The Wizard of Oz is scary....

I remember the very first time I saw the Wizard of Oz.  I was five years old, sitting on the navy blue and white sofa in our apartment in Bristol, CT.  My mother made a big deal out of the movie. She made a special dinner, popped popcorn and I even got a name brand soda to drink. With my baby brother in bed, the three of us gathered around the tv the air heavy with anticipation.

Let me just say, for a five year old, this whole movie was frightning!  From the tornado in the beginning; the house falling on a witch, her legs curling up and disappearing when her sparklie shoes are taken off, and then the Wicked Witch threatening poor Dorothy who didn’t ask to be in the Land of Oz to begin with.  But wait! There is a solution, Dorothy can go ask the Wizard for help.  Please go, anything not to have the Wicked Witch come back to the screen.  I did ok with the talking apple trees, but when the unlikely foursome got into the dark forest and started singing about lions, tigers and bears, oh my! my sense of security that the wizard was going to fix this was gone. I remember crying and hiding behind my father who was laying on the sofa.  When the flying monkeys swooped in, that was it!  I was terrified!  I jumped up from behind my Dad and at that exact moment, my father decided to stretch his arm and clocked me in the left eye with his elbow.  Now I am traumatized for life.  As a parent myself looking back, I can say with almost surety that my parents were laughing.  My mother calmed me down, and I sat in her lap the rest of the movie. Poor Dorothy, all she wanted to do was to go home and all I wanted to do was stop watching the movie.  Every year when that came on, my parents had me watch it in hopes I would get over it.  I would have nightmares for weeks. 

25 years later, my daughter was obsessed with The Wizard of Oz.  When we would go to the mall, she would stand and stare at the sparkly red Dorothy shoes at Nordstroms, her hot breath fogging up the case.  Please Mommie, I want those shoes.  We really couldn’t afford them at that time plus it freaked me out a bit, so my answer was always no.  I did make Emma a pair using white slip on sneakers and red glitter for her Dorothy Halloween costume one year.  Which to this day, she still talks about and weren’t good enough. I also made Eddie a wonderful tin man costume he refused to wear and for Connor, my nightmare child, I sewed the cutest flying monkey costume complete with gold lame wings, red vest and fez with tassel.  I suppose sewing the costumes for my kids and having Emma obsessed with the movie has helped ease my trauma.  A bit……

Recently, one of my coworkers shared with me that she didn’t understand why Abby, her 9 year old, was afraid of the movie.  My blood turned cold in an instant.  Well, I said, let me tell you…..scary mean witch, sentry guards with big hats and you can’t see their faces, flying monkeys, dark forests, talking trees and the room which Dorothy is locked in with the big hourglass--very scary.  I get it.  Abby and I decided to get together over hot cocoa to share our fears in hopes to help us not to be so frightened.  It’s funny how neither one of has committed to a date yet………