The Love Lock-In Challenge

I am notoriously and shamefully unaware of current events, but even I have heard about nationwide and local school violence/lock-down threats. The uncertainty of it all is enough to make this chronic over-reactor want to homeschool my kids in our own self-sustaining little commune.

Instead of going all Howard Hughes, however, I’m going to propose a baby-step approach to battling the conflict and tension in our society. It’s the simplest and hardest solution possible for today’s families: let’s be the change and keep teaching our kids to love.

Stay home with your kids on a Friday night. Lock the doors (so they can’t escape), and have a love lock-in. Turn on one of these three movies: Trolls, Frozen, or Moana. (Or look below for other age-appropriate movies that model acts of love).

After the movie is finished and your kids have channeled their inner hero, go one step further and live out these movies yourselves so your kids can see love in action. No, I’m not proposing that we need to dye our hair cotton-candy pink or be an ice queen or learn to “wayfind” with a ripped demi-god — although I will admit that being stuck on a raft with the Rock could just be my idea of heaven.

I’m suggesting that we all show love in action like these movies did. I’m proposing that we should be the bigger person. All. The. Time.

They have it right, Poppy and Anna and Moana. Love doesn’t hold grudges but teaches others to act with kindness, even after being treated unjustly (Poppy with the Bergens). Love goes out of its way despite being rejected repeatedly. Love puts others’ needs above its own and thaws a frozen heart (Anna sacrificing herself for Elsa). Love puts oneself in danger for her people’s safety and shows kindness to a lava monster (Moana). Imagine if we could restore a heart to this world’s monsters. I know, sounds naive, right? When put in action in the real world, as recounted in a story on NPR, love Flips the Script. Love covers all wounds.

But love is hard. In an ever-increasingly self-serving world, love is self-sacrificing. In a world where justice must be served at all costs, love is unfair. In a world of sarcasm, love doesn’t have a quick come-back to put someone down.  Love seems like an unrealistic fairy-tale with its naive solutions, but many times, it’s the port-o-potty line right before a marathon starts — where 5000 runners are trying to get their last wee in. It’s uncomfortable, sometimes awkward and stinky, and a huge gamble. But if it pays off, wouldn’t it be worth the risk?

Let’s teach the next generation good, healthy boundaries to protect themselves, but let’s also teach them to go out of their way to show love to the minority, the undeserving, the weak, the forgotten. We can start with a simple movie night love lock-in.

If the three movies above don’t strike your fancy, check out the titles below for older kids:

• The Goonies (Shows love by overlooking appearances.)
• Wonder (Focuses on looking at a person’s inner beauty vs. appearances.)
• The Karate Kid (Teaches integrity and offering mercy to those who don’t deserve it.)
• Forrest Gump (Portrays how a kind and pure heart can transform those around you.)
• The Blind Side (Shows how we can love others in need by sharing our own resources.)
• Pay it Forward (Details how random acts of kindness can cause a domino effect.)
• Hidden Figures (Shows how we can break down barriers of racism and stereotypes.)

What are the movies you watch with your family to promote love? And, please, share your #lovelockin experiences with us!