It was the summer of my ninth birthday. The movie E.T. was all the rage and everyone, I mean, eeeveryone couldn't wait to see it. Everyone that was, except for me.
You see, back home in Ohio, we were lucky enough to have a real drive-in movie theatre. Growing up, I actually thought it was the normal way to watch a movie until I left home and realized half the people I met didn't know what I was talking about.
It was amazing though. Movies like Top Gun, Raiders of the Lost Ark...and yes, even E.T. were somehow magically brought to life when you watched them surrounded by fireflies under the summer stars.
You can imagine then, when you're only nine and for some reason don't think E.T. is cute, but scary. We didn't have the internet or Google back then to see what the movie was about. As a kid, all I knew was he was an alien and he came to earth. Pair that with your big brother scratching the window in the back seat of the car before the movie starts, telling you E.T. was outside trying to get in...and you have yourself a certified nightmare.
Little did I know, within about ten minutes of watching the movie through laced fingers, I'd grow to fall in love with every aspect of the film, even crying towards the end.
All this being said, having a nine year old little girl myself now, I was able to pull from that experience when she went through the scariest. Drive-in. Experience of her life. Only this time it was legitimate.
All four kids have been begging to see the new "Teen Titans Go" movie which in and of itself makes me want to bang my head against a wall.
Regardless, we're lucky enough to have a real Drive-In movie here in Carolina and every summer I regret not taking advantage of it. How many kids in this generation have the opportunity to experience that, on top of the fact that it's in our own back yard?
This summer, we wouldn't pass it by.
Gathering the kids, blankets, pillows...we eagerly made our way, then nestled our place into a perfect spot. Getting popcorn and snacks to enjoy, it was the best of all worlds.
The Drive-In is updated, so the sound of the movie goes through a radio station allowing you to sit in your car with the windows up - not getting eaten by bugs. Awesome.
You know what's not awesome? Six people stuck in a car in North Carolina, in August, with the windows rolled up.
Adam warned me about killing the battery if I turned the car on the wrong notch, but I figured it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, the movie was making my ears bleed, yo? and if you've ever watched an episode of Teen Titans Go, you know what I mean.
Ahhhh, sweet air. Turning the key, not only did I blast the air conditioner, I also charged my cell phone and was able to catch up on emails and texts while the kids were mesmerized with every second of the film.
You see, back home in Ohio, we were lucky enough to have a real drive-in movie theatre. Growing up, I actually thought it was the normal way to watch a movie until I left home and realized half the people I met didn't know what I was talking about.
It was amazing though. Movies like Top Gun, Raiders of the Lost Ark...and yes, even E.T. were somehow magically brought to life when you watched them surrounded by fireflies under the summer stars.
You can imagine then, when you're only nine and for some reason don't think E.T. is cute, but scary. We didn't have the internet or Google back then to see what the movie was about. As a kid, all I knew was he was an alien and he came to earth. Pair that with your big brother scratching the window in the back seat of the car before the movie starts, telling you E.T. was outside trying to get in...and you have yourself a certified nightmare.
Little did I know, within about ten minutes of watching the movie through laced fingers, I'd grow to fall in love with every aspect of the film, even crying towards the end.
All this being said, having a nine year old little girl myself now, I was able to pull from that experience when she went through the scariest. Drive-in. Experience of her life. Only this time it was legitimate.
All four kids have been begging to see the new "Teen Titans Go" movie which in and of itself makes me want to bang my head against a wall.
Regardless, we're lucky enough to have a real Drive-In movie here in Carolina and every summer I regret not taking advantage of it. How many kids in this generation have the opportunity to experience that, on top of the fact that it's in our own back yard?
This summer, we wouldn't pass it by.
Gathering the kids, blankets, pillows...we eagerly made our way, then nestled our place into a perfect spot. Getting popcorn and snacks to enjoy, it was the best of all worlds.
The Drive-In is updated, so the sound of the movie goes through a radio station allowing you to sit in your car with the windows up - not getting eaten by bugs. Awesome.
You know what's not awesome? Six people stuck in a car in North Carolina, in August, with the windows rolled up.
Adam warned me about killing the battery if I turned the car on the wrong notch, but I figured it wouldn't be that bad. Besides, the movie was making my ears bleed, yo? and if you've ever watched an episode of Teen Titans Go, you know what I mean.
Ahhhh, sweet air. Turning the key, not only did I blast the air conditioner, I also charged my cell phone and was able to catch up on emails and texts while the kids were mesmerized with every second of the film.
It was a wonderful night and a memory they'd surely keep. Especially when the movie was over and we couldn't get the car to start. Whatever I did, it killed everything.
"Are we stuck here? Do we have to sleep here all night?" Excitement raced through the boys as our daughter didn't seem all too thrilled with the idea.
"No, we're not stuck here guys. We'll find someone to jump us, hang on."
This is where I should probably mention there was another movie which was about to begin. After a kid's movie, common sense would tell you it'd be another film of that genre, but what Adam and I both knew was that it was, "The Meg". Yes, short for "Megalodon" as in the biggest, meanest, prehistoric shark that ever lived. Kind of like our version of "Jaws" mixed with "Jurassic Park". Obviously a kid friendly movie, especially when stranded in the middle of nowhere outside in the pitch dark, at the drive-in.
What could possibly go wrong?
"THIS IS AWESOME!!!" The boys cheered. Flashbacks of E.T. came rushing in as I faintly saw the terror in our daughter's eyes by the light of my now dying phone.
"I want to go home. Can we go home?" Her little voice began to shake.
I quickly began to google reviews of the movie only to find images like this -
"Are we stuck here? Do we have to sleep here all night?" Excitement raced through the boys as our daughter didn't seem all too thrilled with the idea.
"No, we're not stuck here guys. We'll find someone to jump us, hang on."
This is where I should probably mention there was another movie which was about to begin. After a kid's movie, common sense would tell you it'd be another film of that genre, but what Adam and I both knew was that it was, "The Meg". Yes, short for "Megalodon" as in the biggest, meanest, prehistoric shark that ever lived. Kind of like our version of "Jaws" mixed with "Jurassic Park". Obviously a kid friendly movie, especially when stranded in the middle of nowhere outside in the pitch dark, at the drive-in.
What could possibly go wrong?
"THIS IS AWESOME!!!" The boys cheered. Flashbacks of E.T. came rushing in as I faintly saw the terror in our daughter's eyes by the light of my now dying phone.
"I want to go home. Can we go home?" Her little voice began to shake.
I quickly began to google reviews of the movie only to find images like this -
Oh good, she's going to love it.
"Adam, we have to get out of here. She's going to end up in the fetal position until she's 11 years old."
He frantically looked for jumper cables to no avail.
The movie began and the boys opened the doors to hear the sound from other car speakers and were loving it. My brilliant husband grabbed his phone and a pair of earbuds from the boys and quickly wrapped her in a blanket then faced her the other way.
"Watch something on my phone until we figure out what to do", he assured her.
She tried to peek over her shoulder as the movie continued, only to lower herself back into the seat.
In all honesty, it wasn't as bad as I feared and we actually found ourselves getting into the plotline.
We eventually found someone to jump us as soon as the movie ended, let the battery charge back up and found our way home, unscathed for the most part.
The night made me wonder what her version of a nine year old drive-in movie theatre experience will be like compared to mine. A huge killing prehistoric shark is a far cry from E.T. and I question if she'll ever go into the water again. At least I hope it was less traumatic for her than it could've been, however.
We definitely won't be winning any parent of the year awards for that night, but like they say, the best laid plans.
Maybe next summer we'll be lucky enough for them to come out with a new "Friday the 13th".
"Adam, we have to get out of here. She's going to end up in the fetal position until she's 11 years old."
He frantically looked for jumper cables to no avail.
The movie began and the boys opened the doors to hear the sound from other car speakers and were loving it. My brilliant husband grabbed his phone and a pair of earbuds from the boys and quickly wrapped her in a blanket then faced her the other way.
"Watch something on my phone until we figure out what to do", he assured her.
She tried to peek over her shoulder as the movie continued, only to lower herself back into the seat.
In all honesty, it wasn't as bad as I feared and we actually found ourselves getting into the plotline.
We eventually found someone to jump us as soon as the movie ended, let the battery charge back up and found our way home, unscathed for the most part.
The night made me wonder what her version of a nine year old drive-in movie theatre experience will be like compared to mine. A huge killing prehistoric shark is a far cry from E.T. and I question if she'll ever go into the water again. At least I hope it was less traumatic for her than it could've been, however.
We definitely won't be winning any parent of the year awards for that night, but like they say, the best laid plans.
Maybe next summer we'll be lucky enough for them to come out with a new "Friday the 13th".
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