Life is a series of choices, all coming with ramifications

I grinned as I watched Lilli seated on the couch covering her eyes in terror as she anticipated the next scene from the movie she and her mother were watching.

Her desire to be an active participant in her mother’s adventures led her to take part even when her comfort level wasn’t the highest.

Both Lilli and Riyann have found enjoyment from their mother’s occasional horror flick binging and although they would never admit it, have fought off their own fears while assuring their mother that they could hang along with her. Ensuring that they realized what they were watching was purely Hollywood and not real life, the entire situation and aftermath has been the sounding board for several unique conversations as you could imagine.

On this particular day, Momma had decided to follow through with her child’s request to find a scary movie to watch. Upon hearing the discussion, I quickly learned that Lilli didn’t want to watch just any scary movie she wanted to watch the ultimate movie which would remain etched in her mind for “a good time.”

As I sat, I kicked up my feet, leaned back, and prepared to enjoy the pending disaster which would surely unfold within my little family. Grinning, my lovely wife looked at me with a seemingly Cheshire grin, fully understanding what soon would transpire.

As we began watching the show, I recall thinking to myself that although simplistic in nature, the show had a couple scenes which could be considered scary. You know, the lone doll, holding the memories of past generations, ultimately deciding to unleash its fury upon a new family, simply because they dared to move into a new house. Purely unrealistic yet fun for a parent watching his child follow through with her desire to watch a scary show.

I must admit, understanding that every dad has a responsibility to ensure their children were engaged, I fulfilled that responsibility. As the room drew quiet, the timing was perfect. Being unable to take it any longer I let out a loud scream, sending the children scurrying elsewhere soon to return, laughing because Dad scared the dickens out of them.

Believing that their mother and I had failed, I mentioned to my loving wife that we could find a better, scarier movie to watch if the girls wanted. Without hesitation, Lilli assured us that the movie was fine, and she believed she had something else to do in her room. The next few days consisted of a rapid removal, from their rooms, of any dolls similar in nature to the one depicted in the show and a constant need to remain tethered to their sister’s side.

Our thinking that the movie cured the girls from wanting to take part in Momma’s movie choices was short lived and off base as the following week was a repeat with the girls begging to have a family “scary movie” night.

Since that fateful night, our family has come to enjoy our goofy “scary movie nights”. Although we pre-screen the titles we show the girls, we strive to feed their desire to a point and Dad continues to find ample moments of being able to interject a horrid scream, terrible acting, or simple attempt to add to the ambiance of our girls’ adventure.

The entire adventure has taught me that persistence and striving to overcome our own personal fears in order to fit in, is not necessarily bad at times. Having a full understanding of when fitting in is beneficial or even productive can be overshadowed by our inability to understand that there are times when it’s likewise okay to not engage. Life is a series of choices, all with ramifications, some positive and some not so much so. Our ability to take risks, show vulnerability, and overcome fear is the framework by which we can find a new level of fulfillment and earn wisdom along the way.

Richard J. Stephens lives in Carter County and is the father of three little ladies ranging in age from eight to 29.