The Incredible(s) Weekend

As one of my friends recently pointed out, kids love to watch the same movies over and over again at times. In fact, when my friend brought this topic up recently, she even asked me to write a post about it (you know who you are ;) ). I’m not sure I can adequately cover this topic today, but given the fact that my kids are on an Incredibles kick this weekend (they watched The Incredibles and The Incredibles 2 back to back last night, and woke up asking to watch The Incredibles 2 again this morning), it’s a great opportunity to bring up the idea of why children, and even some adults, often rewatch movies or reread books.

The reasons children like to rewatch the same show/movie over and over are fairly logical: repetition provides a predictable and safe feeling for children. Not only that, children often learn and grow, as the repetition helps the brain consolidate information and further, repetition can improve their logical thinking by helping them find cause and effect relationships and more.

This all makes perfect sense for children. So, why do adults like to rewatch movies? Often for the same former reason — providing a predictable and safe feeling, that there is order in the world. I don’t have much time to watch television or movies (at this point, I’ve lost track of all the shows my husband and I are behind on — as he often reminds me). But when my husband is coming very home late from work and if I feel too tired to do anything else, I do turn on the television (I know, this is a shock for some of you :) ). And admittedly, I’ve gone back to some of the same shows I’ve watched before. In full disclosure, I’ve seen the first season of Bridgerton twice. And after watching the second season in its entirety, I’ve restarted it. Of course, watching something for a second time requires less attention. Sometimes, I’m cooking or doing something else in the background, and it’s a comfort to know I will like the show, and that it requires less mental power than watching something new. And sometimes, you discover a little detail you didn’t notice the first time — a bonus!

So how can this apply to your life? I think we do need comfort in our lives at times. There is so much pressure to watch something new on all the streaming services. Sometimes, it’s best to give your brain a break, and nourish yourself a bit by doing things that comfort you. I find I’m often more refreshed the next day and ready to tackle new things. Something to think about this week. Have a good week!