Kids and Movies and Reality, OH MY

As you may know, I've been spending a lot of time watching movies with my kids lately. Some are old, some are new, some are in-between but there is one thing that's become clear through all of them: My kids are very confused about reality.

I really thought we were getting past this. I expect my 5 year old to still get confused, but the 8 and 10 year olds? I'm certain we've gone over this multiple times, and yet, we still have some strange, confusing conversations during movies. 

It doesn't matter if it's Jurassic Park or a fabulous Judy Garland movie, the conversations are shockingly similar. They go something like this:

 

Child: Mom, is this real?

Me: No, it's a movie.

Child: Ok, but did this really happen?

Me: Well, no, dinosaurs never existed at the same time as people. (Or, no, people don't break out into song in the middle of random conversations. Or, no, there's not money buried under a giant W. Or, no, there's not an eccentric man living in a submarine getting attacked by a giant squid.)

Child: Ok, but are the people real?

Me: The characters are made up.

Child: Ok, but are they real people?

Me: Well, the actors are real people.

Child: So did the people actually DO this?

Me: Well...the actors...acted it out...yes.

Child: So this is real?

 

And don't even get me started on movies that are based on a true story.