Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

Have you ever rewatched a movie you loved as a kid and realized just how awful it was?

One of our family favorites as a kid was Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  You may remember it as a movie about a special car that could morph into a boat or a plane... Or maybe you remember...

Uhm, the child-snatchers.  A scary man with a long nose steals all the children and locks them away so that the king can have all the toys for himself.  I wonder how many of my childhood anxieties originated from that movie.  Seriously.











 

My daughter watched it the other day and was enchanted with the story.  (b/c  most of the movie is really really good)  I should say, we're normally very picky about what she watches right now.  She'll have more freedom one day, when we're able to have conversations with her about the content and she's better able to separate reality from fantasy.  But right now she's a 4 yr old little girl with a very active imagination and a lot of movies just scare her.  Like for weeks.  No months.  Because she also has a mind like a steel trap and once something scares her, it sticks.  Somehow this one slipped under the radar.


Here's how the conversation today went:
D: Hey Mom, where was that castle from the movie?
Me: Hmm, I think it's in Germany.
D: I don't want to go to Germany.
Me: Why not?
D: Because that mean lady might try to take me away from you!
Me: Oh honey,  that was just pretend...
D: I know what we can do, Mom.
Me: What?
D:  We can ask her if she swims, and if she says 'no', then we'll put her in the river.  Then she'll never come back.  Right mom?

I have no words.

I really wish I could tell you I found a way to make this a really awesome teachable moment. I didn't.  I bought her a milkshake and changed the subject.