Pandemic Motherhood Diary Entry 33: A Solo Movie Date
By Melissa Menny
A good friend of mine gave me a movie pass, suggesting I take some much-needed time for myself. With the overwhelming nature of motherhood and the desire to do it all, a solo movie date was a great idea. That was over a year ago. Yes, I’ve had this movie pass since 2022. With the fear of germ-infested theaters looming and the nervousness of prying myself away from my toddlers, I never used it. That changed this past Saturday. I put my worries into a prayer, walked inside a movie theater for the first time since 2019, and went to a morning showing of Bad Boys: Ride Or Die.
The last time I sat down inside a movie theater was in the summer of 2019 when I saw Spider-Man: Far From Home with my husband. Before the world slightly shut down, my own personal world shut down when I had my newborn that December. Fast forward to the rising deaths and numbers of people falling ill with COVID-19, and our second baby, the movie theater in complete form, was out of the question. The best we could compromise with was a drive-in movie we attended once. With mosquitoes in attendance, busy toddlers, and unbearable heat waves, once was all we could do.
In all honesty, I missed going inside the movie theater. It’s the buttered-filled air, actual cold air, and the surround sound of collective gasps. It wasn’t just my and my husband’s favorite dating activity. It was also one of my favorite solo ways to unwind. I still recall sitting in a matinee to see Godzilla in 2014 and The Magnificent Seven years later. Although I have missed it, there haven’t been many movies in the past year and a half that have made me want to take a break from streaming. In reality, there have been few breaks for me at all until now.
With my son on summer break and my husband, who works in education, getting a break as well, the lightbulb came on. If anyone was going to make me leave my house, it was Martin Lawrence and Will Smith. I saw the Bad Boys: Ride Or Die promotion and immediately told my husband I was considering watching it at the movies. His response: “You should go Saturday morning.” And I did. There was the same smell of popcorn in the air, laughs in unison at all the humorous scenes, and action galore. If there’s one thing I love, it’s good mindless action films. It fills me with glee like a child in a toy store.
Of course, I picked a movie time that worked around my kids’ schedule. Although my husband is Superman, I still wanted to be home before my kids took their nap. Solo activities are rare, but regardless, time with my kids means everything to me. This year-old mommy-to-mommy gift was about more than me catching a break from my household. It was about me remembering to spend time with me. The nostalgia of being inside a theater was just the cherry on top, and I enjoyed every second of it. It was nice to take a break from the realities of the world around me.
Melissa Menny is an author with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism. She is a poet and a writer in all aspects. When she is not working, she enjoys painting, music, and spending time with her husband and two sons.
This is the most recent in a series of essays about raising young children in the COVID era. Read entry 32 here.
