The Force Is Strong with This One

One of the many joys of having a child is that you get to relive a lot of the books, movies, toys, and experiences you loved when you were a child yourself. I am big into “nostalgic parenting” as I call it. I get so much joy from seeing my son play with a toy that was once mine or taking him some place where I have very vivid childhood memories. His affinity for the Peanuts gang stems from my fondness. Unfortunately, my son’s interest in toys that were once mine was never what I had hoped it would be, partly due to gender. W was so unimpressed with my lovingly stored away My Little Pony collection that I didn’t even bother digging out my treasured Barbies. But recently, I have hit the jackpot and it is wonderful!

Back in the summer my son’s father jokingly accused me of turning our son into a nerd. I replied that I could neither take the blame nor the credit for W’s budding obsession with all things Star Wars. Although I wasn’t behind it, I was secretly delighted. As it turned out, pop culture, Disney, and his peers were responsible, and with my full endorsement, W has blossomed into a full-fledged Star Wars junkie.

As a little girl, I used to play Star Wars with my older brother and some other boys in the neighborhood. I would save up my allowance to buy the action figures at Kmart and my mother dutifully saved the points off the packaging to send away for the special figures that weren’t available in the stores – I’m talking about you, Nien Nunb. Our bedroom walls were covered with Star Wars posters and my brothers had the bedding. We had the trading cards, coloring books, and read-along story books. One year for Halloween around the age of five, I dressed as Princess Leia and my brother was Darth Vader. Needless to say, I was completely strung out on all things Star Wars.

The obsession was downgraded over the years, but I have never lost my love for the series and the characters. I have remained a fan, despite Lucas’s remastering of the original trilogy and some questionable choices with the prequels. Although not in costume, I was still in the theater for every one of them – opening day for The Phantom Menace!

Based on my son’s fandom I have wasted no time sharing the films, digging out my action figures, dusting off my old books, and blasting the soundtracks in my car. I was delighted to throw W a Star Wars themed birthday party a few weeks ago, where he acquired some serious Star Wars loot. I think he only received one thing that wasn’t Star Wars, and that truck was very quickly commandeered by the evil Galactic Empire.

I haven’t had a lot of time or attention to devote to the new movie coming out on the 18th, but in the past day or two I have begun thinking about how to sneak in a viewing between other obligations. Oh, what a joy it will be to take my son to the theatre to see Star Wars, and what pleasure it will bring me to see Luke, Leia, and Han on the big screen once again.