Wonder is now on Netflix: Revisit this heartwarming family film today

Wonder directed by Stephen Chbosky and released by Lionsgate in 2017 is a beloved family movie based on the 2012 book written by R.J. Palacio, which itself is based on the true life story of August "Auggie" Pullman and his family. This movie stars Julia Roberts as the Mom Isabel, Owen Wilson as Nate, and Auggie is played by Jacob Trembley. 

As a parent, I absolutely adore this story. Auggie is a 10-year-old who was born with facial deformities and has had 27 surgeries in his short life. He has been homeschooled and starting in 5th grade attends a school for the first time.

 I should note that up to this point, Auggie wears an adorable astronaut helmet when he is in public. We all know of the cute obsession with kids wearing capes, fairy wings, hats, and other fun costumes when they are little. But, Auggie wears his helmet because he doesn't like the stares and comments from people when he is out in public. 

As the first few weeks of school go by Auggie befriends a boy named Jack. All is not well in their friendship and Auggie overhears Jack saying something horrible about Auggie to some bullies. This part of the movie I empathize with so much. Seeing your kids go through the ups and sometimes downs of friendships is so difficult. There is only so much you can do to protect them, and when kids are mean to your child it's out of your hands. You can love your child, talk to them, and encourage them but ultimately you can't fix it for them. 

I really felt that throughout watching Wonder. The parents, Nate and Isabel did everything they could to build Auggie up. Make him feel proud of who he is, they wanted him to experience all of the best parts of life. The hard parts of life come with all of that as well and watching him suffer through those after he already went through so much in his life was hard to see. 

There is also an interesting side story in Wonder with Auggie's sister Via. Being the older sister to a very medically fragile sibling is a tough load to bear. Via being a teenager throws a whole other challenge into things. She also deals with strained friendships and a love interest. But, most importantly she deals with the responsibility and strain of being Auggie's older sister. 

The parents struggle at times to be the parent that Auggie needs with his difficult hardships and the parents that Via needs as an equally important but less demanding member of their family. I know I have struggled with these same things as a parent. I have three kids, and at different times one has needed my time and attention more than the other two. Balancing the needs of one child over the other sometimes leaves parents (and the kids) lacking in another area. Wonder does a great job showing these struggles.

I enjoyed that aspect of the movie. Not only seeing the obvious struggles of Auggie being new in school, which is a stressful situation for any child, but I also appreciated that the story pointed out that Auggie and his medical struggles impact his sister and their parents. 

My kids resonated with the story of friendships, bullies, standing up for people who matter, and even seeing characters struggle with doing the right thing. Sometimes standing up and doing the right thing takes courage someone doesn't have at the time. Dealing with that guilt and seeing the eventual growth so that they can do the right thing was encouraging. It allowed for some great, quality conversations with my kids about these topics. 

If it's been a while since you've seen the movie Wonder, I am happy to report that the movie ends in a heartwarming way. We can all walk away feeling positive and happy for Auggie, his family and friends! Wonder is new to Netflix this month and ready to enchant everyone with the strength and spirit of a boy and his family finding their way in life with love and a little wonder.