IT HAD BEEN IN MY NETFLIX INSTANT QUE FOR OVER A MONTH. For a month I had attempted to watch the documentary called “Being Elmo” because it looked interesting. Each time I was met with resistance from my ten year old son. William would declare that anything with Elmo would not be appropriate for his mature age. He would bolster himself up, making me miss the toddler who once ran this house like a speedway. I tried to explain that the movie was about more than just ‘kid stuff’, but he was having none of my mother logic.

About two weeks ago William came down with the strep virus and became my daytime buddy while he recovered. It was just the two of us as his fever fought the battle. By day 3 he was looking for books to read and television to watch. I decided that I would take a morning off and sit with him for a movie. We browsed our selection and I finally convinced William to take a look at the documentary. From the moment  it began, he was hooked on the human story of Kevin Clash. Several times he rewound the film to look at a detail or discuss a development in the story as it unfolded.

When “Being Elmo” finished William immediately began looking for the movies which Kevin Clash had considered pivotal in his learning or career. These were the movies which were visions of the talented Jim Henson, and each represented technical innovations or breakthroughs in special effects and storytelling. William first watched Labyrinth, which was released in 1986. He then moved onto The Storyteller and The Storyteller: Greek Myths. He became more and more engrossed in the beauty of storytelling and the technical skill which make this appear seamless.

Fast forward a week later. William is back to himself. I was still smiling about the connections he made as a result of Kevin Clash’s determination and thirst for learning. We visited the High Museum in Atlanta for a parenting blogger event. My kids got tired of waiting for me so they went around introducing themselves at the various tables and asking a million questions. As I finally made my way to the table hosted by the Center for Puppetry Arts, I heard William excitedly discussing “Being Elmo” and Kevin Clash by name with the staff member.

I was rendered speechless. It was obvious he had been mulling things over in his mind since those sick days and had come up with his own conclusions about the human journey and opportunities made for a young man, not unlike himself. The movie is not at all about Elmo, but about making a dream happen with hard work.

To say I recommend this movie is an understatement. It’s inspiring to see a body of work displayed with the long journey required. It’s important to show this to our children.
{I would only caution those with small children to consider the fact that seeing this might take away some of the magic.}