Mommy Diaries: Tearful Tandem While Watching Inside Out

*All photos and synopsis are from IMDB*

That would be an one adult and one toddler tearing up over one Disney/Pixar film. I doubt it if we had the same reasons for crying but one thing would be true: this movie struck a chord in our hearts. But even if we cried, we shared a lot a laughs over this movie too. Chit chat after the jump.

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Synopsis

Growing up can be a bumpy road, and it's no exception for Riley, who is uprooted from her Midwest life when her father starts a new job in San Francisco. Like all of us, Riley is guided by her emotions - Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust and Sadness. The emotions live in Headquarters, the control center inside Riley's mind, where they help advise her through everyday life. As Riley and her emotions struggle to adjust to a new life in San Francisco, turmoil ensues in Headquarters. Although Joy, Riley's main and most important emotion, tries to keep things positive, the emotions conflict on how best to navigate a new city, house and school.

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Meet Joy and Sadness

It is a heartwarming film; very relatable for someone like me who has my own family and has a little girl for a kid. I've run through several reviews at IMDB and I must say that this movie has gained mixed opinions. I will disregard the goofs and the loopholes and go straight to the moral lessons for me, as a parent.

To Be More Patient

That kid in the movie, Riley, isn't my daughter. But somehow, I was able to look at a different perspective about how a kid's mind works. Four years of being a mother and I know I'm not yet  a pro at it. This movie made me realize that I have a long way to go. Kids, they feel sad, they doubt themselves a lot, along with other emotions and it is important to listen, to look at the signs of what could be troubling them, and through it all, just be there for them.

Keep An Open Line of Communication

There will come a time when they changes occur around them and they will be too shy or too guarded to express themselves. I would like to avoid that in the future as a mother so I make sure that as she ages I will let her know that I am here to listen. Being open would be a great way to help my kid and let her know that I will always be there for her.

Disgust and Fear

It's Okay To Be Sad

I've acknowledged this fact a long time ago. When I am sad there's no point in trying to cheer myself up. But instead of wallowing, I use the sadness as an inspiration to try and be more creative.

In this movie, even if Riley was already aware that there was to much change going on around her, she was trying to hold herself together and trying to be cheerful until she couldn't hang on anymore and she was almost self-destructive. Sadness made her miss her family and in the end, she ran back to them and confessed how much she needed them. See, a normal person needs to have balance of all emotions. She be sad if she is sad. For a kid, it's important that she gets the help that she needs before it's too late.

Anger

...And looking back. :)

This movie made me miss my childhood too. I thought of my own 'rents back then and how they made ends meet while making sure that we grew up well disciplined. Bottom line is, family-oriented peeps would surely be touched by this film.  And hence I cried.

And by the way, I did say that Celestine cried too, while watching this movie and this big pink guy here, who looks like a morph between an elephant, a bunny and I dunno, something else (maybe a cotton candy?) was the reason. His name is Bing Bong and he is the imaginary friend of Riley when she was young. He made an appearance in the movie while Joy and Sadness were trying to find their way back to the Headquarters. Tin cried when Bing Bong made a huge sacrifice to help Joy go back to  the Headquarters and in exchange he faded into oblivion. It's good to be able to know that Tin already understands the stuff that she watches on TV as she was able to make that reaction. Very soon she'll be a big girl, and gah, it's so mind-blogging even just to think about that. Ha ha!

But for Daddy and Me, she'll always be our little girl. :)

XO,

Mummy Cass

P.S., a Quote lifted straight from a Backstreet Boys song

"Sadness is beautiful. Loneliness is tragical."

-Shape Of My Heart