"Mom 30 Years Later" Photo Credit: Kaylene J
Back in January, a concept was born. Our very own NDM#203, Kaylene, felt that writing a parenting column for The Disney Driven Life would be an incredible way to express how Disney influences the lessons that she teaches her children. She conceived the idea of singling out a quote from a Disney movie as the inspiration for the posts she envisioned, but she didn’t stop there.
Copyright: Disney
When I was a young girl growing up in Havana, I often overheard my parents talking about leaving the country. These conversations were conducted in low hushed tones. The words coming out of their mouths were barely whispered. Most of our relatives resided in the United States while my parents had remained in Cuba after the Revolution. We were not allowed to leave the country, not even when my paternal grandmother died in Chicago. At the time, leaving the Communist island-nation was almost impossible. It wasn’t until I was fifteen-years-old that I was able to immigrate to the United States. After that, it would take several more years before my parents and I would be reunited again. My parents’ dream of seeing the entire family together again didn’t become a reality until I was a young adult. But they never gave up on their dream and neither did I. Growing up in Cuba wasn’t easy. I used to escape the harsh realities of daily life through avid reading. Greek mythology was by far my favorite genre during those early years. I was thoroughly acquainted with the tale of King Midas’ golden touch, the story of Pegasus the flying horse, the amazing feats of mighty Hercules, and Odysseus’ fantastic and thrilling adventures.
It’s a fact of life. Every single person has a story: where they came from, where they’ve been and where they’re going. What people have endured over time is their biggest story. We have all been dealt a bad hand; it has not been any different for me. My own personal mantra, “Just Keep Swimming,” has gotten me through some really tough, sad times in my life. This is the exact quote from Disney’s Finding Nemo:
Dory: Hey there, Mr. Grumpy Gills. When life gets you down do you wanna know what you’ve gotta do?
Marlin: No I don’t wanna know.
Dory: [singing] Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming. What do we do? We swim, swim.
I consider myself an optimistic realist when it comes to parenting. I admittedly set the bar high for my five children. I believe kids will strive to attain whatever goals you set for them. In other words, if I expect very little, that’s exactly what I’ll get. If I tell them to shoot for the moon, they may miss… but they’ll still land amongst the stars. I’m not talking about expecting straight A’s and perfection. I’m referring to the really important things… like honesty, integrity, and treating others the way you want to be treated. I believe you get what you give. If children live with honesty, acceptance, encouragement, and love… they learn to be truthful, confident, kind-hearted people. This is my optimistic side.
Photo Credit: Jeff Christiansen
Chances are, you’ve watched many Disney movies and have found countless lines that you not only relate to but also apply to your role as a parent. Other lines become a mantra which you may envision as an ideal way in which to live your life. “Hakuna Matata” comes to mind. Disney movies are known for these pearls of wisdom… little gems that, if applied, can become “Family Values.” That’s precisely what this column will become: a place where we’ll share lines that have touched our hearts in one way or another. My hope is that we can show how Disney weaves fantastic life lessons into their movies and how we, as parents, strive to raise our children to live and learn by these lessons.