Family Bonding and the Zombie Apocolypse GBE2 #101 (Topic: Television)

I just want to say that I don't advocate letting young children watch violent, gory tv shows and movies.  As parents, we all struggle with making decisions that are right for our families and our children.  I may not agree with your choices, just as you may not agree with mine.  Let's agree to disagree...shall we?  

A few weeks ago, I decided that I was going to watch "The Walking Dead".  The first two seasons are on Netflix and Jeff told me that it was a show that I would probably like.  He was right--I was hooked from episode one.  

The two of us (as well as the older kids) began to look forward to Mathias' bedtime.  We would start counting down the minutes until we could catch the next episode.

Everyone...except Bear.

Bear doesn't mind scary stuff.  He will make it a point to explain that clearly.  He is not scared.  What he doesn't like is gore.  A few years ago, Addy and Bear decided they wanted to watch their first horror movie.  They begged and pleaded with us to let them.  Addy absolutely loved it but as soon as the blood and gross started flying around, Bear began to feel queasy.  We promptly turned the movie off.

From that point on, he would decide for himself whether he wanted to watch certain programs.  He is secure in what he can and cannot handle and we respect his wishes.  During our zombie-time, he would take a tablet or a smartphone into my bedroom and watch something that was of more interest to him.

He didn't really like this...he wanted to be with us. 

He started using his device in the living room with headphones while keeping his head under a blanket.  He would concentrate on his show and not pay any mind to what we were doing.  When he wanted to interact with us, he could easily do so.  This way he didn't feel so alone.

Pretty soon, Bear was sucked into "The Walking Dead".  He wasn't scared or queasy and he had a million theories and opinions to share.  So many that we often have to redirect him to quiet down a little so everyone else can enjoy the show.  We're used to it though...that's how he is when he watches anything he enjoys.

One evening, during a pivotal moment on the show, we all started yelling at the television.  We were a cacophony of hooting, hollering, and carrying-on.

That's when it dawned on me:  all of us are together...young, old, in-between...really together...engaged in an activity that we ALL are interested in.  ALL of us!!  That NEVER happens!!! 

Who would have thought that a zombie apocolypse could bring the family closer together?