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Discussion Packet

Boss Baby 2: Family Business – Discussion Guide

Discussion Guide:

  1. Would you rather live with Tim Templeton or Ted Templeton? Why?
    Caregiver Note: This question is simply a way for you to begin a light conversation with your child and listen to what they like or dislike. Tim Templeton valued creativity, relationships, and imagination, while Ted Templeton seems to value goals and productivity. It might be interesting to see which brother your child would enjoy living with and hearing their reasons. If they would like to live with Ted because he seems to be very wealthy, then it would be interesting for parents to discuss the work ethic Ted has to get the level of success he has attained. 
  2. What was positive about the yellow acorn classroom? What were the negatives?
    Caregiver Note: This is a light question that is setting the stage to discuss heavier topics. The yellow classroom was portrayed as containing younger children or children who were not academically the brightest in the school. It could be easy to simply state that it is “bad” to be in this classroom but the movie showed us that the students in this classroom had strengths which helped to problem solve various situations. It would be interesting for parents to discuss these positives and negatives with their child to learn how children see the positives and negatives of people in general. 
  3. What were the positives about the blue acorn classroom? What were the negatives?
    Caregiver Note: This question will have similar reasoning as number two above. The blue classroom was portrayed having the elite academic minds. It would be simple to say that these are the “best” children. It would be interesting for parents to begin a conversation that while the students were smart that there were also negatives to being equated with this room including severe bullying.
  4. Why do you think Nathan and other kids bullied Tabitha when she is in the smartest class?
    Caregiver Note: Bullying is something that can often happen to children from traumatic backgrounds as other children may use their background and situation as a way to ridicule them. Our children might not want to talk about this situation and suffer in silence. This question allows parents to simply begin a conversation about the characters in the movie. We don’t necessarily want to talk about our child and their school at the moment. Talking about the characters in the movie is a safe and neutral ground which might lead to ideas and statements about what your child sees at their school. Be a good listener and ask questions about bullying as it pertained to the movie here.
  5. Do kids get bullied at your school? What do you think that looks like?
    Caregiver Note: The previous question was focusing attention on the characters of the movie. Now we want to slowly shift the focus from the movie to the real world. Again, we are not focusing on our child but asking about the school population in general. This is less neutral ground but should still feel safer for your child than talking about themselves. As you are being a good and active listener you might find that your child begins to share about their own experiences.
  6. Do you feel like Tabitha at school sometimes? Tabitha talked with her dad about her bullying problem. Who are safe people you can talk to?
    Caregiver Note: During this question we are finally coming around to talking with your child about any issues they might be having at school. You might be delighted to find that they do not deal with this issue. However, if you are discovering that they are dealing with bullying, be sure to feel out the situation as this could be difficult for your child to talk about. They may feel extreme fear, guilt, and shame about the whole situation. Pointing out that Tabitha spoke with her dad about the situation is important as it shows that it is normal for people being bullied to seek out safe people to help them. If you do uncover that your child is being bullied, we suggest that you involve the appropriate professionals to help your family through this situation.
  7. What would the world look like if there were no parents?
    Caregiver Note: Children in general might be quick to think that having no parents in the world would lead to more freedom and opportunities for them to do all the things they like all of the time. For children from traumatic backgrounds it could be that they feel that having no adults in the world would equate to no child abuse or eliminating other hurts. It can be a good exercise to discuss the consequences of having no caregivers. This can help children to see that safe and caring adults are important to have in our lives so that we can be successful.
  8. Tina said that parents give unconditional love. What do you think “unconditional love,” means?
    Caregiver Note: This phrase might simply be wording that your child is not familiar with. It would be good for them to understand this so that you can have deeper conversations. It is also important to note that since the character of Tina expresses that parents are important because of unconditional love, your child may have a rough time reconciling this since they do not live with their birth family. While we don’t suggest that you have to do all of our discussion questions at one time, it might be a good idea to follow up this question with the next.
  9. What does “family” mean? Who can be in your family? Does it have to look like the Templetons’ family?
    Caregiver Note: Boss Baby 2 simply doesn’t represent the makeup structure of foster and adoptive families. It would be healthy for your child for you to discuss the idea of family with them so they can know that it is normal for families to look different than those portrayed in this film. “Normalcy” is something that children in general want but it can be difficult for our children to experience this when they often silently feel that everyone knows they are from the foster care system or were adopted.
  10. Tim thought kids shouldn’t grow up too fast. How do you know if you’re growing up too fast? What is the job of a kid your age?
    Caregiver Note: Children from traumatic backgrounds have often been put in situations that have dictated them to take on adult roles. It is helpful to discuss with them the role of a child their age. It can be interesting for you, the parent, to point out times in the movie where characters were acting out in adult roles even though they were children. Also, it can be useful to point out when children in the movie were acting out their role and allowing adults to care for them. This can be a good discussion to help you all discuss the healthy roles of a child and how that plays out in your home.

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Transfiguring Adoption is a nonprofit organization seeking to nurture growth in foster and adoptive families by giving a HOOT about their families. Transfiguring Adoption does not intend for its reviewers nor its reviews to be professional, medical or legal advice. These reviews and discussion guides are intended to help parents to better be able to connect and understand their children who come from traumatic backgrounds.

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