Non-Optional Experiences

You know how sometimes there are things you just want your kids to do, no exceptions?  One of our neighbors calls these Non-Optional Experiences (NOEs for short).  For example, this summer, our nine year old is taking piano lessons, no matter what.  I'm a softie during the school year when he hates it so badly and has other things to do such as homework, but I can deal with piano for three months.  Swimming lessons is another NOE.  You have to learn to swim!

I'd heard good things about Ephraim's Rescue and wanted to take the nine year old and the seven year old with us.  I was pretty sure they'd like it.  However, when I said we were going, the nine year old just wanted to go play with grandpa with the little ones.  He practically started crying because he didn't want to go so badly.  We told him it was a NOE and made him come to the movie.

Once we were there, there wer NO complaints.  Afterward, my mom said she just had to ask him if he was glad he went.  He ignored her question and made some other comment.  She told him she thought he liked it and he agreed.

Ephraim's Rescue was wonderful.  When I was a girl I'd read the story of Eph Hanks and remembered it being really cool.  The movie hit home even more, too, because my husband and I got asked to be a Ma and Pa for our stake trek next year in Wyoming, which is where a good chunk of the movie takes place.  We've been reading handcart pioneer stories for the past week, too!  So, go see Eph Hanks as an NOE.