Stories reflect life, and some films tell the best stories to make me reflect upon my own life.
Hubby and I are still stocking up on our DVDs. A few weeks ago, we even blew over a hundred bucks on just DVDs alone at one go while out shopping. My taste in movies hasn't changed; I'm still enjoying action-adventure, romantic comedies, perhaps a few horror films even (none of those very gory ones though -- my eyes simply stay glued-shut half the time, no matter how much others around might attempt to cajole me into opening them, which totally defeats the whole point of even watching them in the first place). Recently, however, I've begun to take interest in a new 'genre' of films.
These are the ones which revolve around the theme of parenting. I realise that when browsing through DVD racks in stores, I now pay a lot more attention to those DVD covers that show babies, families, diapers, milk bottles... ok, you get the idea. Basically now, as long as I spy a film that tells a story of parenting, especially those set in more modern times, I'm more than willing to bet that I'd want to watch it. I guess being a mum now makes me appreciate such stories much more than before, as I can relate pretty well to the ups and downs of being a parent, as well as what happens when people try to take care of a baby.
Anyway, two films that Hubby and I watched lately are "Motherhood" and "Life As We Know It". Great films! The former depicts a story of a day in the life of a terribly stressed-out mum of two who tries to successfully organise and host a birthday party for her little girl. Several challenges and new experiences await her. Amidst the absurd and sometimes hilarious situations she encounters, one can sense the mounting level of stress she suffers as she goes through the day. It captures the very real picture of how a stay-home mum has to multi-task to the max each day and how trapped she feels in her own little social world, regardless of how much she loves her children.
"Life As We Know It" also includes comic elements, but there's a certain sense of tragedy involved as well. Two singletons who simply cannot stand each other find themselves the appointed guardians of their suddenly-orphaned baby goddaughter. They then have to go through a whole series of plans and routines in order to cope with their new roles as caregivers, not to mention each other as well.
Both shows feature very real aspects of parenting life -- the difficulties and anxieties faced when caring for a baby, how couples have to work through issues together etc. Before Justin came into this world, I did a lot of reading up on coping with a new baby and the various routines to consider for him. While the new knowledge helped to a certain extent, it did turn me into a bit of a stickler, always thinking how things had to be done so that everything could turn out ideal. In fact, I constantly stressed myself out thinking the worst whenever there appeared to be a problem with Justin. Why isn't he drinking enough? Is he drinking too much today? Why hasn't he started drinking more milk and at longer intervals? Why isn't he sleeping through the night yet? Why is he crying while feeding? Blah blah blah. That certainly didn't help much to alleviate the problems then and, over time, I came to realise that while it is understandable that I should worry as a new mum, I had to include space for some flexibility in the way I did things and also let go of certain idealistic plans.
Rearing a child is a lifetime commitment. This is only the beginning for me. New situations will certainly arise as and when. With them might come new stress and anxieties, but ultimately, we as parents have to deal with them in a way that suits our own baby best, regardless of what books or the Internet might say. In the end, guidelines are just guidelines. If we can follow them and they work, great. But if reality doesn't really match what is said, we just have to consider the next best option and work around the problem. Ultimately, whatever method we choose to use, the most important objective in our parenting roles would be to ensure that our child grows up happy and healthy. It's certainly a long road ahead, but with each experience, a new lesson is gained, and that should count towards some improvement...
