November 4, 2005 - Friday
We got Jeremy, really both boys of course, the Star Wars Episode III DVD for his birthday yesterday and I watched it with them this afternoon. I'd seen most of it at a trade show a couple of months ago and knew that it was a rather dark movie; Darth Vader's full descent into the dark side of the force. But the boys have seen the other five movies and knew Star Wars III would be out on DVD around Jeremy's birthday, so there wasn't going to be any way to avoid it. The boys were going to see it and I figured that maybe if I watched it with them I could make sure there wasn't anything that threw them for a loop. When Harry was turning four I felt pretty strongly that stuff like this wouldn't be appropriate for that age. I guess at almost six he's probably fine. Jeremy seems to do OK, too, although certainly more of the plot is over his head, and that's probably for the best. I did watch the whole thing with them and I was very overt about making sure they understood how the evil Sith lord was manipulating young Anakin in order to get him to turn to the Dark Side of the Force. But that probably wasn't necessary. There's nothing all that subtle about the Star Wars movies in terms of good and evil and even though this hero boy turns bad, I think it was clear enough, to Harry at least, what had happened. More importantly, it does not glamorize the rise of Darth Vader as a cool thing. In fact, maybe this is my imagination, but Harry seemed rather pensive at dinner. And maybe that's a good thing.

Yes, dinner at home (steak on the grill, shrimp with coconut sauce, and wine) with the boys on my birthday. Yesterday was our party day.


Comments, Opinions?