterday and said, "Mom, snow sticks to us, and if you roll down a hill you turn into a snowball" I smiled and had a warm fuzzy feeling inside. That's right kid, I want you to learn about snowballs and sledding. That's much better than coming to me and saying "Mommy, Spiderman's eyes are gone." What am I supposed to say to that?!? Snowballs are so much better, and better for him. Having him "imagination" building things with friends or going on adventures with them is so much more enjoyable to watch than him savagely stabbing his action figures. I'd much rather the action figures join him for his imaginary picnic lunch in the park.

And since I'm the Mommy, and I can control what's going into my children's heads, I can assure you as I watch him beside me that there will be less household casualties and more secret adventures with Kipper and Blue, more construction projects with Manny, and more music with the Einsteins. Yes, thanks to the talent of some unknown cartoonist, my son can learn the values of friendship, honestly, responsibility, culture, and the arts.... while I sit next to him communicating with friends and paying the bills, and the dishwasher and dryer are running, at long last.