I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before but I generally avoid scary movies. And yet, I get such a kick out of showing my kids older suspenseful flicks, probably because I know when things are going to jump out.

For a family night, we showed our youngest son the movie Signs by M. Night Shyamalan. This movie is my all-time favorite for this director so I couldn’t believe we hadn’t shown him this one before. His thirteen-year-old reaction made it ever better for me. He started out on a beanbag, far from his uncool parents. I don’t think we were even halfway through the show before he moved to the couch, right up against my side. He tried to hide his head under a blanket during the tense scenes, but I kept pulling it back down.

“I promise,” I told him over and over again, “it isn’t bloody. Keep watching.”

It’s good to see he is as big of a chicken as I am. People get a kick out of me too when I go to the movie theaters for those kinds of shows. I try so hard to be tough, but I always end up being the squealing entertainment.