Hi, I’m Heather and Disney+ changed my life. [Hi Heather.]
First, Peppa Pig no longer rules the roost. The timing was right too as we were all beginning to develop British accents which, while entertaining, to say the least, was becoming hard to explain to my four-year-old why we say “toe-may-toe” and they say “toe-mah-toe.” Cue me breaking into song in the produce section of the grocery store (or “market” if you live in a yellow house on a hill and love jumping up and down in muddy puddles).
Second, the big box of nostalgia (ah-hem 50ish VHS tapes) that my parents so kindly passed down to me no longer occupy coveted space for my daughter’s art (next post dropping soon: How to Throw Out Your Child’s “Art” and Not Feel Guilty). The novelty of going through my favorite childhood movies was quickly outweighed by her art collection working its way into other rooms. Plus, what was Cinderella II doing in there? Did there really need to be a sequel? Don’t you live happily ever and that’s it? I digress. Yes, it was super fun using a VHS player to remind me I’m aging quickly, but it was more fun packing up the box of unrewound videotapes (Blockbuster is rolling in its grave) for my parents to rehome!
For real though, there’s always been something magical about Disney. Now, the magic – to make my daughter stop talking for two minutes – is at our fingertips. I get to experience her watching movies for the first time that I once watched for the first time. If you really want to have an Inception moment, picture me, my daughter and my stepmom watching the 2019 Lion King just like I did with my stepmom 25 years prior. That’ll mess with your subconscious!
Seeing the awe in my daughter’s eyes that I know I once had for the same classics like Sleeping Beauty, Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Jungle Book and Peter Pan made something click: my parents created memories with me around Disney movies that truly will last me a lifetime because I’m now creating them with my daughter. The memories are exponentially multiplying! It’s like when Gremlins (warning: not a Disney movie) get wet. Memories everywhere!
Popcorn-and-a-movie night now feels like some sort of passing of the torch. I have a responsibility to educate my daughter – albeit on pop culture history with questionable plot lines and unfavorable female stereotypes – so she can pass down the same love for movie night that I grew up with and create memories all her own. I also have a new perspective on how my parents felt when a new Disney movie was released and why they were so excited to take me to the movie theater opening week. It wasn’t for me. It was for them. To see me. I believe Dory (quick, which Disney movie is she from?) said it best, “When I look at you, I can feel it. And I look at you and I’m home.”
If I was an influencer, here’s where I’d mention my special code to buy Disney+. But I’m not. I’m just a mom telling all you parents out there that, with Disney+, a whole new world awaits you…
You’re Welcome!
