Things to Watch - 6 Great Movies to Watch With Your Tween (Netflix Streaming)

In six months F will turn 10, a fact that she reminds us of constantly. And every time she says this all I hear is, "Darcy, soon you will be 40." But despite my fear of old age creeping in, I love having an almost-tween in the house. Finally, we can not only watch, but actually ENJOY movies together, especially classics from my own tween-hood.



1. Girls Just Want to Have Fun - Helen Hunt. Sarah Jessica Parker. Shannon Doherty. And a dance competition. Everything about this movie is perfect cheese - an evil dance "villain", romance with a boy on a motorcycle (and he can dance!!!!), the chance to appear live on Dance TV, and most importantly a straight-out-of-the-1980s soundtrack.



2. Ferris Bueller's Day Off - Before turning 13 every child NEEDS (yes, this in an inappropriate use of "needs" but I'm going with it) to see Matthew Broderick sing the Beatles during a parade and learn that there's more to life than high school. "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around every once in awhile, you could miss it."



3. The Prince and Me - The Disney Channel recently made a knock-off of this movie called "Princess Protection Party", starring Demi Lovato. But I'll always vote for Julia Stiles. Plus, I love that she chooses med school over the monarchy and then, of course, finds a true "prince" who wants her to have both.



4. Legally Blond - Because girls can be smart and pretty. Or both. Or neither. It's just important to find the right dog. (FYI - this movie won't be available on Netflix streaming until May 1, so watch some of the other recommendations first). "You got into Harvard law?" "What like it's hard."



5. Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure - This is a stupid movie. I've always thought it was a stupid movie. But my kids can now recognize Abraham Lincoln, so they might as well hear him say "Be excellent to each other. And... PARTY ON, DUDES!"



6. Footloose (the 1984 version) - I'm going back and forth on this one. Common Sense Media recommends it for children 13 and up, but the scenes between Ariel and her dad can be somewhat painful to watch, plus the sex talk and Ariel HANGING OUT OF A CAR. But still, who doesn't love Kevin Bacon as Ren? All he wants to do is dance.