A mother reflects on her relationships with her children who grow up and move away.
I want viewers to understand how important it is to spend time with their families, especially their children because time passes quickly. I want viewers to know that it is o.k. and normal to feel sadness, elation, pride, and loneliness when children grow up and leave the home. It is a part of life’s process.
Broader impact possibilities could be strengthening family ties, preparing for the empty nest syndrome, and understanding family dynamics. I hoped viewers could see the various family time experiences portrayed in my movie. Sharing those special moments helped me to realize how much time and effort my husband and I invested into raising our children, which helps to make the transition meaningful for me. When I am missing my children I look at pictures of them. That has been very comforting to me. Now I have a movie I can view when I am missing them. Hopefully, my classmates, or anyone else who views this movie can reflect on the importance of spending quality time with family members.
This process can be used in my special education classroom to help my students introduce their families to the classroom. I teach a social studies unit that deals with family and family traditions. Most of the learners in my classroom are visual learners and they absolutely love using the computer and other technologies. This would be an excellent way to complete a family tradition assignment. It would offer an opportunity for students to shine and feel proud. I would also use this process as an introductory lesson of each student. I could have them complete an interest inventory and collect pictures that reflect their interests. We would have to do most of this at school because I do not have a lot of parent participation, but we could complete it.