My Girl

    In the Movie My Girl, Vada deals with loss of her best friend, Thomas J. Thomas J had died after being stung by bees when he was finding the ring that Vada had lost the last time they were there. After the death of her best friend, Vada goes through the stages grief by first being surprised, then denial and finally at the end of the film, acceptance and moving on. The death of her best friend really affected Vada especially since her mom had died giving birth to her and Thomas J was her only friend at the time. I personally think Vada was quite good at dealing with the loss of her best friend for someone her age, but I would suggest her to be more open to help. After Shelly had told Vada about the funeral held for Thomas J, Vada had still been in denial of help, but when the funeral was in process, Vada had slowly descended down the stairs. Vada's situation wasn't made any easier by her father ignoring her. I think Vada's turning point was when her father came to her bed at night and explained to her that her mother's death was her fault. This has allowed Vada finally overcome her grief and to "live again"

    In this movie, I think Thomas J and Vada really balanced each other and used their relationship to be more resilient. While Thomas J is really happy with life and have a good family relationship, Vada has a lot of family issues to work out and she is always “running away”. They help each other balance mentally and emotionally. While Vada is really brave and daring, Thomas J is more timid.