What THE INCREDIBLES Got Right About Kids

Alan: "If I walk away from this cat, this cat will still be a cat." Schrodinger: "Will it though?"

The Parr siblings' interactions are so believable, that anyone with siblings can easily relate to their arguments, yet they've got each other's back at the end of the day.

The horror in the "oh my god" when he realizes his toddler can get through locked doors (and walls) and put everything on fire

I remember reading that each character’s power represents their role in the family. Bob has super strength because fathers are meant to be strong and reliable. Helen is elastic because mothers are pulled in all directions by their family/life and expected to be flexible and adaptable. Violet has invisibility and force fields because teenagers are insecure and defensive; they desire to be seen yet invisible, understood yet untouchable. Dash is super fast because pre-pubescent kids are hyperactive and impulsive, and Jack Jack’s abilities represent the unlimited possibilities and potential of an infant and new addition to the family.

Heck,who remembers the excruciating heavy pressure of violet having to put a shield around the plane that was being attacked by the missiles but she just couldn't ? I could feel the heaviness

A detail I love about The Incredibles is when one of Syndrome’s minions fires at Dash and Violet jumps in front of him, creating a forcefield orb around them. But her reaction is shock and amazement. She didn’t intend to create that shield, she had no idea she could even do that (especially since she’s been struggling to control her powers consciously, let alone sub/unconsciously). She saw her little brother in danger and was fully prepared to die for him. That is sibling love.

I love how you can see in Bob’s eyes the flash backs to baby Violet going missing and Dash being totally uncatchable.

The scene where Bob apologizes to his daughter makes me cry every time. That Bob this superhero who has saved countless lives, because the solution is so simple for him. But then he discovers each and every day he would rather be a good dad. To which his daughter beautifully responds "You're not good... You're super."

Can maybe one day talk about Lilo and Nani's Relationship in Lilo and Stitch

What I love is that the kid's names reflect their powers. Dash runs really fast, Violet can effect visible light to become invisible 'ultraviolet', and Jack Jack is a jack of all trades.

I was about Dash’s age when the first movie came out and his character was the only one where I understood completely what was going on. “So, the bad guys are tryna wreck mom and dad’s....marriage?” I felt that. Now I work in daycare. Still 100% accurate for all the kids

What you said at the beginning about children needing to rely less and less on their parents is so true. My parents have always been super structured with my life. Because I’m autistic, I don’t really know any other way to live, and now that I’m seventeen, they suddenly want me to be more independent in enrolling myself into college

I think the directors had come out and said the reasons the Parr family have the powers they have, which I think is brilliant Bob: super strength, supposed to be the strong man of the house Helen: elasticity, mom's always get stretched a million ways in order to take care of their kids Violet: invisibility, she's a shy middle school student who wants to remain hidden (in the first film at least) Dash: super speed, he's at an age where kids can be very hyperactive Jack Jack: multitude of powers, babies are extremely unpredictable Also side note, glad to see you guys analyze my favorite Pixar movie!

The kids finding the supersuits especially when they weren't allowed is 100% me and my sisters annoying our mum

Watching this video makes me appreciate my Dad's parenting a lot more. I remember when I was about 9 years old (my younger brother was around 7) we started watching a bunch of movies from animated ones to live action and at the end he'd start asking myself and my little brother questions. He started with the simple ones: did we like it, what did we like most/least, and then he'd ask why did we like it. He would carefully guide the discussion and gently challenge our thinking. One series of questions He would ask us was about who we thought was the good guy or bad guy and why and then slowly point out where the gray areas were. It became our routine and is something that we all still do to this day. It's also some of my fondest memories.

The Incredibles is the best Fantastic Four movie ever made. What people tend forget about that super hero team was that it was a family, with all the trials and tribulations that come from both being a super hero team and a family. And, as a parent, my biggest struggle is the same: find the line where you let kids have autonomy - and it's not the same for every kid. Some kids take on responsibility, and others are harder to trust.

Helen going, "I missed JACKJACK'S FIRST POWER!?" is so relatable. My wife got to see my three month-old's first smile, I got his first laugh, and BOTH of us were looking away when he rolled over for the first time (my in-laws on Zoom caught that one). It is funny how irrationality passionate we are about seeing the firsts. I think my wife and I may end up competing to see who gets him walking. xD

Something my parents had with me when I was like 5 or 6 was a “question book”, where if I had a question about how the world worked but my parents were busy at home, we’d write it down (my mom would write it down first so I’d know how to spell it, then I’d try write it myself) and take an evening on the weekend to research the thing, helped me with my reading and writing because I had a LOT of questions, and also kinda taught me how to research things in the local library

True story: my Grandpa was a psychiatrist, waaay back 50+ years ago. When his children were young he noticed that they were hitting certain milestones with textbook specificity. The exact age the book would say and his kids would start to exhibit the behavior. He thought he had stumbled upon some remarkable phenomenon. Nope! Turns out the oldest, my dad, was reading the childhood development textbook aloud to his younger siblings and telling them what their behavior should be at their age. 🤣

Here is a quick tip I use all the time for what Jonathan calls “putting a pin in it” on all those questions you get with kids in the preoperational stage of development. I’m a special education teacher K-2 with a masters in early childhood and I’ve found this to work really well with young kids who need a more concrete way to understand that you care about what they have to say but need to table it. Working with students with ADHD or any who experience impulsivity means that we use this strategy a ton. I ask the kids to put their idea/thought in their pocket for later (accompanied by gesture which they often will naturally physically mimic). The first time I introduce this I will explain more in depth how we will take their question out of their pocket later but right now I need them to listen, focus, etc. The most important part is once you have introduced this you have to actively go up to the child and say “let’s take your question out of your pocket” and prove that you’re not just shutting them up but that you do care about what they have to say. Over time, I sometimes won’t even break stride (for example during a read aloud) and will simply continue on (keep reading) and make eye contact and gesture with grabbing the question and putting it in their pocket. For context, this can be important because too many interruptions can actually weaken comprehension because the storyline becomes too fragmented. After we’ve done this enough for them to understand the concept and build trust in my willingness to hear them out, I let them know that it’s now their responsibility to come to me at a later time to take questions or comments out of their pocket. I won’t always be coming to them. What this teaches children is how and when to find appropriate times (often delayed) to get questions answered or give comments. It’s a hugely important skill. I’ve found that kids are much more willing to wait to share a comment if they know this isn’t their only chance. Kids during this preoperational stage of development will speak over someone while talking at a million miles a minute because they want to be heard and they don’t want to be shut down.