Personally, I didn’t want to spend the time indoors watching sitcom reruns or movies we’ve seen dozens of times. So I decided to revisit the classics with my children.
We started off with Shirley Temple in Heidi. Then we progressed to an introduction to Marilyn Monroe, Donald O’Connor, Gene Kelly, and Debbie Reynolds. The kids were fascinated, enthralled by the colorful costumes, the epic dance numbers, the beautiful feathered head dresses, the catchy songs.
“Did you watch this when you were a little girl?” Joseph asked as we watched Shirley Temple dance across the screen.
“I did. And do you want to hear something crazy? Nana watched it when she was a little girl and your great grandma watched it when she was a little girl!”
I watched them process this while I stared at a curly haired girl dimple her way into Clara’s heart. I remember watching the film with my sisters while the rain beat on the windows or the heat melted our motivation. I remember humming the songs and thinking how beautiful and glamorous the women were. I never thought, at that moment, I’d be watching the movies with my own children some day.
I’m excited to introduce them to Esther Williams, Fred Astaire, Doris Day, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and the “classics” from my generation. It almost makes the predicted 106 temperatures next weekend okay.
