I know many people are feeling cooped up with the quarantine but my favorite part of this “staying home with the teens” thing is spending each night together. My dynamic duo (as I call them) are running out of things to watch on their streaming lists and are eager to come out of their bedrooms to sit with me in the evenings and allow them to introduce them to the movies of my childhood. Not only do we come together, but I get to share stories of the 80s and they ask me questions about the way we dressed, what the movies mean and random topics that become conversations. I’m loving these bonding moments! Want to give it a try?
The Breakfast Club
Watching this movie together had both of my kids saying, “Oh! So that’s where that quote comes from!” They’ve heard many of the lines but never knew the movie. They couldn’t imagine sitting in a library all day without their phones, thought Judd Nelson was way too old to be a teenager, but did understand the concept of different cliques coming together, if only for a day. I was able to hear about the cliques in their schools and learn a bit more about what they go through.
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
The classic skipping school to have an unbelievable day received resounding laughs from my kids. It led to them asking if I ever skipped school (yes, of course) and what I did when I did it. This was a chance for them to realize their old mom was once a teen like them and can actually understand some of the things they deal with on a day-by-day basis. (Well, when they could actually go to school.)
The Princess Bride
My 14-year-old son literally groaned when the movie began as a bedtime story (did you even remember that ?), just as “The Wonder Years’” Fred Savage does — and then he was laughing all the way through the movie once the tale of pirate and the princess really got going. There are lots of quotes that every human should know in this one, as well.
Tootsie
My aforementioned son was not interested in this one, but my 15-year-old daughter was rolling on the floor. She also couldn’t believe that her beloved Jessica Lange from “American Horror Story” was the romantic lead. As we watched together, we were realizing that not a lot has actually changed for women since the 1982 movie and we had some great discussions about equality.
Beetlejuice
Michael Keaton really was a funnyman in the 1980s but nothing better than catching him as the dead man Beetlejuice terrorizing a family that included Wynona Rider (whom they know from “Stranger Things”), Catharine O’Hara (whom they know from “Home Alone”) and Alec Baldwin (whom they know from “30 Rock”). No messages in this movie – just fun and games.
