the movie finished, it was too late for the discussion because it was getting late and dinner had to be prepared, the kids needed to have their showers so Ashwyn said they would discuss over dinner.
The Robertsons family had established a tradition to have a meal each day that was a favourite of a family member. That way everyone had a chance each week to eat their favourite meal. Today, it was Rhonda’s turn. She had made a request for a Beef Stroganoff. It wasn’t Matt’s or Luke’s kind of food. They both hated the mushrooms, and vegetables in the mix. Luke couldn’t get away with fishing out only the meat, but Matt being 4 years old, was given some slack to leave the mushrooms but couldn’t escape the vegies. Since he only had a small portion and had been ravenous he was soon finished. Triumphantly he raised both his hands up as soon as he had shovelled his last spoonful into his mouth.
“I’ve feenish’d!” he declared with bits of food coming out of his overflowing mouth.
“That’s disgusting, Matt!” retorted Rhonda. “Don’t talk with food in your mouth,” she added.
Matt ignored her and looked to Ashwyn and then Jill for affirmation that he was a good boy for finishing his food. Never mind the mushrooms scattered on his plate and some secretly pushed under the curved edge of the plate on the side facing him. Ashwyn gave him a stare after scanning the plate and leaning over and noticing Matt’s crafty attempt with the mushrooms and vegies.
“Hmm-m-m, good effort son” he replied nodding cheekily. “What’s with the escaped mushrooms and vegies hiding under your plate, e-e-h?” he added, pointing with his eyes and chin.
Quick as a flash Matt responded in a devious diversionary tactic waving his hands and becoming animated, “They are bad like the grasshoppers when they were running away from Flint and the other ants. They just jumped away from the spoon to hide.” Everyone roared with laughter at Matt’s theatrical attempt to escape the rebuke.
Matt then proceeded without any prompting from Ashwyn to give his personal understanding of the movie.
“I don’t like the grasshoppers. Hopper the big bad, bad bully,” his face looking angry. “I‘m happy Flint won, Yay! I like Flint. He’s fun,” his face brightening up again in a flash. He then started to disjointedly talk about different scenes that were both funny and scary. Everyone, interjected excitedly about what they had enjoyed or didn’t like.
Ashwyn, however, did not say anything just yet. He wanted them to review the movie in a free-flowing atmosphere so long as no-one was imposing their own interpretation on others. This went on for about 5 minutes until he thought it was time to get some more specific views from each person. He decided to start with the youngest, Matt. Starting with the oldest could impose too powerful a perspective over Luke and Rhonda and make them insecure to give their own views. Lisa, the baby, couldn’t jolly well start could she. She had her mouth full of dummy and was nodding off in her cot in the corner.
Interrupting just as the excitement was waning is one thing but phrasing an intellectual question to a 4 year old can be problematic. You don’t want to go over his head and you don’t want to sound like a killjoy. Ashwyn asked, “So, what did you find good or bad about the movie, Matt?”
Responding without a moment’s hesitation Matt replied, “It was good becos Flint and the princess and her grandma and a-a-ll the ants won, yay! The grasshoppers were naughty insects” while giving an exaggerated angry look. He then quizzed, “Grasshoppers, are they all bad? What about the green ones in the garden?” then in a rebuking voice, he whispered loudly as if he was in a hunt, “I am going to catch them and tell them not to be naughty to the ants.”
“You can’t talk to ants, moron!” retorted Luke.
Ashwyn snapped back gently, careful not to raise his voice because it would kill the atmosphere. “Hey! Luke don’t be so rude and insulting to your brother. He’s only 4. Give him a break. You used to talk to insects too when you were his age and even at 4 years old.” Rhonda, burst out laughing looking at Luke in a teasing manner. Everyone else joined in as well and so did Luke. He piped in with a sense of resignation, “All I got was a bloodied finger when I picked up an ant to talk to it and it bit my finger. There was blood everywhere. And it hurt real bad. Can you remember that Mum?”
“Tell me about it!” Jill proclaimed. “There was real drama. Ants became the evil enemy number one that day. You wanted to squish any ant you saw. It was the grasshoppers who were the good guys. They were too scared and flew away much to your frustrations. And when Bob caught one and give it you, it gladly ate grass when you fed it.”
“Oh, yeah, I remember that too!” he replied sheepishly.
Taking control of the discussion and steering it towards getting some feedback on the movie, Ashwyn asked Rhonda what she thought was important for her in the movie.
After a moments thought, having been caught unprepared, Rhonda replied, “Although Princess Atta was really mean and nasty to Flint, who really cared for her, she was able to eventually see that he was a really nice guy and really wanted to help. I think it is very important to work together when you have a big problem. Arguing and quarrelling will let your enemy win every time. It’s like being in a netball team. You can’t win if you don’t play as a team.”
“Thanks for that Rhonda! It was very good to recognise the importance of working as team to solve problems” Jill interjected encouraged by the response and wanting to encourage Rhonda.
Knowing he was next for the feedback, Luke was ready for an answer after having given his views earlier.
“Never give up so easily on your dreams even when people sometimes don’t agree with you. And Oh, the only way to defeat bullies is to realise that he is in a minority and that if you gang-up with a lot of other people than you can bash them up and get rid-off them once and for all.” He looked around with a triumphant grin to both Jill and then Ashwyn.
“Cool! Luke, that was great! The bashing bit, though son, I wouldn’t do that in school or anywhere outside school. You could get into a lot of trouble with the police. But we get the idea of what you are saying” Ashwyn cautioned. He then changed tack and threw a specific question to focus their thinking even more.
“What do you all think was the most important lessons or things in the movie that could help us as a family? There are no correct or wrong answers, just what you think.”
“If we help each other than we can do anything!” declared Rhonda with confidence.
Luke jumped in with, “If you have a dream to do something then stick to it, don’t be a wimp”
“What do you think, Matt? What in the movie did you think would help us?” Ashwyn was doubtful if Matt could grasp what he was really asking. It was a difficult ask for a 4 year old, he thought. But any response was needed to keep him engaged.
“Ummm, I like Flint. We should all be like Flint. He helped everyone to chase all the grasshoppers away?” Matt declared in sort of quizzical way seeking assurance from Ashwyn.
“Fantastic! Matt, you’re a good learner, darling.” Jill interjected. She couldn’t help herself with a grin. Matt, beamed with pride as he turned around to everyone, and they all obligingly smiled back.
“Why do we have to need so much money to survive? In fact, why do we need money at all? It is such a bother that human life is so dependent on money to get anything worthwhile done?” Bob exploded in a controlled tone but filled with frustration and looking restless.
There was dead silence. Everybody stared at Bob. Rhonda and Luke gave a quizzical confused look. Jill’s mouth was wide open with shock. Might as well been talking to the wall as far as Matt was concerned. As for Lisa, she was sound a sleep in her cot; occasionally, farting.
It was a bolt from the blue; but to Ashwyn it was a bolt