Elysha received a Facebook memory that read:
13 years ago
We attempted to take Clara for her first movie, Winnie the Pooh, but the preview scared the hell out of her.
Poor thing is still upset over whether Puss in Boots will be OK.
I remember that moment well. Clara was beside herself. No amount of consoling would calm her down.
A couple of years later, she would need to leave “Frozen” when Elsa sent a snow monster after Anna and her friends. “The Good Dinosaur” caused her to leave the movie theater crying. Soon after, Clara decided that movies of any kind were simply too intense for her, so she refused to watch any of them.
When the pandemic hit and we began watching Marvel movies for the first time, she would retreat to her bedroom to read.
She maintained that position for nearly a decade.
Last weekend, Clara and I went to see “Longlegs,” a horror movie currently playing in theaters. It is a truly terrifying film.
One critic wrote:
“Saturated in a disquieting mood and leveraging Nicolas Cage’s nightmarishly gonzo performance, ‘Longlegs’ is a satanic horror that effectively instills panic.”
Yesterday, she watched the original “Psycho.”
We’ve watched movies like “Poltergeist” and “Scream” together.
Nearly two years ago—almost overnight—Clara decided to start watching movies again. It was like she had flipped a switch and altered her personality entirely. Her first foray into the world of cinema—by choice—was horror movies. Somehow, she went from years of watching absolutely nothing to suddenly watching a long string of horror movies that Elysha, Charlie, and lots of other people couldn’t watch.
It’s unbelievable, inexplicable, utterly unpredictable, and bizarre.
Then again, it also adheres to the advice I often offer parents:
The behavior that your child is doing to annoy or upset or befuddle you will eventually, often quickly, pass, replaced by something new that will equally annoy or upset or befuddle you. Kids pivot on a dime, change without warning, and grow quickly, so don’t get too obsessed with any individual behavior because it will likely be replaced by another soon enough.
Instead, focus on long-term goals like problem-solving, a strong work ethic, empathy, emotional regulation, conflict resolution, kindness, conversational skills, organizational skills, persistence, a love for reading, a love for learning, and self-confidence.
These are the things that will make a difference in your child’s life.
Their inability to bring food from the plate to their mouth without spilling it on their shirt will eventually end.
Their horrible handwriting will become more legible with time.
They will someday learn how to tie their shoes.
And yes, I promise that someday, somehow, they will expand their palates and start eating new foods.
Granted, the shift from “I can’t even watch Disney’s animated movies because they frighten me” to “I want to watch the most terrifying films ever made” was extreme, especially given the instantaneous switch, but children are unpredictable whirlwinds.
Clara especially.
