Let It Go. Frozen. Olaf.
These words blew up my Facebook feed on Tuesday when Frozen was released.
Some parents were pumped and had Frozen watching parties that night. Others were just plain sick of hearing their kids sing “Let It Go” or they just have fun singing along with the soundtrack that can be heard in the background of their mini-van.
Me on the other hand? I must make a confession. I HAVE NOT SEEN FROZEN….and neither have my kids. *gasp!* ENTER MOMMY-GUILT.
- NOTE: I am not “anti-Disney”. (Ask my husband… I love Disney the same as the next and CAN.NOT.WAIT. for the first time my kids get to experience the fun and magic of DisneyWorld/Land.)
- NOTE: I am not “anti-Frozen” or against the “Let It Go” Song… And I do appreciate the different viewpoints on the message of the song.
The plain truth is that….life happened.
There have been other priorities. And well…we just didn’t make it to the movies. Yet I still feel like I am cheating my daughter out of a childhood experience and I haven’t been a good Mom.
Is this a lie? Most definitely.
Do I still have an inner battle? Sure.
Whenever I feel this way, I try to pull out some life lessons….so here they are:
1. Life is about experiences — not things.
If my daughter never owns Frozen, it is not going to ruin her. We lived overseas and there were plenty of times that I had no idea what the most popular music, TV show, or movie was in the States. Did I feel a little out of it at times? Yes. But did it make my life worse? Of course not.
Being isolated from the things of pop culture shows you that while you may be out of the loop, you aren’t missing out on life. There are other experiences to be had and other things to see. (Now did we still watch Netflix and use Pandora? Of course we did and I have no shame! 🙂 ….And sure, we will probably get a copy of Frozen eventually.)
2. Stop feeling guilty and just be Mom.
I hate mommy-guilt. I dislike comparing. And I love the uniqueness that each person brings into the parenting world. These are things that I constantly remind myself of. If I am worried about being the same as “so-and-so’s mom”, then I am not being the best mom I can be to my two kids.
Each family is different. Priorities and circumstances change, but in the end I will be the one and only Mom to my kids. Why not focus on being the best I can be for them?!
3. Simplicity is nice.
Consumerism plagues us. We are all guilty. Our family chose not to get cable mainly, because we can get almost anything we would like to watch via streaming. We love the Disney Jr and PBS apps for the kids. It’s great. It’s convenient. And it’s on demand. And the best thing of all — there are no commercials. I love it.
I never hear my daughter say “I neeeeeed to get Frozen”, “I want all the Disney Princess Pets” or “We have to get…”, etc. I am grateful that we can enjoy the things we have and relish the fun times when someone generously gives a present and have no worries whatsoever that there will be disappointment because it wasn’t the latest toy seen on TV. Simplicity — I highly recommend it.
4. The Frozen Obsession isn’t just in America…and it’s adorable.
Finally, my brother’s girlfriend (who lives in Colombia…South America) sent me a video of her niece singing “Libertad” (Let It Go in Spanish). Obviously, the soundtrack isn’t only on repeat in the rooms of little American girls — it’s International. BTW, I love when little kids sing. It melts my heart at their sweet innocence and bold confidence!
(Double click to play.)
So when it comes down to it, Tuesday night I had to look at my Facebook feed and realize the Frozen Frenzy was bringing some families together and instilling sweet innocent joy to all the little singing Princesses out there. And I had no reason to feel guilty that I didn’t rush out to Target to buy the DVD. Yes, I would have loved to have a whole day dedicated to family, fun, and Frozen, but it just wasn’t in the cards for us this week…and I am okay with that….and I have let it go.
