I got to see it with my daughters in the movie theater this time!
That may not seem very epic.
At all.
But for me, it brought me to tears.
Let me take you to the movie with me the day we went...
(dream sequencing clouds or flash-back twinkling)
I sat in the theater between Sister and Baby. Brother and Marc were the book ends of us three girls.
We, as an entire family, were sitting... yes, sitting in a theater.
The lights in the theater were up a little so it wasn't totally dark.
The sound was lower than usual.
We were surrounded by family and people who knew exactly what our life involves having children with special needs.
You see this wasn't just any showing of Disney's "Frozen." This was a special showing for children or adults with special needs that struggle with the "typical" movie theater setting. This was all about making the theater experience comfortable for them.
It was OK that Brother sang at the top of his lungs during Elsa's big song. It was OK that Baby had to run up and down the isle several times to get out the wiggles. It was OK when Sister got a little scared and had to leave and then come back in still a little nervous and making sure to loudly let me know.
We were all in the theater together.
My whole family.
I think the last time we did that was when Baby was like 6 months old. It was such a nightmare that we vowed to never do it again. We have cheated and did it a few times with family but I usually end up in the hall or at the front of the theater trying to chase Baby down while someone else is trying to keep Sister in her seat and calm her down so she doesn't totally freak out.
Not fun to go to the movie with my family.
It's kind of like going with three hyperactive 3-year-old triplets... it just shouldn't be done.
My cousin, Ryan has a son with Autism. He also runs a theater in Spanish Fork. He knows how rare it is for a family dealing with children with special needs to sit and watch a movie together at the theater. It's dark and ads to the overwhelming view of the larger-than-life screen with the sound blaring loud enough to affect anyone who deals with sensitivity issues. He also knows how important it is to have other families around who totally "understand" your child and aren't going to judge, mock or ask them to leave.
I am so thankful that I was able to be a part of this special viewing that day.
There was a point during the "Do You Wanna Build A Snowman" song that Sister was on my left side singing it almost word for word with a big smile on her face as she hugged her knees and then there was Baby on my Right side with her knees tucked underneath her and her sweet little face in her hands with her head tilted watching in complete mesmerizing attention. I looked at our masculine book ends and I started to cry. Was I really experiencing this wonderful activity with my entire family? I was so grateful for such a simple thing. I can't even get Sister to watch a movie with me at home. It was so fun to sit right beside her while she could.
And then there were the times that Baby and Sister would run the aisles, run to the front of the screen and squeal when they thought someone would catch them. Or when Brother took off his shoes and bounced up and down in his seat as he sang "Let It Go" with forceful vibrato.
No one judged us. Everyone was just enjoying the whole thing. The movie. The laughter. The singing. Even the kids who could hardly get enough of this fun experience.
So that is my second take on "Frozen." Nothing new to review as far as the movie itself goes, but just a magical experience that I will never ever forget.
I want to thank all the movie theaters out there that have these special showings for special needs children and adults. There are not a lot of them, but maybe, just maybe if they read this post there will more.
Oh, and just so you know, Sister has been singing that snowman song this entire week, she keeps saying "Hang in there, Joan." I think she was able to really connect to it in her own way. I am so thankful for the little blessings in Our Life.
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| This is some chalk art from a while back, but I wanted to have some picture to put up here :) |
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