Up

We bought the lil' dude the new Pixar movie Up for her birthday. We sat down to watch it last night as a family, with the lil' dude nestled in between us on the couch.

The first 10 minutes of the film are sad ... in only the way that the cycle of life can be. I had heard this movie was different from the rest, ranging higher on the emotional scale than say, Cars, or Bugs Life. I felt my eyes getting hot; I'll make no excuses for my emotions. I'm a crier by nature.

I look over to my right and see my little girl, eyes fixed on the movie, tears running down her face. The Dad carefully wipes her eyes and cheeks, thinking maybe the remnants of a head cold are accounting for her watery eyes.

Then, just as the movie gets the most sad, the lil' dude says in her trembly, lower-lip quivering, expression like she's about to apologize, sorry little voice ... sad.

And just like that, my two-year-old daughter is crying during an appropriate time in a feature film.
And the Dad has two girl-faces to wipe, two knees to softly pat.
"It's OK girls," he's repeating, "it's OK."

And of traits parents pass onto children, like big hazel eyes, or height, or food allergies, exhibiting a tender heart seem to be on the list as well.