being a mom
The Force Is With Me Because I’m A Proud Star Wars Mom
Still, my favorite people to talk about, read about and of course watch Star Wars with is still kids. My oldest and I watched the original (and superior, obv) trilogy when she was three and we’ve never looked back. The beauty of Star Wars is that it’s not only great for adults, but also (and perhaps especially) great for kids. The movies, comics and books contain themes of political strife, racial tension, democracy, social justice and much more. Of course, now that George Lucas has decided to pimp his intellectual material to literally everyone on the planet, the quality of what you’re reading or watching varies (I’m looking at you, new trilogy), but when it hits the mark it hits it HARD. The book Shatterpoint, by Matthew Stover, is a great example. It explores topics like genocide and racism (in the setting of Mace Windu’s home world) and read more like literature than fan fiction. I will be happy to have my kids read it when they’re older, and certainly not less valid simply because it’s a Star Wars book.
Recently it was announced that Lucasfilm (who was recently bought by Disney…I’ll give you a moment to grieve…okay, carry on) will be producing a new trilogy, this time written by Michael Arndt and directed by J.J. Abrams. Of course, as a fan I have high hopes for this new set of films. It would be hard not to, anything would be better than the last three movies. Hell, I’d rather watch Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, and Mark Hamill sit through a tense, silent lunch meeting where everyone is clearly uncomfortable and hates each other than the last three abominations, but I digress. The real joy I will get from the new trilogy is being able to discover a brand new portion of something I love with my kids.
Why. Just….why? (Photo: matthewcgallagher)
My favorite part of sharing my love of sci fi with my kids is that it’s ours and ours alone. Since my husband isn’t a huge fan of it (don’t worry, I love him anyway), Star Wars (and geeky things in general) is something that I can share with my children that is just ours. Like me with my dad before us, it’s a great bonding tool, and nothing is better than snuggling up on a rainy Sunday when TBS inexplicably plays the original trilogy (or even the terrible one) for the tenth time in a month, and just getting lost in the magic.
(Image: getty images/Julia Sonenshein)
