How to Make a Seven Year Old Boy Cry

We just finished watching Harry and the Hendersons.

Remember that movie from 1987? It starred a much younger John Lithgow as the dad who took his family camping in the Cascades just outside Seattle. On their drive home Bigfoot jumps out in front of and is struck by the wood paneled station wagon. The tale that follows is about how the Hendersons take home what is believed to be a dead sasquatch, who then comes alive and torments the family in the middle of the night. In the days that follow the family falls in love with the vegetarian creature. Bigfoot then escapes into the city of Seattle and manages to elude all the authorities and one Saquatch hunter out for the kill, all the while making himself known to unsuspecting non-believers throughout the city. Of course he is found by Mr. Henderson, who manages to bring him back to his home and works out a plan with a not so cruel Sasquatch hunter to get the big, smelly creature back to the forest, while still eluding the mean hunter who has never experienced the endearing qualities of the hairy guy now dubbed Harry.

I'll stop there, so as to not ruin the ending. However, I will mention that there was about 6 swear words scattered throughout this PG rated movie that caught me off guard, including one by the young son.

Throughout the entire movie Ben kept asking me if that was a man in a costume, or really Bigfoot. This is coming from my boy that has believes that he transforms into a superhero merely by tying a cape to his back, but has always been skeptical of Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny and the Tooth fairy. What's a mom to say?

Towards the end of the movie, I hear a few sniffles on the couch next to me. I look over and Ben has his glasses off and is wiping his eyes. I said, "why are you crying buddy?" He says "if we find Bigfoot, can we keep him mom?"