Free the Pee!

Bridge to Terabithia

"Bridge to Terry-bif-ia"

Everyday Carter asks to watch this movie.  Yesterday he even asked me why I didn't name him "Jess Aarons?"  He constantly wants to race like Jess and Leslie; and sometimes he pretends to race Jess.  At one part of the movie, the bully - Janice Avery - is charging the little kids a dollar to go to the bathroom.  They create a crusade to "Free the Pee!"  Carter likes to quote this often.  Kathryn has even joined in by saying "Fee da Fee."  Here's hoping that the pee is always free in their lives!

 For those of you who have read the book or watched the movie you know that it ends very sad.  Carter is always very touched at the end and has asked me more than once "why did Leslie die?"and "will I die?"  It pulls on my heartstrings that he is so affected by the movie.  At the end of the movie he always says that he is sad.  Maybe he wants to watch numerous times to come to grips with the loss of a bet friend.  I remember as a child loving this book but hating the ending, it is a little overwhelming to have Carter's favorite show deal with death and that he is so affected by it.  Today as he watched it, he climbed under a blanket and said he was too sad to watch Leslie die.  Maybe I shouldn't let him watch everyday. However, I believe that the lessons of friendship that this movie portrays are getting through to him too. He is learning how to be creative, care-free, imaginative, and to keep his "heart wide open." I look forward to the worlds that he will create.