O Brother, There Art Thou

I did not watch much of the Academy Awards telecast. In years past, there were times when I was most excited to see the awards show, cheer on my favorite movies and actors, comment on the dresses, & perhaps, be moved by that one perfect acceptance speech-- the kind that was truly sincere & heartfelt where the actor tended to thank his/her mother and/or high school English teacher. This year I just wasn't feeling it. Between questions of the telecast going on at all due to the writers' strike and the fact that I saw so few of the nominated films (only Juno & Atonement), I was not particularly drawn to watching the show although I have great affection for Jon Stewart's humor & hoped that some of his good jokes made their way to YouTube the next day.

I did end up catching a bit of the show late in the telecast. Watching the Coen brothers win one of their multiple Oscars, I suddenly had a moment. I don't know much about Ethan & Joel Coen. I've seen a few of their movies over the years, understand why P is particular to Raising Arizona, enjoy the O Brother.. soundtrack, & know that one is married to Frances McDormand, which makes me think he is cool because it is clear that she is exceptionally cool. When I saw the writer-director duo get up & walk to the stage together, I thought, "Wow~ they're brothers."

Now this epiphany certainly is not earth-shattering given that they often are referred to as the Coen brothers, but seeing them up on stage together made me think how unique & wonderful it is that these siblings are a team. They work together & they are really good at it. Sure, I know nothing of their dynamic, but I have to believe that they like one another, at least enough to keep at it.

It made me flash-forward to thinking of my boys as grown men. Will they like each other enough that they could work together? Would they even want to? It's not that I aspire for them to become film directors (although I may have once had dreams of making socially-conscious, relevant & inspiring documentaries). I certainly don't wish great fame & fortune upon them --think creepy Olsen twins. I just had a flash of what it might feel like to be the Coens' parents & how proud they might feel to see that their sons are good at their work, but even more-- they are good at it while working with one another.

I want my sons to be individuals. P & I purposely chose names for all three of our guys that were distinct & certainly didn't want anything alliterative or rhyming for the twins. We dress them differently & try to be attuned to their individual needs & wants. As they grow older & get in to school & out-of-school activities, we are most open to them pursuing their own interests & will support them doing 'their own thing.' However, I did get a warm, gooey feeling this weekend when C came out of his bedroom after lights out looking for his brother who was hanging for a bit in our bed. "Where's S? I can't sleep without S in the room with me."

Yes, I want the boys to be individually strong & independent. However, I do hope when they grow up, they like each other. And when they see each other daily or monthly, or maybe even just annually, they all feel with a degree of excitement/ happiness: "Oh, my brother, there art thou!" (OK, maybe not in those words).