We love all the ghibli films. You should watch Ponyo next. My boys loved that when they were little. Arriety is also very beautiful and based off of the story of The Borrowers.
I grew up in a family that was huge on storytelling, with dinners that never ended because there was simply too much to talk about. My father was wonderfully unconventional. He broke all the unspoken rules of his 1930s English upbringing, where children were meant to be seen and not heard. The media portrayal of parents too is often shown as a perpetually overwhelmed. Childhood is framed as chaos to survive, and parenting as something to endure.
I needed to read this today as I'm writing a story about children for children and I was feeling a little lost, stuck, despondent. Your words have brought the magic of childhood back into focus. Thank you.
My Neighbor Totoro was - and still is - one of my all time favorite movies. It’s the way the ordinary slowly transitions into the extraordinary. Like we’re getting a sacred glimpse into the minds of the two sisters.
And I might - not so secretly - still be holding onto a hope that one day the cat bus will pull up on our street and sweep our lil family away on an adventure.
We so rarely see children portrayed with tenderness in media anymore, especially boys. They’re often framed as burdens or punchlines. And even in real life, it’s somehow become normal to talk about parenting like it’s all inconvenience and chaos. What you’ve written reminds me that the way we see children, whether in movies, or in our social circles, shapes how we treat them.
There are lots more. There's a whole Studio Ghibli collection on HBO Max. The best films are from Hayao Miyazaki.
Yes! Miyazaki has created some stunning work.
We have several on our upcoming movie night list! I'm excited to watch them!
Good morning.
Still hugging my coffee. Had to stop mid-sip long enough to say thank you.
A lovely and inspiring post.
Here’s to slow mornings and words that land just right.
Aww, you made my day! Thank you so much for taking the moment to write - it truly means the world to me.
We love all the ghibli films. You should watch Ponyo next. My boys loved that when they were little. Arriety is also very beautiful and based off of the story of The Borrowers.
Awesome! I'll check them out. Thank you for the recommendations!
New subscriber here and yes to all of this!
I grew up in a family that was huge on storytelling, with dinners that never ended because there was simply too much to talk about. My father was wonderfully unconventional. He broke all the unspoken rules of his 1930s English upbringing, where children were meant to be seen and not heard. The media portrayal of parents too is often shown as a perpetually overwhelmed. Childhood is framed as chaos to survive, and parenting as something to endure.
This is beautiful. Sounds like an incredible childhood.
I needed to read this today as I'm writing a story about children for children and I was feeling a little lost, stuck, despondent. Your words have brought the magic of childhood back into focus. Thank you.
I'm so glad it found you then. Thank you so much for letting me know.
Beautiful! ❤️
We live in Japan and children are so revered and cherished here. It’s a welcomed culture shock.
My Neighbor Totoro was - and still is - one of my all time favorite movies. It’s the way the ordinary slowly transitions into the extraordinary. Like we’re getting a sacred glimpse into the minds of the two sisters.
And I might - not so secretly - still be holding onto a hope that one day the cat bus will pull up on our street and sweep our lil family away on an adventure.
I love this movie for the same reasons you’ve mentioned.
We so rarely see children portrayed with tenderness in media anymore, especially boys. They’re often framed as burdens or punchlines. And even in real life, it’s somehow become normal to talk about parenting like it’s all inconvenience and chaos. What you’ve written reminds me that the way we see children, whether in movies, or in our social circles, shapes how we treat them.
My Neighbor Totoro