A Teary Movie Night

Tonight we settled the kids down for a family movie...Old Yeller. I haven't watched it since I was a kid, but after I promised the kids we could watch it, I suddenly remembered bawling at the end of it.

When the treacherous scene came on, I had Max in my lap and Dawson laying on my arm. When the gun came out, all were asking, "Are they really going to shoot the dog?" It got quiet and then "BANG!"

Dawson looked up with me with those big baby blues and asked, "Is the dog dead?"

"Yes," I said. That's when those eyes filled with tears and the throat tightened a bit. He covered his face with his hands and desperately tried to wipe away the tears.

I'm sure there will be moments in the very near future that those tears will be shamed and trained away by a world that looks down on men crying. Tonight I enjoyed the pure emotion of it all. The realization that I have a son who feels deeply and has genuine concern for others.

Whether or not there are tears in his future, I hope he keeps the feelings.