Being Brave

Photo: Disney/Pixar

Over the weekend, Lila and I decided to escape the heat and hit up a cool, air-conditioned matinee. (This is something my mom and I used to do when I was little.) We got together with our neighbors and headed to see Disney/Pixar’s latest release—Brave.

Lila is always down for a movie but, at first, she was a little skeptical of Brave. You see, Lila is not the “princess-type.” According to Lila “princesses are boring.” To our delight, Brave is not your average princess movie. (Phew!) The princess, Merida, is much like Lila—with her wild, untamed curls, she is athletic, independent, daring, adventurous, and well… brave! She is strong-willed and stubborn. The whole time I felt like I was getting a glimpse of Lila as a teen and what our relationship might be like. Her mom is quite reserved and wants Merida to abide by the rules and expectations of a princess. As close as they are, naturally, the two experience conflict which (without giving away too much of the story line) leads to disaster… that is until they are able to put pride aside, compromise, and mend their mother-daughter bond.

As a mom and a daughter myself, I thought the film did a great job of exploring the complexities of mother-daughter relationships. While right now, to Lila, mommy is the best and mommy knows everything, I know there may possibly come a time when I won’t know anything and the LAST thing Lila will want to do is go to the movies with her MOM. (O.M.G!) Perhaps if I take heed to the messages in the film and insights derived from my own teenage years I could re-write our own fate? I just don’t know… all I know is mother and daughter relationships are complicated. For now, I will just enjoy these moments when Lila snuggles on my lap and buries her face in my shoulder during the scary parts.

FYI… there ARE scary parts in Brave. The movie is pretty dark and there is a giant, demon bear. So, beware! But, if you and your little one are “brave” enough, Lila and I do recommend this film. Let us know what you think.

-Tara