On Star Wars and Childhood

My husband is waiting anxiously for the day he can introduce the magic of the Star Wars movies to the kids. I have set the appropriate age at eight years, though he looks at me sideways and wonders if it couldn’t be sooner. I have stayed firm on this point. I like that my children still enjoy the PBS cartoons, Curious George and the like.

I watch them in the morning, glued to the television, laughing along with the antics of a rambunctious monkey, following the time traveling adventures of dinosaurs, and giggle right along with that little red puppet dear to every child.

So, yes, I am adamant that no matter how classic and timeless the alluring movies may be, the kids aren’t ready for Star Wars. But like a kid before Christmas, my husband skirts the issue with stories, action figures, comic books and the newest addition to the fascination, the Lego versions of all things Star Wars.

Recently he found the cartoon version of Star Wars that was made all the more exciting by also being Lego based. The three of them sit immersed in the plots of adventurous robots, space ships, and a backward talking wrinkled man. I marvel at the capacity they have for sitting still for an hour, practically without blinking.

Even as I type this, they are riveted, unaware that I sit here writing about them, taking pictures of them, and smiling to myself at the beauty of those three most precious beings in my life and their total captivation.

Still, I do take a moment to ask myself, why is this particular story so appealing to kids and adults alike? And more importantly, why are my five year old son, three year old daughter, and, age will remain secret, husband, completely fascinated by the cartoon in front of them?

I don’t yet know the answer to those questions, the more so, because I myself have never understood the appeal (I know, gasp!). Yet, here we are, the four of us, sitting together, kind of, spending time together, kind of, and at the end of the day I’m glad it’s this way. Even if I am not riveted to the television, I am riveted by the tableau of my happy family.