Our family went to the movies. It was to celebrate Zachary's birthday, and he chose the newest Pixar flick. I recall the first time we did that, in 1995 when Toy Story came out. Our oldest son suggested that we go, which surprised me. Was there a plot that could interest him at fourteen as well as his five siblings? Yes, there was, though probably Zack slept through it. 

Elemental is not formulaic. It took me a while to catch my bearings, because the girl person was made of fire and the boyish person was made of water. Already it defied stereotypes about who is weepy and who has a temper. It addressed issues that don't often make it into a children's story, such as immigration, which has real application for our twins. Forgive the pun. 

One line that is still simmering for me was when Wade, the water boy, invited Ember to think of her anger differently. 

"Maybe it is there to help you learn something." 

Not your standard comment when trying to woo a girl. It resonates with what I learned from a therapist about micro boundaries. Getting mad can be a reasonable response when someone crosses them. 

The metaphor in the action was that Ember used her fire to melt sand to make glass. Beautiful, translucent, tempered glass. On the way home, the girls talked about watching glass blowers at Glencairn, whose skill creates incredible pieces. I hang a few on my tree each Christmas. 

But the part that made John and me cry quietly was when Ember left her home to sail away. Her father had left his country before she was born, and had bowed to the ground in deep respect to his own father. But the respect was not reciprocated. Now he watched as his daughter bowed low before him, honoring him while still choosing a different path. He, too, prostrated himself in farewell. 

I'm sure the tears have nothing to do with our daughters who have chosen to cross an ocean for their own dreams.