We got the most recent movie of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" for Christmas. I was very impressed at how closely it hews to the book. It's a great dramatization of a great book. Both, in my opinion, are classic.

It's also special to me because I have an eldest ds, then dd, then ds, then dd, in about the same spacing. My two sons are best friends with each other, in contrast to how Peter and Edmund are portrayed in the movie, but they do have conflicting personalities at times. My eldest son is very cautious and my second son is much less careful--not careless, but much more relaxed. My two eldest daughters looked at the scene where Lucy tells Susan that she "got boring", and I think felt some of the same emotions.

My eldest ds has been discussing with me why he has chosen to spend a lot of his time vacillating this last semester--spinning his wheels. Some of it has been frustration with leaders in Boy Scouts, some has been frustration with his own failings, some has been a friend advising him to loosen up and "be a kid a while longer while you can" instead of getting to work on employment or education. My ds has been reading our core classics, praying, and researching, so he hasn't totally been wasting his time, but his father and I have shaken our heads several times wondering why he hasn't actively pursued his stated goals.

While reading the words of Spencer W. Kimball I came upon phrases that clarify this: "You are sent to this earth not merely to have a good time or to satisfy urges or passions or desires . . . and have what the world calls "fun." You are sent to this world with a very serious purpose. You are sent to school, for that matter, to begin as a human infant and grow to unbelievable proportions in wisdom, judgment, knowledge, and power."

"One of the most serious human defects in all ages is procrastination, an unwillingness to accept personal responsibilities Now. Men came to earth consciously to obtain their schooling, their training and development, and to perfect themselves, but many have allowed themselves to be diverted and have become . . . addicts to mental and spiritual indolence and to the pursuit of worldly pleasure."

It occurred to me to ask my ds to consider the motives of those advising him; are they giving advice because they want him to succeed, or because they want him to join them in what they're doing?

But the epiphany for me, and from his tone of voice, for him, too, came when we were watching the scenes where the Witch is negotiating with Aslan for the traitor's life. I asked my son what would have happened if the children had said, "No, we want to stay children a while longer." My son said, in a shocked tone, "Things would have turned out very different, very badly."

I was struck by how much Edmund and Peter grew up during this experience. It wasn't as obvious in Susan and Lucy, but the boys became much more manly in accepting responsibility.

Somewhere I read, "Things must happen when it is time for them to happen. So-and-so may go unrescued a long time, but not forever." I don't remember where I read it, but it is true.