It's a Hard Knock Life

My daughter has discovered the movie "Annie". You know, the one from the 80s. No, there hasn't been an updated version. She LOVES this movie. We watch part of it everyday. I really think it helps her cope with deployment and life.

Lessons learned from Annie:
1. Singing always makes things better! My daughter sings songs from the movie and any other songs she knows throughout the day. When she's upset in the car, music often soothes her.
2. "Ms. Hannigan is NOT nice." This sentence is repeated daily. I guess she's learning that some people aren't nice. For a week she was including me in the "not nice" category. Whenever I made her mad, she'd step on my foot, like the orphans do to Ms. Hannigan. So, that led to another important lesson:
3. We have to treat all people nicely. We can't step on people's feet even if they make us mad. I actually found myself saying, "Poor Ms. Hannigan. That must HURT when those girls do that to her!"
4. "We don't say shut up, Mommy. That's bad." Well she says this sentence daily, so I guess she DOES say "shut up" a little. She actually hasn't said shut up away from this context yet. So maybe this lesson is sticking!
4. "You're never fully dressed without a smile." Ahhh...that song speaks for itself. We have started checking if we have our smiles when we head out the door.
5. "It's a hard knock life." I think even at 2, she can appreciate the hard life these orphan girls face. She understands their pain and she sings along with them. That is when I'm not yelling at her to, "make this place shiiiine like the top of the Chrysler building." :)

The most touching lesson shared from movies came from another oldie, but goodie- "Lady and the Tramp". The dogs are all jailed at the dog pound. They are whining and howling out their sadness. Tonight, my daughter teared up at this part and said, "Those dogs are sad. They miss their dad." (heart breaking, isn't it?) I cuddled up next to her and asked what those dogs could do to feel better. "Hug". I offered her a hug and suddenly she was her normal cheery self again. She shared her pain with the dogs and the pain evaporated!

See! TV isn't sooooo bad. Sometimes it's full of lessons and therapeutic moments! Has anyone written a musical about deployment yet? We'd watch it!