Life Imitates Art

Or is it the other way around?  Because of my grandchildren, I have the joy of reliving some of the things I shared with my own children.  When my kids were younger, Disney started producing some great movies like "The Lion King" and "Beauty and the Beast".  These were movies that rivaled some of the ones that I grew up with like "Snow White", "Cinderella", and "Sleeping Beauty".  I just watched "The Little Mermaid" with Max and loved singing and dancing with her.  I can remember "Calvin" performing the entire movie beginning to end. He played all the characters in various voices and sang all of the songs in fast forward completing it in under 30 minutes.  It was amazing! 

And, maybe for the first time, I really listened to the story being told.  It is classic.  Daughter wants what she wants in spite of the parent setting limits and saying no.  Daughter does what she wants, never thinking of anything but what she wants.  She doesn't consider the consequences of her actions to herself and her family.  Oh Boy!  How many times has that story played out?  It makes me think about how often I have given advice or had to say no because it was "for their own good".  The odds have definitely been in my favor for being right.  I wish I could play the lottery with as much consistency as I attempt to direct my kids.  I suppose my parents would tell you that I was not much different.

Another classic kid action - hanging out with the wrong crowd.  "Ariel" strikes a deal with the "Ursula, the Sea Witch".  What a surprise!  She isn't really interested in helping "Ariel". She doesn't want to be her friend.  She has ulterior motives.  It never goes well under those circumstances does it?

The story of true love comes last.  This is the part where you really wish that life imitated art.  Wouldn't it be amazing?  You wish for that happily ever after for your children and try to guide them to finding that.  If only they would cooperate! 

I am pretty sure if I went around singing songs to them about life, like they do on TV and in the movies, my kids would have had me committed to the home years ago!  They hold that threat over me every day in an attempt to keep me on their side.  I always love applying fantasy to life and watching movies and fitting it into the world I live in. However, I am a little concerned at this point. I either need to give Hans Christian Andersen credit for being the smartest man in the world, or accept that Walt Disney lived in our house without my knowledge and stole our lives, making us a cartoon version of the first reality television shows.  And I bet right now, you have some song from "The Little Mermaid" spinning around in your head now that I have planted the seed.  Go ahead.  Sing!  If they try to put you in the home, ask for a judge who is a parent and about your age.  They will understand!