Hi I’m Abby.
And I’m a terrible parent…
Apparently…
According to someone who doesn’t know me…
And because I let my kids watch stranger things…
So I posted this video yesterday on my Instagram account, LMMBlog, where I share things about my family, lifestyle, and decor, which I also share here. Obviously, Stranger Things is not really decor related, unless you are totally into the eighties, which, if I’m being honest, it’s majorly growing on me. But, I digress…
https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cg28rOXgFL9/
Over the summer we headed to couple special Stranger Things experiences. First, if you don’t know much about Stranger Things, I think you should watch it. If your kids want to watch it, watch it with them. It’s brought our family together for more cozy sofa time watching, listening to the soundtrack on family jeep rides, taken trips back in time like the one I shared above, and actually since we started watching the show together, we’ve probably enjoyed MORE togetherness than we would have had not watching it as a family.
STRANGER THINGS IN BLOOMINGTON INDIANA
In a nutshell, Stranger Things, is about a group of friends located in Hawkins, Indiana. After Will, from the group of friends, strangely vanishes, the others as well as his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder), desperately search for him. The small town starts to reveal many secrets at play including a secret lab, portals to another world and monsters. All set in the eighties when parents were less around and kids were more latchkey. No iPads, cell phones, GPS, not even digital cameras.
While it may seem scary to some, even some older people, my kids didn’t find it scary. They somewhat laugh at the demogorgons. Listen, everyone interprets things differently. We see this in our everyday lives. You can see it with foods we like or dislike. Or see that with friends we like or dislike. So why can’t we watch shows that we find scary or not scary? It’s not like I let them watch NOPE.
I also ask them constantly if things are too scary or if it bothers them. And we’ve never had issues with nightmares, or not sleeping (other than not going to be because of FOMO) in our house… We actually love our kids dearly so we wouldn’t purposely let them watch or do things that would hurt them in the long run.
STRANGER THINGS EXPERIENCE CHICAGO
But I will say, we do like to experience things WITH our kids. They’ve been by our side since they were born We rarely do things without them. I think we’ve hired a babysitter about 5x in our 12 year marriage. We don’t have a close support system of family to utilize so the kids just come along. By doing so, it’s actually allowed them to experience things that some kids their age haven’t. But I did that growing up too, I was lucky to be exposed to things at a young age and I believe it’s actually helped me along the way. So this is just one of those things we do WITH our kids.
When I watch Stranger Things, I actually see a few amazingly special qualities. Yes, there are monsters, but like I said, they don’t scare us. We walk right up to them, just like Hopper I guess. And honestly, I find them quite creative. They have details that are both beautiful AND disgusting. It’s ok to expose kids to things of all sorts. I believe it makes them a more well rounded humans, which is our job as parents. To prepare them for LIFE – good and bad! If we shelter them from scary things ALL THE TIME, then when will they learn how to handle those situations?! Or how will they know how to do things WITHOUT us. It’s ok to sometimes be uncomfortable. It helps us decide on the things we like or don’t like.
JOY OF CHILDREN
But in this show, I see growth of friendships, inclusion, problem solving, working together, love of friends, love of family, GREAT LOVE, and there’s nothing wrong with any of those things. I see kids interested in science and math. I see kids who don’t care that they are a little nerdy or goofy because they have the rest of their nerdy and goofy tribe right there alongside of them. There are actually so many lessons I think you learn from this show, not all listed in this post.
Also grief is shown in such a true way when Max loses Billy and the conflict she has with it a, and that not everyone has the same home life, and that sometimes it’s ok to go against the grain. All of these things are really great lessons. We don’t always get to see some of these things, and if we do, they aren’t always portrayed in a accurate way. I think this show does a great job of showing the difference in lifestyles, opportunities, etc… especially as it was in the eighties.
I think if you watch this show outside of the fact that it’s a scary show about an upside down world, you’ll see something more magical. The Duffer Brothers may have put together a group of misfits, but man it’s so cool to watch these characters grow and all WITHOUT direct parental supervision. I hope my kids can grow up to be something like Will, Mike, Dustin, Lucas, Max, Erica, Nancy, Steve, or Robin. We pray that they someday know the love that Joyce shows for her boys as well as Eleven when she takes her in. Let’s hope they know themselves enough to feel like they can act like Eddie does in the cafeteria. And I hope they find true friendships like those of Robin & Steve or Eddie & Dustin. I hope they can be brave when they need to be. I hope they learn that normalcy is overrated. There are so many GREAT moments in this show that show that go deeper than the scary elements of it.
FAMILY ROAD TRIP
So yea, sorry that I watch a show, together with my family, that shows my kids how to love others, shows them true friendships and how they can have ups and downs, shows them how to be creative, shows them how to solve problems and mysteries, shows them how to utilize resources they have on hand without going and buying something new, and shows them that they can be empowered to do things themselves {usually} without adult intervention. Sorry I’m watching a show with my kids that’s actually showing my kids that it’s ok to not depend on their parents 24/7. Sorry we parent differently, but that’s ok because I know we all do and I didn’t call you out on anything…
If deciding to watch with your kids, I’m not a pro,
but I’d ask these questions before and while watching Stranger Things:
1. Before – Do YOU want to watch this? If they don’t, move on until they go to bed.
2. While – If anything scares you, we can turn it off.
3. While – If anything scares you, I can cover your eyes or you can pop under the blanket.
4. We can turn it off at anytime.
5. While – Remember, all the scary things are make-believe and not real.
6. While – I’m right here.
But I guess, yea, this all makes me a terrible parent according to one person who doesn’t know me on the internet.
C’mon, don’t be a Dingus!