10 Movies That Shaped My Youth – and hopefully my daughter’s too |

When I was growing up in the 1980s, I loved watching movies. Still do. My 9-year-old daughter likes it OK. But when we do cozy up on the couch, we usually pop some popcorn, search for candy in all my secret spots and top it all off with some soda. (You can tell I’m up for Father of the Year.) Then we turn off all of the lights and press play. Although we don’t talk much during the film, it’s a bonding moment. I usually get stuck rubbing her feet at some point. And rubbing tiny little toes counts as bonding. Sometimes I like to take a peek at her while she’s watching. I love seeing whatever particular emotion is beaming from her face.

In the first 9 years of my daughter’s life, I usually didn’t get to pick the title. My recommendations weren’t considered—but that’s been changing slightly over the last six months, ever since I let her watch Pitch Perfect on cable. That’s when she started taking my endorsements a bit more seriously because, though I may have rushed the age appropriateness for that film, she loved it. And we are sooooooooooooo going to see Pitch Perfect 2 together when it comes out in theaters this May. We’ll just keep it as our little secret.