The Avengers al fresco.

When we realized that there was a possibility of returning to Southern California, we both independently looked up a drive-in we frequented. We were pleasantly surprised to find out that it was not only still open, there was another drive-in a short distance away. Taking SS to a drive-on was on our bucket list and, we were looking forward to the experience. P decided to take our super hero obsessed daughter to see The Aveng*rs. Based on the previews, it seemed way too violent for SS, but I guess that is to be expected when an evil force is trying to destroy your planet.

Explaining the drive-in concept to SS proved to be quite interesting. Although we could show her pictures, it somehow baffled her that it was outdoors. I reminded her that it was like when we watched the movies at the park, very glad that SS had that experience to extrapolate from. Except that we had mentioned that we would be in the van while watching the movie.  For some reason that piece of information cooked her noodle, and she grilled me all day about her concerns. At times SS would give me that "I'm not buying this, but going along because there's something in it for me" look. Plus, there's was the promise of pepperoni pizza and popcorn. SS is very much our daughter, perfectly willing to sell out her deeply held convictions for the right price.

When we purchased the van I wanted a small SUV, probably a S@nta Fe, but P would not budge, he had decided on the van and would not compromise. Funny, since I was the one saddled with the payments. P did have a good point about the safety rating and air side air bags. Space was on my list of desirable qualities, but we could get that from a Suburban or Tahoe, and I would not be stuck with a Mom mobile. I eventually conceded defeat, and must admit that my albatross has come in handy a few times. We were able to get a full size air mattress in the back, and did not even have to remove SS's seat. The back seats fold into the floor, while the middle seats are removable.

One thing we should have kept in mind was how much of the movie was shot at night or in dark conditions. In this movie that was a lot, and made it difficult for SS to see. I usually familiarize myself with a movie before allowing SS access, just to be aware of any possible triggers to her fears. I erroneously thought the super hero department was P's domain. It turns out that in SS's mind, The Avengers would appear on screen immediately, and she would spend two hours feasting on her violent, yet to her benevolent friends. We learned that SS is not very patient with plot and character development, five year olds do not give a rat's a$$. SS was whining that she wanted to see her super heroes, especially C@ptain America.  Then although she had only had milk and water prior to the movie (as in no sugar laden drinks), she was all over the place, like a tiny meth head. We have never had a problem with SS's behavior in a theater, her attention span is actually creepy.

When SS was finally rewarded with a glimpse of her super heroes, almost at the end of the movie; it was worth all the annoyance endured. Her face lit up, she screamed, she cheered, she applauded, she gushed, she made Kung Fu moves. And although it seems that SS has a weakness for blonde/blue, her  
most ardent adulation was for... ready? SS LOVED Hulk, totally into him. Can't wait to see what kind of dates she's going to bring home.

The drive-in usually has double features, but due to the popularity of this movie, it was shown on its own.   P and I knew darn well what a mess it would be to exit, but we had food, drink, entertainment (people, especially drunk people, are good entertainment), and we were going to wait until the mad dash was over. Don't know if it was the anticipation, the setting, overall noise, but SS had a major meltdown.  The place was a traffic mess, but somehow I ended up driving through the middle, not the actual marked lanes, and made it out in surprisingly record time.  Nothing like having Mount SS erupting in your backseat to make you daring.

SS calmed down during the drive home, but fell apart once we arrived home, even getting in some kicks and punches at P.  A big NO NO around here, never acceptable, regardless of SS's issues. I could not console her, and neither could P. We let her cry it out, and wow, our girl has some serious stamina. Once she had the kicking and screaming out of her system I held her until exhaustion took over.  I was really upset that I could not get her to talk to us, to even use one word to give us a clue as to how she felt. When we talked this morning, SS said "there was traffic." We have no idea if that
was in any way the reason. Still, SS said she enjoyed herself and really liked sitting in the back of the van. That's all that matters now.

Who's the guy with the arrows? And why wasn't Green L@ntern in that movie? 

They just had to have popcorn, otherwise it's not really watching a movie.