10 Lessons from Home Movies

Old videos onto new discs bring unexpected revelation! Watch until the end!

Or: A Few Lessons from Home Movies

1. I had forgotten what the kids’ voices sounded like.

Lesson: You can’t beat the low tones of a commanding toddler or the sweet voice of a pre-schooler, but you just won’t be able to remember every sensory detail. Technology can be helpful.

2. I was not as overweight and frumpy as I thought I was.

Lesson: There are a few lessons from this one, but just start with ‘don’t be so hard on yourself’.

3. My kids were beautiful.

Lesson: You can’t beat a head of baby curls or freckles and long lashes, details sometimes overshadowed by broken sleep and runny noses.

4. I had fun with my family.

Lesson: I’m not always the grumpy mother I think I am.

5. Some things are exactly as you remember.

Lesson: Filming makes good visual proof.

6. There is no visual evidence that one of the kids could only see out of one eye.

Lesson: Don’t blame yourself for not noticing something. It may not be obvious even if you go back and look for it.

7. It is best not to film school or music/dance performances.

Lesson: Watch and experience it in the moment. It won’t be that interesting later (a lesson we fortunately learned after only one film of each).

8. I had a chunky baby I’d love to go back and cuddle one more time.

Lesson: The ex-chunky one now loves to give amazing, strong hugs. Things change, but not always for the worse: enjoy them while they last.

9. I could not have anticipated how lovely it would be to re-watch my mom singing with her granddaughter or dancing her 6 month old grandson around the kitchen.

Lesson: Some of the best moments are ordinary and fleeting. Notice and cherish.

10. The Sommerrodelbahn toboggan looks really fast, but not as fast in film as it felt in real life.

Lesson: Live fully and remember those crazy downhill moments: your own head may re-create them in brighter technicolour and at four times the speed.

Photo: Anne Mills