Michele has been quite ill over the last few days. But to the extent that there is a silver lining to that, it has been that we have been able to rediscover lazy weekends. The kind where we don't run around doing chores like cleaning and shopping and instead spend the afternoon in front of the TV.
Mindful of being slightly weary of having Jack watching too much TV, it was nevertheless with some personal joy that we all sat down yesterday afternoon to watch Mary Poppins. Not least because Toy Story is now beginning to wear a little thin (see previous post), but because I think also for Michele there was a need for some classic 'duvet TV'.
And Jack loved it. Which, in turn, made me go all warm inside. I have to admit that there was always a part of me that was fearful of what might happen if I grew up and had kids that didn't 'get' the magic of Disney. I said to Michele yesterday, imagine how different children's entertainment would be if it hadn't been for Walt Disney. The man was a genius.
And it is through films like Mary Poppins, now over 40 years old, that such magic best shines through. For 2.5 hours (albeit that we watched it with an interval) there was no world outside of our living room. I know I've seen this film hundreds of times, but everything about it (the songs, the colour, the visual effects) combines to encapsulate everything that a family film should be. Jack has been singing at least 3 or 4 of the songs ever since, including (quite admirably for a 3 year old, and quite remarkably nearly pulling it off) "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious"! Well - he gets the beginning and end of it right anyway.
And when the film was about 10 mins from the end, it was almost like being awaken from a dream like state, as the realisation slowly crept in that, shortly after the happy family of 4 (hmmm) skipped off down the road to fly kites, the film would end and we would have to return to the reality of daily life.
Oh to live in the magical world of make believe....
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