Using Movies as Conversation-Launchers With Boys

Men, you can use movies as great conversation-launchers with your boys. I enjoyed the latest Batman movie, The Dark Knight. It's a big action film, too dark for younger kids, and does not have a specific religious aspect to the plot. But the characters wrestle with great questions:

• How much will you sacrifice to protect and save the innocent?
• How do you combat evil (yes, evil!) without becoming evil? Where do you draw lines that you won't cross?
• Would you kill others to save yourself, even if you perceived they were "worse" people than you are?
• What is a man's civic responsibility and how is this related to protecting his family?

The Joker character is completely evil, completely amoral, and the movie makes it clear that you cannot blame his environment for his behavior.

These are great themes to explore with your boys, as you coach them about being a man. With older boys, movies like The Patriot and Saving Private Ryan are helpful for conversation-launching.