LORI WEBER MENKE: Supermom goes galactic

What I’m about to tell you will shock and dismay some of you.

It shocked and dismayed my sons to no end, but like any good children, they decided to fix their Supermom.

Here is my confession.

Up until a month ago, I had not seen the “Star Wars” movies.

Now, I love watching all kinds of movies. The only genre I don’t watch is horror. I figure every Supermom has enough things to lay in bed and worry about, so why add to the list by watching a horror movie.

My love of movies comes from growing up on a farm. This might sound strange, but when it was cold and storming out, movie marathons were a must. Sometimes, we would even start making homemade pizza at 1 a.m. and eat it while watching one more movie.

My husband, Jayson, does like the occasional movie, though we do disagree about one thing when it comes to movies.

If I love a movie I will watch it again and again. My husband only watches movies once. That’s it! “One time is enough,” he says. The only exception to this rule is “Christmas Vacation,” which he watches every year around the holidays. He had seen “Star Wars” episodes 3 through 6, so the boys were not quite as upset with him.  

Why I had never gotten around to watching the “Star Wars” movies is beyond me. I do vaguely remember a movie about Ewoks when I was young, so technically, I guess I had seen one of them I just don’t really remember. So, when the last two “Star Wars” movies came out, I guess I just felt if I hadn’t seen the first three or four, I shouldn’t just jump in and start now.

Both of my boys, Riley and Parker, have seen them all. I don’t know where I was when they watched them. But they loved them. My oldest son, Riley, is a huge fan of the movies. I had to buy him a Luke Skywalker costume for Halloween one year. And, of course, the Star Wars Lego craze that swept through our home.

So, my lack of knowledge when it came to the movies was a bit upsetting to my Star Wars-loving children. Riley and Parker finally decided a marathon was in order, so we spent a couple nights watching them - from beginning to end.

Did you know there are six of them?

I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed all six of them. We watched them in order. Not the order they were released in theaters, rather Episode 1 through 6. I wonder if my favorite episode would have been different if I would have seen them in the order they came out in theaters. I wonder if my favorite character would be different.

I can tell you my sons were not impressed with the outcome of having Supermom become “Star Wars” proficient. My favorite character was . . . . Darth Vader.

Appalling to children whose favorite characters are Obi-wan Kenobi and Luke. My favorite episode was . . . . . “Revenge of the Sith.” Riley’s is “Attack of the Clones,” and Parker’s is “Return of the Jedi.”

I did earn some Supermom cred by recognizing droids, clones, the death star (although I lost a point for not knowing there were two of them). And of course, there are the characters that everyone recognizes: Princess Leia, R2-D2 and Yoda.

I can’t promise I will watch them over and over again, but I will watch them again sometime. If they do finally make an Episode 7, I would go see it in the theater with the boys, but I suppose by the time that happens, they won’t want good old Supermom tagging along with them. I will let you know what happens when the time comes.

Although now I have to wonder, what does it mean if Darth Vader is your favorite character? What does this say about me as a person that I like the bad guy?

Now I do have one more thing to lay in bed and worry about at night.

Until next time,

Supermom