Pirate toils to be trustworthy
Y our
son loves to sneak into your closet to borrow your favorite flannel
shirt for his mudball factory uniform. He can't comprehend why one day
you hide your shirt, even though it's newly torn or freshly stained
every time he returns it.
The film Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas
can help your kids understand how their past performances can make or
break others' trust. Our family activity, " Tower of Trust ," brings
the lesson to life.
The
animated movie features Sinbad (Brad Pitt), a pirate who falls in love
with his estranged friend's fianc�e (Catherine Zeta-Jones), while he
tries to recover a magical book swindled by an evil goddess (Michelle
Pfeiffer).
When Sinbad is framed for a crime he
didn't commit, his childhood pal Proteus (Joseph Fiennes) puts his life
on the line for him, even though he and Sinbad are still at odds.
Proteus must trust that despite his pirating ways, Sinbad will return
to save him. In the end, Sinbad must decide if he wants to be a man who
is tricky or trustworthy.
Family Activity:
Tower of Trust
Your
family doesn't have to be a band of thieves to lose each other's trust
from time to time. Together, play our game, Tower of Trust , to learn
how to build others' confidence in you.
Share!
Talk
about what Sinbad did that made it tough for other characters to trust
him. Ask your kids to reflect on things they do that might make others
distrust them. Is your daughter unable to keep a secret? Does your son
return his friend's bicycle with a flat tire without offering to fix
it?
Point out how Sinbad's choices at the end of the film
transformed him into a dependable person. Then take turns talking about
the times your children's actions proved to others that they are
trustworthy. Maybe your daughter returned the extra change to the
cashier who accidentally gave her too much. Perhaps your son faithfully
finishes his chores each week before heading to the pool. Together
discuss how you build up someone's trust by being consistently
reliable.
"Tower of Trust " |
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Play!
Materials needed:
Water balloons
Colored markers
Six plastic drinking cups
On
one side of each cup, write one reason you can be trusted�from always
showing up on time to telling the truth. On the other side of each cup,
write "Can Trust." Stack the cups upside down in a pyramid outside. As
you do so, remind your kids that the more times you prove you are
reliable, the more you build people's trust in you.
Fill
one water balloon. Write on one side "Can't Trust." On the other side
write one action that would make you seem undependable, such as not
following through on a promise. Standing a good distance from the cups,
ask your children to throw a "Can't Trust" water balloon at the "Can
Trust" pyramid.
If the balloon misses the
pyramid, it's a visual example to explain that once trust is built up,
it can withstand a mistake or two. Fill another "Can't Trust" water
balloon and ask your children to try again to hit the pyramid. When the
tower finally tumbles, it's the perfect time to point out that when
trust is broken, it has to be rebuilt.
Your children will see that just like Sinbad, all it takes is one bad decision to throw their trustworthiness overboard.
Fatherville.com also recommends these Classic Family Movies
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