don't worry wilson, i'll do all the paddling.
you just hang on.
- chuck noland, the castaway
a week ago, the boys and i gathered in front of the tv
to watch castaway. finn had heard about it from a friend
{survival skills are important to his age group}, and asked
if it was "an appropriate movie for him to watch".
mmm. c and i tried to remember the movie and what might
have given it a pg-13 rating. it had been years since we'd seen it.
then i remembered that imdb has a 'parent guide' that breaks down
questionable content in movies so parents can make informed choices
about what their kids can watch.
after reviewing the parent guide, we decided to watch it as a family
and keep an eye on scout during the plane crash scene. this is where
we thought it might be a bit intense for him. it turns out we were wrong.
very wrong. the plane crash was suspenseful, but nothing that caused him to
cover his head or run out of the room.
it was the scene where chuck {tom hank's character} was on the raft
in the ocean and woke to discover that 'wilson' {the volleyball who had
become a dear friend to him while he was alone on the island all those years},
had slowly come untied and drifted off into the ocean.
when chuck discovers him missing, he is some distance away.
he tries to swim out to him but exhausted and has to swim back to his raft.
he's heartbroken and cries, while apologizing to 'wilson' for having to leave
him behind. it's a very emotional scene.
as we all sat staring at the tv,
we heard soft sniffles coming from scout.
he was tucked between c and i and from my position,
i couldn't see his face. c and i turned to each other with
puzzled looks and i mouthed "is he crying?"
c looked at him and shook his head yes.
we cuddled him in tight between us, let him experience the strong emotions
he was feeling without saying a word. it was a surreal moment for both
c and i. we had no idea this part of the movie would affect him at all.
it was one of those quiet thoughtful moments that parents have when
their children surprise them. it made me feel both reflective and happy.
empathy is a complex emotion...having the ability to imagine how someone
else feels and respond with care and concern is a beautiful thing
{and not always easy for 7 year olds}. our scoutie is growing up.
~ finn almost opened his mouth to chuckle when he heard his little brother crying.
i gave him 'the look' and he knew better. the next day in private, i talked to finn
about scout's reaction during that scene and how it was something for us to celebrate.
some grownups have difficulty with it...or have learned to suppress it. finn replied
"i know mom. it just surprised me...i didn't think scout was that mature".
i think scout surprised all of us that night...in a good way.
he's learning empathy.
