On Connecting Generations (Plus, Penguins of Madagascar Giveaway)

When My Blog Spark asked me to try Trix & check out the new Penguins of Madagascar DVD, my girls were very excited! The penguins hold a very special place in our hearts.

When the original Madagascar movie was in theaters, my mom & sisters were out of town. I was planning a visit for the day they returned, but my mom suggested I go early to spend time with Dad. Um, okay—and do what? He works a lot, and we don’t always have a lot in common. Always the good daughter, I called to invite ourselves down for the weekend. He asked if we could arrive in time to take the girls to see a movie.

Little did I know, he had already seen Madagascar. (Yes, they go to kids’ movies alone all the time.) Watching a movie with my dad that he has already seen is usually so annoying. He’s constantly watching you to see if you’re laughing in the right spots, and he’ll point out things that are happening right before you get to see it. But, his laughter is often contagious, and there was plenty of it for this movie!

Every time the penguins appeared on screen, he would start snickering. Even before they did or said anything funny, my dad was cracking up! My girls couldn’t stop laughing at how much their grandpa was laughing. When the movie came out on DVD, it was exactly what they wanted to get him for Christmas that year. And, when the sequel came out, they called him right away to go see it together.

Finding ways to connect the generations is so important for building a solid relationship. It’s the reason I became a sports fan—I needed something to talk to my dad about when I called home from college. (You know, other than the classes I was sleeping through & the homework I wasn’t getting done.) It’s also the original reason for my Twilight addiction—my little sister was into them & I got caught up in taking her to Breaking Dawn’s midnight release.

I do the same thing with my girls—I don’t wear Silly Bandz because I think they look cool. I don’t read the Clique series because it’s quality literature. And, I don’t watch iCarly because it’s riveting television. (Well, okay, that one’s really good even without the girls!) I just want to find ways to connect on their level.

Now that the penguins have their very own show, we’re thrilled to have a new way to share one of our favorites with my dad! He wasn’t quite sure what to think when Lorelai gave him Silly Bandz last week—this is more his style. And, General Mills has paired one of our favorite cereals (Trix—yum!) with the Penguins of Madagascar. Each box of cereal contains one of the 5 penguins & includes a list of missions for your kids to complete with their new character launchers.

I’m not sure Dad get too excited about launching penguins into a bowl of cereal, but the girls can’t wait to visit with the DVD that came in our gift pack. And, you have the chance to win one of your own! Simply leave a comment here, and share your story—how do you connect with other generations? You can earn additional entries by:

• Subscribing to our site by email or RSS
• Following Miscellaneous Mom on Twitter
• Writing about this giveaway (blog, forum, public Facebook note)
• Tweeting about this giveaway: Win a Penguins of Madagascar prize pack from @MiscMom! http://bit.ly/cuCKe5

For your extra entries to be counted, be sure to leave an additional comment directing us to your entry. Only one additional entry per method (i.e. While multiple tweets are appreciated it, only one will count as a drawing entry.) The contest runs until 9/2/10 at 11:59pm est. One winner will be notified by email on 9/3/10 and receive a Penguins of Madagascar prize pack. Winner will have 48 hours to complete the claim form or a new winner will be chosen.

I was provided with a free Penguins of Madagascar gift pack (including a box of Trix, DVD and 3 penguin launchers) to facilitate this post, but the opinion is 100% real.