The FREE summer movies at the Rave Cinema at the Promenade Shops gets this Mom's seal of approval. They are a great way to test the waters of "is my son/daughter old enough to sit through a full movie?"

My personally tested approach, as a parent of two little people of two different ages and movie-watching attention spans, is to pair up with another caregiver with kids of approximately the same ages as mine. That way, when the younger child decides he has had enough of the film, say 20 minutes before the movie is over, and the older one assures you that his soul will be eternally wounded if you make him leave the theater, both kids can be appeased. One parent stays in the theater with the big kids, the other takes the little ones out to run around in the fountains. Problem solved. 

The bonus is no one looks at you strangely at all for packing beach towels for the free summer movies.

Once you have successfully made it through a few of these, the $3 matinee at the Emmaus Theatre is the next parental step in re-entering the cinema-going populace.

Movies start June 19 and run through August 15. All shows start at 10 a.m. Doors open at 9:30 a.m.

Don't forget to print out the coupon for discounted treats for your posse!

See you there.

June 19 and 20 Cats and Dogs: the Revenge of Kitty Galore

June 26 and 27 Legend of the Guardian

July 3 and 4 Yogi Bear

July 10 and 11 Happy Feet 2

July 17 and 18 Journey 2: The Mysterious Island

July 24 and 25 Dolphin Tale

July 31 and August 1 Shorts

August 7 and 8 Inkheart

August 14 and 15 Happy Feet