Lilo and What?

Speaking of those Disney movies, the first one my son actually watched was "Lilo and Stitch". It was also the first feature length that he saw. He had been watching 15 minute shows on Sprout TV so I was surprised that he sat through the whole thing.

I wondered whether I should have introduced movies to him so soon, but I was getting tired of the same shows and I just love film so much. And of course, I was simply curious about how he would receive it. 

I guess I picked this one because it was set in Hawaii and they also have some slang in there that my wife uses sometimes. (She was born there btw.) So one day while she was out with her cousin doing the laundry or shopping, o stayed home with my toddler and put the movie on.

I didn't watch it with him. I was on my computer. I either had work to do or just got on social media or something. I probably wasn't maintaining this blog, or I would have written it down and have a way to remember it. 

Anyways, I think my son came up to me after it ended and asked me to play it again. One of the surprising things about him watching the whole thing is that he could be clingy sometimes, so him being alone for a couple of hours without missing a parent or grownup was extraordinary. 

But I didn't want him to keep asking for the movie so much. Not because it was rotting his brain or something. It was the way the little toddler pronounced it. 

"Peesh, Daddy, again. Lilo and Tits!"

Lion Thinking

Speaking of Disney movies, of course, we also used to watch "The Lion King" all the time. It was interesting watching a one - maybe two - year old being able to follow along with the plot. I was amazed that he was able to recognize that Young Simba and Adult Simba were the same character. I worried that the death of the cub's father Mufasa would devastate him (spoiler alert!). He seemed worried and sad and said something like, "He has a boo boo". I do wish I had written a blog about it at the time because I can't remember his exact words.

And of course, he loved all the music as well. And yeah, he watched it so many times that he memorized the lines. 

When my son first started talking, it felt really good hearing him talk. When He was a baby, I had been wondering what his voice would sound like. It felt really sweet to hear him say "Daddy". At first, it was like "Dayee" until eventually he was able to pronounce it correctly. It felt very good to have my child recognize me and utter those two syllables: Daddy. 

Until he watched "The Lion King". There is this scene where the young cub runs up to Mufasa yelling over and over, "Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad, Dad!" And guess what, my son imitates it. And instead of me being Daddy, I was now "Dad". 

It just sounds grown up to me. Toddlers should call you "Daddy". Not Dad. That's what teenagers call their fathers. The two-syllable Daddy had such sweetness to it.

No fair. 

Watching the Jungle Book

I'm sitting here at home next to my baby's rocker with "The Jungle Book" on. He was sleeping soundly for a long while until the scene with the vultures came on. My six year old had been watching quietly, but he couldn't control his excitement. "This is my favorite part!" He uttered out loud. And little brother opened his eyes and wondered what was going on.

The first time big brother watched this movie, it was just after Christmas, too. I remember because I put him in this plaid button jacket that was a present from my wife's cousin. My wife went out to do the groceries at he time, I think, and I used to dress him up nicely as a nice surprise for when Mom returned. 

As for my own first time watching it, it was so many years ago. My mom and I lived in my aunt's house when I first got to America. One afternoon, my three year old little cousin came into the room with a VHS tape of the movie and asked if I wanted to watch with her. I agreed and put it on. 

I had been watching "TaleSpin" on the Disney Afternoon lineup weekdays on Channel 11, so it was a nice surprise to see some familiar characters in Baloo, Louie and even Shere Khan. I really liked the "Bare Necessities" song. I thought the lyrics were clever, and I was impressed - and maybe a little jealous - that this little girl knew all the words to it. 

About halfway through the movie, my aunt came in to check in on us. The TV was right in front of my bed, and while I sat there watching, my little cousin had decided to get under the sheets and cuddle with me. I thought nothing of it, but when her mother saw, she had this look of concern on her face. It was so odd to me. I was twelve. I don't remember her exact words, but she convinced us to get out of the blanket. 

The next time I watched it by myself.