Family movie night freakout

So back in the day, when my older girls were younger, Hubby and I would try and have Family Movie Night on Sunday evenings and watch Disney movies or something similar. We’d make popcorn and the fixin's and enjoy a wholesome evening with each other. We all looked forward to it and enjoyed our family time together. It was a nice way to end the weekend and a positive way to start the next week.

Well, as the years have gone on and life has sped up, our Family Movie Nights are pretty far and few between. These days, if it happens at all, it’s totally thrown together last minute. I have to check the clock to see if there’s enough time left in the evening since there’s school the next day, make sure no one has homework or practice or social plans, and then throw the invite out there. Once in a blue moon, it works out.

Last Sunday was one of those rare evenings where the stars aligned and moon was sitting at the correct coordinates so that we could pull off a Family Movie Night. Plus, we also had popcorn and M n’ M’s in the kitchen so it was obviously it was meant to be! However, these days, if we have a movie night, it’s no longer innocent Disney movies or healthy family flicks. In order to get the big girls dismembered from their iPads and Netflix, and actually sit down in the family room with their parents, I have to let them pick out the movie.

Let’s just say their choice of movies aren’t quite what I would prefer to watch on a peaceful Sunday evening before the crazy week begins. When we went to the movie store, they searched the new releases and then had me choose between scary, gory, haunted or violently petrifying. Gee, girls, how will I pick?? I suggested maybe renting the new action movie that Dad would like or the new science fiction one that got good reviews, but they blew me off and tried to convince me how awesome their choices were. They’re friends just loved them!

I settled on one that I thought looked somewhat interesting and was based off a true story but I knew it was gonna scare me and not just that night, but for days after. I have this issue with separating movie from reality, so it takes me some time to work through those dumb movies. However, if that’s what it took to get them to spend time with Hubby and I, then so be it.

They made the popcorn, got the movie rolling and we all piled in the family room. I opted to start it after the youngest went to bed since her innocent brain is still free from all the scary junk. Which was good, because that darn movie was freaky and the whole “true story” thing only scared me more. What was I thinking? When it was over, I did my usual and told myself it was only a movie and life is still as wonderful as it was before I watched it, but in actuality, I couldn’t even shower without thinking some creepy dude was hanging outside the curtain, literally hanging.

Anyway, the next morning, when I was roaming the dark house before everyone woke up, I was on edge again and made sure to flip on all the lights in case unsettled souls were standing in the shadows. I was mad and asked myself again, why I do this to myself? But then I remembered, oh ya, it’s because one day my girls won’t be at the house to watch movies with. So, for now, if I have to have the wits scared out of me so I can share a couch with my teenagers, then so be it!