Love Bug and I watched Charlotte’s Web. I remember my mumma reading it to me as a child and absolutely loving it. I remember crying when Charlotte died. I remember watching the 1970s film version and Charlotte being a lovely, friendly critter.

Fast forward to the 2006 version, the one we watched. I’m all for amazing animation, but did Charlotte really have to look so life-like and terrifying. Honestly, it was all I could do to not squirm and cover my eyes when she was on the screen. Because I’m cleansing, I also had no wine to take the arachnophobic edge off. Luckily, Love Bug didn’t seem to notice me cowering in the corner of the couch with the blanket over my face.

She sat snuggled up to me, mesmerised by the characters and the story. She gave forth with her opinion on eating animals and said to me at one point mumma, I am so happy we are vegetarian.

When Charlotte died she said to me that’s very sad mumma but didn’t say anything else. About a minute later I felt her little body shake and when I turned her face to mine she was sobbing. I stopped the movie, pulled her in close and she cried for five full minutes. It was heartbreaking. It was also the first movie to make her cry.

We talked about friendship, death, kindness, sadness, life, happiness and love. Then we watched the rest of the film. Bella, Beary and I each got lots of extra loves before bedtime and over the weekend. Out of nowhere yesterday she said it’s nice to know Wilbur will always have Charlotte in his heart, isn’t it mumma?