A Thousand and One is an inspirational story about determined mother and her son. The movie shows the journey of how these Inez figures out how to navigate life with the odds stacked against her. Here's what I took away from the movie.
1. We should all strive for her kind of compassion
**Spoiler Alert** if you haven't watched the movie, Inez (Teyana Taylor) latches on to an abandon toddler to raise him as her own. Seeing him on the street corner she couldn't fathom leaving him for the world to raise, so she took it into her own hands to provide a better life for him eventhough she hadn't experienced a better life of her own. What a selfless and caring act, I can't help but to think about all the amazing people who foster and adopt kids to give them a better chance in life.
2. We can't minimize how much a son needs a good father!
In an emotional conversation,Terry mentioned that the only thing he wanted "more than a mother was a father". Lucky was a father figure to him until his early death leaving him with small lessons that Terry could implement into is life as he grew into manhood. Lessons like how to approach a woman you like or how standing on outer end of the sidewalk is a gesture that shows protection. But beyond the lessons, Lucky allowed himself to be vunerable by sharing his experiences and building a connection. His statement showed that no matter how great a mother may be, he still yearned for the companionship of a father so we must not minimize the role one has in a sons life.
3. We must take the time to get to know our kids and spend time with them
One of my favorite scenes in the movie is when Inez and her son play baseball in the street. Tired from work, Inez still found the time to connect with her son. She shows other moments of this by asking him what toys he likes to play with and giving him tough love as she guided him to a better school. She didn't just say she loved and cared, but took an interest in the things he was interested in. This is something to take note of in a world of technology, to not be so distracted that we miss out on connecting with our kids.