On Saturday we took the special-needs kids to see Madagascar, the new animated feature about animals who escape the Central Park Zoo for the greener grass of the wild. The SNKs have few friends other than each other. They rarely get invited to parties---understandably so, because their behavior often spoils the occasion. The SNKs require constant monitoring and infinite patience by parents and other caregivers.
We arrived at the theater 15 minutes early so we could get our popcorn and soda. The kids watch the clock and become anxious if it looks like they might be late.
N. is an avid fan of animated movies and knows which actor provided which character’s voice in every animated movie produced during N.’s lifetime. He chattered continuously during the first ten minutes and was oblivious to the hint of my whispered responses; I eventually asked him to think of the other patrons, and his commentary subsided.
A.’s interest was food: he had a hot dog and two large bags of popcorn, washed down with a giant soda. After the movie, A. doubled over with stomach cramps and we dropped him at home before carting the others to a restaurant.
D. covered his ears during scenes of conflict (emotional, not physical), which is ironic when one considers how his disappointments frequently erupt in anger. Today he was well-behaved.
AR is gifted with kinesthetic intelligence. He spent half an hour on the Dance Dance Revolution game, his feet moving faster than my eyes could follow the moves on the instruction screen. A crowd gathered as AR threw in a few extra steps without breaking a sweat.
As for the movie itself, it was mildly enjoyable with a few successful attempts at appealing to adults. Conflicts were resolved, and everyone was friends at the end, which was how our day ended. One can’t really ask for more than that.
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