Have you ever had something that you love to hate? Or, better yet, that you love to hate to love?

Yeah, well for me that’s Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.

You can not deny that there are a lot of things to hate about that movie. Go ahead and try to tell yourself that you enjoy the eternity that it takes Charlie to find the golden ticket, or the four grandparents playing Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice (if you’re younger than 40, your punishment is to Google that). Or, worst of all, Gene Wilder’s manic singing during the boat ride to Psychedelia.

Yes, I just made Psychedelia a place. It’s probably a lot like Detroit.

But, have you ever really watched Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory? Have you grasped the lessons of generosity, honesty and kindness that it blatantly teaches us? Don’t be greedy, don’t be rude, don’t be a glutton and stay away from creepy men who whisper sweet nothings in your ear. You could get through your entire life armed with that information alone.

Despite the fact that I knew I would be singing, “I’ve got a golden ticket…” for a good week, we sat down with the kids the other day to watch this movie.

Throughout, we openly discussed the mistakes and bad behavior of the children. We talked about the importance of following your heart, listening to your gut and which 70’s fashion to stay far, far away from.

When it was over, my husband turned to our son and asked, “What did you learn from that movie?”

My boy looked up at his dad, thought for a second then said, “Ummm…well, I guess that I learned the Oompa Loompa song.’

At least we have that going for us.

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