Emotion or Emotional Drama?!

I noticed that I cannot tolerate nuisance in movies these days.  Some movies show emotional threats, manipulation and stalking - all the things that are RED flags are packaged as a family drama.

Don't get me wrong, I love watching movies and drama. But I lost patience with movies that show this toxicity like it's NORMAL. 

Yes, I don't have to watch them, it's a choice - I get it. But it's so normalised that you cannot avoid them in a good movie. Thank God for the skip button.

I was watching a comedy movie last night. It was during the last 30 minutes of the movie, when lil A came and sat with me for a cuddle before going to bed. I remember a scene in which the hero blames his dad for not saving enough wealth to pass on to him. He mentions that he can't marry the girl he likes because of a certain financial status his dad didn't provide. I usually skip these kinds of melodramatic scenes, but I was busy on Instagram and didn't bother to skip them.

Lil A said it aloud, "That’s emotional blackmail! Why are you even watching this!! ".. I turned around in full awe of the little soul who had better emotional awareness than me. Moments like these make me proud to be a mom to my bud.  Some things are ingrained in my brain, and it can only differentiate the red flags after the fact.

I learn from these moments, and that part of my brain just lit up.

I grew up in an environment where I saw adults seeking external validation to navigate life. It seemed that being considered "good" meant not doing anything out of the ordinary and staying within the confines of societal norms. If you did anything out of the ordinary, it made everyone around you feel insecure, and they projected their fears onto you.  If they can't stop you from being extraordinary, they label you "difficult" (that's one of my proud badges!!)

I constantly questioned the external validation I received. Not all of it is useful. I don't believe anyone is an expert here. We all try, and it works for some but not for others..

It took me nearly four decades and a lot of unlearning and learning, but I still struggle to recognize when someone disrespects my boundaries in the moment.

Trust me, it's not easy to raise a child who questions everything that's considered normal. I used to be one, and I had many unanswered questions because that's all the adults knew at that time. It doesn't stop me looking for answers on my own. I like that he questions. I hope he continues to be emotionally aware of things around him and trusts his conscience in making decisions.

I read somewhere “Respect the Emotions but not the emotional drama” – its so true. Show empathy, compassion, and respect for others' emotions and the journey they are going through.

We continued watching the remaining 30 minutes of the movie, which was just hilarious! We talked about the funny scenes this morning and laughed even more!!