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Lilo is acting out. Ok?
She lost her parents and people have no idea how to treat her (this is stated in the movie). To ignore the death of the parents in this movie is to completely ignore the point.
This is how small children act when they're stressed/scared/grieving etc 1/x https://twitter.com/SquigglyDigg/status/1246984685567143942
She lost her parents and people have no idea how to treat her (this is stated in the movie). To ignore the death of the parents in this movie is to completely ignore the point.
This is how small children act when they're stressed/scared/grieving etc 1/x https://twitter.com/SquigglyDigg/status/1246984685567143942
Some kids get quiet and retreat, sure, but many more lash out.
Death, loss, new jobs, changes in relationships, these are all things that cause BIG emotions in adults. Now imagine the feeling of those big emotions on a small child. A small child whose world can collapse when 2/
Death, loss, new jobs, changes in relationships, these are all things that cause BIG emotions in adults. Now imagine the feeling of those big emotions on a small child. A small child whose world can collapse when 2/
A picnic gets cancelled because it's raining. Or they can't splash in puddles because it's NOT raining.
These are not bratty responses that we see in the movie- unless we only look through them through lens devoid of empathy. These are actually age appropriate actions based 3/x
These are not bratty responses that we see in the movie- unless we only look through them through lens devoid of empathy. These are actually age appropriate actions based 3/x
on the traumatic experience that she's faced. She is a child struggling to carry a LOT of pain. Not just the pain of loosing her parents- but the pain of her sister trying to be her parents.
Lilo is lashing out because she wants the hurt to go away and for people to help YET 4/
Lilo is lashing out because she wants the hurt to go away and for people to help YET 4/
Most of the people who interact with her will barely acknowledge her or what she's been through. They are invalidated her pain. Her loss. Her grief.
She feels alone. And the person who could help her carry that load is, tragically, too busy trying to make life "normal" again 5/x
She feels alone. And the person who could help her carry that load is, tragically, too busy trying to make life "normal" again 5/x
Her sister is trying, but not quite in the ways that Lilo needs. So Nani, in her boundless hope, thinks, "kid needs more love!" Enter: "dog."
Stitch isn't just a not!dog he's a manifestation of their grief, especially, Lilo's.
Lilo tries her best to soothe Stitch (grief) 6/x
Stitch isn't just a not!dog he's a manifestation of their grief, especially, Lilo's.
Lilo tries her best to soothe Stitch (grief) 6/x
By making him look/act like how she thinks people want him (her grief) to look and act. And despite his Elvis skills, Stitch still doesn't mesh with what is needed. And neither does Lilo's loss.
Things get better for Lilo & Stitch when they learn to lean into the new normal 7/x
Things get better for Lilo & Stitch when they learn to lean into the new normal 7/x
They adapt to the change (and so does Nani)! They are still hurting. Just as Lilo's picture gets burnt and cannot be "unruined", the past cannot change.
But they can grow. They can learn. They can live-- even after that death.
Stitch is not a monster of Lilo's brattiness 8/
But they can grow. They can learn. They can live-- even after that death.
Stitch is not a monster of Lilo's brattiness 8/
Stitch is a new piece to a worn and threadbare quilt. One could look at it and think it's broken, but with a new patch or two stitched in the right place, it can become something warm all over again.
Don't hate this movie simply because you don't understand how hurt works. 9/x
Don't hate this movie simply because you don't understand how hurt works. 9/x
And if you want to learn more about a great resource for kids who have experienced close loss, please check out Comfort Zone Camp.
Thanks!
10/10 https://comfortzonecamp.org/
Thanks!
10/10 https://comfortzonecamp.org/
