The Hills Are Alive With The Sound Of Noise

Is The Sound Of Music boring?

Cleo and I watched The Sound Of Music together for the first time; she's eight and although she knew a couple of songs I'd never been able to convince her to see the movie.  She enjoyed it but I had to maintain a steady patter of explanation in a desperate casual attempt to hold her interest.  The same  thing happened yesterday with Rear Window, and last year when I tried to convince my kids of the merits of Miracle On 34th Street.

I shouldn't have expected more from either of them, considering what they routinely watch on television.  Robey is partial to flash-and-blast hero programs where someone always manages to SAVE THE DAY before the last commercial break, while Cleo could watch Hannah Montana or the Wizards Of Waverly Place slip on banana peels and fall into cream pies all day long.  They're unaccustomed to any exposition lasting more than 22 seconds and they seem lost without copious amounts of cacophony.  The first time we saw A Charlie Brown Christmas I kept trying to turn the volume up; since we gave up on Barney and Teletubbies years ago I'd forgotten what a peaceful kids' program could be like.

I clearly recall enjoying The Music Man and The Great Escape when I was their age.  I can only hope that sooner or later they'll begin to appreciate more subtle entertainment than they do now.

Do they outgrow the need for constant noisy stimulation?

Visit FeeFiFoto and put your favorite kid's photo in a 30-minute action-packed Spiderman cartoon DVD.  If you can't beat 'em ... well, you know.