Dear Diary,
I've noticed that in all of my favorite movies, the children are left alone, neglected, and often independent of their parents/ guardians. Movies and books like James and the Giant Peach, Matilda, Home Alone, and Baby's Day Out completely remove the parental role in various ways, replacing that authority figure or mentor with something else. It seems to challenge the nuclear family and the roles that are considered "normal" for a child's upbringing. For some reason, I like these movies a lot. It often shows the child outsmarting the adult in various ways. For example, Matilda often outsmarts Mrs. Trunchbull and even her father by using her supernatural powers. This is also associated with sense of wonder and nostalgia that is associated with childhood. Home Alone and Baby's Day Out are very similar in which a child and even an infant outsmart kidnappers as the parents are completely helpless and/or clueless. This commodification of childhood is a very clever marketing ploy that my family and I gave into.
Here's one of my favorite scenes from Matilda in which Danny Devito gets angry at Matilda for reading her books. I always remember this movie making me want to read more so I could be like Matilda...
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