Have you ever thought about how you are going to tell your children about your life?
According to author and Generation Y expert Michael McQueen, the current generation of kids yearns to know all about their parents – the good and the bad. And one of the most important things a father can do is to leave a legacy for his children – a legacy they can learn and live from.
Enter Memento, a new book by McQueen that makes it manageable and fun to record your life in writing for your children.
Memento is filled with great questions that allow you to “go deep” and show your real self to your kids, so that when you pass on, they will have a treasure trove of stories to turn to for wisdom and guidance.
Chronicle Books, the publisher of Memento, has given us five copies of the book to give away to readers of The Father Factor and we're running a little contest:
Send us your response to this question from the book for a chance to win a copy of Memento. The five winners will be announced on Monday morning, so the deadline for entries is Sunday, May 30, at midnight!
Remember – answer this as if your child is asking you: “What is your favorite movie and why?” And make sure to include your name in the comment!
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Telling Your Children Your “Story” - Plus, Your Chance to Win a Free Book
26 comments:
We welcome many points of view and great discussion. However, please be aware that comments go through an approval process. The blog administrators reserve the right to not post or delete any comments that are not appropriate (ie: comments with obscene, explicit, sexist, racist or otherwise derogatory language), impolite (ie: comments containing personal attacks, insults or threats), dishonest (ie: potentially libelous comments), or are spam. Thanks for understanding!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I am going to get this started. My favorite movie is The Empire Strikes Back (Star Wars).
ReplyDeleteHere are my reasons why:
- As a young child, I remember being so awestruck by the imagery, music, and adventure of this movie. One of the greatest things about being a child is being able to experience wonder. We unfortunately usually lose that 'gift' as adults. But I remember being so mesmerized by this movie and being inspired to use my imagination and creativity, two traits that I try to exercise to this day - and it all started with Yoda :)
- It is a great story about friendships and loyalty, two things that everyone should have.
- It is a great story about the struggle between good and evil. And it shows that when the good fights and doesn't compromise, it wins (at least by the end of the series!).
So, that is why The Empire Strikes Back is my favorite movie!
"The Natural", great baseball movie, great moments, great story, great teaching points, great music and there is a Fatherhood message -I could watch it over and over
ReplyDeleteThe Matrix [#1]
ReplyDeleteAwesome and deep story, groundbreaking action, never before seen camera shots, and it had me talking with friends about it for hours and days after. That movie really affected me in a good way.
"RUDY" - A great movie and some great lessons.
ReplyDeleteThis movie is a great story about a man that does not give up on his dreams. The movie is a great inspiration about giving your all and fighting to overcome different difficulties and obstacles.
I watch the movie every year at the start of football season and many times I watch it with my kids to help create the vision that with hard work they can accomplish more than they ever thought possible.
My favorite movie of all time has to be "The Dark Knight". The story is amazing, the pace of the movie makes it feel like it's only an hour long (even though it's a little over two and a half hours long). This movie definitely saved the Batman franchise after George Clooney and Val Kilmer almost wiped it out.
ReplyDeleteThe story is more dark and real. It makes you think that someone like The Joker could actually exist in the real world. Heath Ledger played the part of The Joker better than anyone.
So there's the reason why I have "The Dark Knight" as my favorite movie of all time!
A great movie that I discovered with my oldest daughter is Angels in the Outfield.
ReplyDeleteThis Disney film offered much more than the dusty VHS cover led me to believe it would. This is story about a boy, Roger, growing up in foster care longing for a relationship with his father.
Roger's answer to a prayer comes in the form of heavenly angels, that only he can see, who come down to help out his favorite baseball team, the California Angels.
This movie created many conversations with my daughter about the spiritual world of angels, faith, prayer, broken families, child custody, foster care, baseball, and more.
Unlike most movies for kids... this one deals with the harsh reality of father absence and shows the pain and longing that exists for kids when they feel abandoned.
It also shows how other adults can step in to make a difference in the lives of kids. In the end the manager of the California Angels adopts Roger and his friend from the foster home in the classic "feel good" style that only Disney can pull off.
My favorite movie of all time is Braveheart! It is quite violent and I certainly don't recommend it for children. However, it is an unbelievable true (but Hollywoodized) story about the priceless value of liberty/freedom and having the courage to fight for freedom when doing so basically guarantees death.
ReplyDeleteIt is also a great story about the power of love and true friendship to overcome the greatest of evils. Other themes that are front and center in Braveheart include honor, sacrifice, loyalty, persistence, and faith in God.
In the words of William Wallace (played by Mel Gibson), "They may take my life, but they'll never take my freedommmmmm!!!"
Quite Simply....Rocky....it is the BEST and the original Underdog story, and teaches you to NEVER give up.
ReplyDeleteCinderella Man--
ReplyDeleteAwesome examples of the importance of good father hood.
My favorite movie is Star Wars. It just embodies what's right in a movie. The struggle between good and evil and that we battle with that everyday. the characters also brought a lot to the movie and the special effects.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite movie is The Patriot. In the setting (of The Revolution) is a father trying to be the best of a parent - surviving both his service in the French and Indian War and the untimely death of his wife.
ReplyDeleteHis effort in the role is upstaged when he chooses to protect family by taking-up arms (again!). My favorite script is "A legislature can crush a man's rights just as easily as a king can"; and
"I have done nothing...and for that, I am ashamed."
My favorite movie is Mr Smith Goes To Washington. It's old school throwback and even a healthy dose of cheesiness, but it's also a time machine to an ideal/standard that people don't even attempt to achieve anymore.
ReplyDeleteMrs Doubtfire - As a divorced father I can relate to Robin Williams willing to do whatever it takes to see his children. It is a fun movie that portrays a father's love for his children. There isn't anything I wouldn't do to be with my kids and to be a positive influence in their lives!!
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Tom Wolf
tomwolfcpa@msn.com
My favorite movie is Star Wars. I remember sitting in the dark theatre and that Star Destroyer comes over our heads and just keeps coming. When I see that opening scene, I'm instantly transported back to being the 7-year-old version of me. Now, my 7-year-old daughter is a big fan of the series, especially Princess Leia: a princess that is smart, tough and independent, a hard combination to find today.
ReplyDeleteI've really enjoyed laughing with my two daughters every time we watch the Emperor's New Groove. We've created a lot of inside jokes around the house as a result and they never get old!
ReplyDeleteOne of my favorite movies is about 15 years old - Usual Suspects starring Kevin Spacey. The twists and turns in the story and the creativity shown is amazing.
ReplyDeleteThanks, ngupta1@hotmail.com
My favorite movie has got to be Raiders of the Lost Ark. What a ride! (And, yes, it is one we can all enjoy, and have, at Disney parks!)
ReplyDeleteWe follow one of cinema's most exciting heroes in the first (and best) of the Indiana Jones series. It's an incredible journey which takes him 'round the world, pits him against nature, man, WOMAN, evil both ancient and contemporary (Nazis!) and even the supernatural. He shows his various sides: college professor, archaeologist, adventurer, confused (ex)boyfriend, spiritual man, defender of right and the American way.
Being a "period piece," we get to see Indy handle all these challenges without the benefit of modern and technology and in a style reminiscent of a great black and white film adventure of the 30's, one of my favorite historical periods.
Definitely #1 on my top 10 movie list!
(Note: my child is now 15, hence the tone)
My favorite movie is BRAVEHEART, staring Mel Gibson as William Wallace. Nathan, I love how the movie always energizes and inspires me to lay out my life for you through thick and thin, in good times and tough times - both of which are inherent to anyone's life. How? Well, William Wallace is told very early on - learn how to use your mind, then your muscle. Think first. Never taking a shortcut, never looking for the easy way out, never falling prey to discouragement - though things get tough and Wallace gets beat down - Wallace inspires all fathers to seek the truth, believe, honor the gift of freedom and family and you'll be able to live and die in peace. It isn't about being successful, because Wallace technically lost, but about being faithful. I love to watch those and other lessons unfold in the semi-historical context Braveheart is told. Nathan David, I believe you too will one day be inspired by this movie - just not yet. :o) Dad.
ReplyDeleteDave
Dave@davestoneinc.com
My favorite movie through all my years is Fantasia, from Disney. As a young child, I loved Mickey in Sorcerer's Apprentice and the Dance of the Hours with the hIppo, ostrich, and crocodile ballerinas; as a preteen, I loved to be scared by Night on Bald Mountain; as a high school student, I enjoyed taking my friends to a "kiddie movie" and upon leaving, them telling me, "That was cool!" And now I love watching it (at home instead of the theatre) with my children and watching them discover it. It's rated G, so my kids (3 & 6) can watch it, but it is not patronizing or "dumbed down", and the pictures and music are still marvelous.
ReplyDelete--Paul Berg
My favorite movie is a trilogy--Lord of the Rings. There are fatherhood themes throughout the trilogy. I appreciate the strength of the relationships among the members of the Fellowship of the Ring. Despite their clear differences, they rally around a single, noble cause--to save Middle Earth. And the most powerful among them is, counterintuitively, the "weakest" among them--Frodo. Our world could learn a lot from the selfless actions of the Fellowship of the Ring.
ReplyDeleteJohn.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite film is Boys in the Hood. Here you a single man raising his son in south central LA when it was not the norm not only that his father was educated and did not waste time showing his son the impotance of education and self worth and respect for himself. He showed his son the difference in social and economic backgrounds and what hard work can do if you apply yourself.
Favorite Movie..."The Greatest Game Ever Played"
ReplyDeleteGolf story of Francis Ouimet, who as an amateur won the US Open. His dad did not want him to waste his time on golf...there was no future in it...but all Francis wanted was for his dad to be proud.
After he won the crowd gathered in around him and then Francis saw his dad in the crowd and they just stared at each other...very strong...
dad was there in the end and Francis could not have been more happy for that...
Great movie especially if you like golf!
Ya know son, I have lots of favorite movies for lots of different reasons - depending on what mood I'm in. I think the one that is my favorite to watch with you is 'The Princess Bride'. This is my favorite to watch with you because it's exciting, funny, sad and happy and I love to share those things with you. What I also like about this movie is that it is a story about a guy who does what he has to do in order to overcome challenges, make friends out of enemies, and rescue his true love. I like this about the movie because his story is kind of like mine. I have had to work hard so that I could overcome challenges, be a good dad for you and your siblings and be a good husband for your mom.
ReplyDelete-Aaron Anderson
12 Angry Men (the Henry Fonda version)
ReplyDeleteThere is a DVD of it here somewhere... oh! Here it is.
There is honor and valor in this movie, but it is a quiet, humble version of valor, not one you see in movies much anymore. The enemy is not foreign or extraterrestrial, it is the enemy you will many times in your lifetime -- normally good men, doing the wrong thing. But what makes this movie special is the one man who refuses to compromise his principles and who confronts his fellow man; not with fists or swords, but with quiet reason and appeals to their better nature.
Thanks to everyone who posted their favorite movie! The five people who have won a free copy of 'Memento' are: Aaron Anderson (The Princess Bride), Dave@davestoneinc.com (Braveheart), Tom Wolf (Mrs. Doubtfire), Kirk (12 Angry Men), and Johnny Bravo (Pursuit of Happyness). Email me by this Friday, June 4, at vdicaro@fatherhood.org to claim your prize.
ReplyDeleteI just sent you an email. Thank you for selecting me.
ReplyDelete