Everyone remembers their first 'tear jerker'...Mine was The Fox and The Hound, but that had nothing on E.T. I was still sobbing as my mom and I left the theatre. Bambi, Old Yeller, Charlotte's Web...
Kids have to learn about life's injustices at some point. But when is too early? And how much melancholy is too much?
This is the argument stirred up by the latest tear jerker for kids—The Odd Life of Timothy Green, which might well have been called the sad life of T.G. Apparently. I haven't seen it myself, yet the footage of blubbering children after the credits have rolled speaks for itself.
Disney, you doggone heartbreaker, you. Don't watch the video if you aren't ready for a spoiler, but you can probably guess, gauging by the young boys' reactions.
"If you do [watch the movie], you will tear out your eyes. It was so sad," warned one of the brothers, while the other was more divided on the subject.
"There were so many happy and sad moments."
If you do choose to bring your kids to see Timothy Green, have lots of Kleenex and TLC at the ready.
When are children emotionally ready to deal with these mature themes? Do movies and books provide a 'healthy' way of exploring despair?
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