The One About Glitter, Dreams, and the Little Mermaid
We were doing something that we’ve done dozens of times - Alexis and I were cuddled up on the couch watching The Little Mermaid. It is and has always been her favorite Disney movie, but for some reason, we hadn’t watched it together in probably a year or so.
Still, I should have figured it out sooner.
As Alexis focused on the action happening on the screen, occasionally reciting lines of the movie along with the characters, I sat focused on Alexis. She is the kid who has never met a shiny thing she didn’t want to own. She marvels at the world every time she turns a corner. She walks through life swishing her tail and singing a song. She has her own voice, her own way of viewing the world, and she’s going to follow her heart no matter what anybody says.
Sound familiar?
I should have realized it years ago. After all, the writing was on the GIANT MIRRORED WALL.
Ariel. Ariel is and has always been Alexis’ favorite Disney Princess. Ariel. Alexis. Ariel = Alexis.
Is there a correlation between your favorite Disney Princess and your personality? I can’t say for sure, but at least in the case of Alexis, HOOBOY, IS THERE EVER.
(An aside, my favorite Disney Princess is Jasmine. You know, the stubborn, independent cat lover. Ummm … yeah.)
There is one glaring difference between The Little Mermaid and Alexis’ life, however. While King Triton was busy trying to force Ariel to live her life the way he wanted her to live it, I’m all FOLLOW THAT PATH, GIRL! I don’t need Alexis to run away and give her voice to an evil sea witch for me to figure out that she’s a very different person from me. Her happiness is dependent on her finding her voice and following her dreams.
Alexis and I may never agree on the value of sparkly things, the importance of pompoms, or the joy to be found in singing a song all day long, but she knows I love her all the same. Glitter and all.
The Little Mermaid will be available for the first time on Blu-ray Combo Pack and HD Digital October 1st. To celebrate, Disney and BlogHer are offering you a chance to win $50 Visa Gift Card and a Little Mermaid Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack. To enter to win, just tell me in the comments below: How do you encourage your children to follow their dreams?
Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: ""#SweepstakesEntry""; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post"
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/9/13 - 10/15/13.
Be sure to visit the Disney's Little Mermaid page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
Monday, September 9, 2013
Reader Comments (176)
We encouraged our daughter and let her know there was nothing she couldn't do if she was determined enough.
I let her know I support anything she decides. She knows anything worth wanting is worth fighting for.
My daughter love dinosaurs and dragons. She wants to be a paleontologist when she 'grows up.' I encourage her as much as possible. We recently brought her to dinosaur world and she now pretends to be the guide who educated us on the tour. Whenever she is discouraged about school work I remind her that if she cannot read or preform math then she will not be able to account for new species or measure bones!
I tell my kids they can do anything they put their minds to tanya2330@gmail.com
I try to be very supportive
Unlike my parents, I let my daughter chose her interests and help her follow those dreams. She gets involved in different events and groups.
https://twitter.com/smilekisses/status/388886498092662784
I always tell my kids they can be whatever they want to be, even a doctor, astronaut, lawyer all in one
tweet https://twitter.com/hburmeister/status/388934858929471488
I like to get them out to experience art, music and history to expand their view beyond a computer screen.
i encourage my daughter that she can be anything she wants to
I encourage them to give everything a try once and if they like it then we stick with it and try to help them reach their goal or dream.
I encourage him by providing him with a variety of opportunities and letting him try things :)
We encourage our children everyday and by always staying positive!
I've always told my daughter that she was such a good story-teller and encouraged her to write. Now that she's an adult she has several short stories and a novella published. She may not be making enough money to pay off her student loans, but she's getting there.
Your daughter is absolutely adorable!
I encourage my little great-niece by playing along with her imagination. She love to dress up like a princess every day. She wants to be one when she grows up! I help her dress up and play with her and let her know that anything is possible if we work hard enough.
zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com
Tweet: https://twitter.com/Zuzuz_Petalz/status/389494258740117504
zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com
I encourage my children by letting them know that every person is different with their interests and abilities. As long as they are happy and productive it doesn’t make a difference what they choose.
I tell my children that they can do anything they want to do, and that I will always support them.
I've always been a cheerleader for my child and supported her in her endeavors.
I encourage the to find the courage to persue their dreams.
by looking up whatever they're interested in this week
My daughter's favorite movie!
I encourage my grandkids by giving them unconditional love and by supporting them in whatever they do.
I make sure both my kids know that we support them in life, no matter what, they will always have cheerleaders from me and my husband.
we hope that by homeschooling our kids, they will be more encouraged to follow their own dreams pryfamily5@gmail.com
tweeted https://twitter.com/pryfamily5/status/389821070561128448 pryfamily5@gmail.com
I encourage my children to follow their dreams by supporting them in all their in school and after school activities and helping suggest new activities to inspire them.
lisalmg25 at gmail dot com
I Tweeted: https://twitter.com/lisalmg/status/389837766558625792
Listening and encouragement!
I encourage my sons to follow their dreams by praising their efforts and always being there for guidance when they need it. I also like to remind them of all the things they already accomplished and the work it took to get there :)
crystalmethod54751@gmail.com
Although I may not always agree with the choices my children make, I support them completely and they know they can always have me in their corner!
To encourage my son I tell him he can do anything he puts his mind and heart too.
https://twitter.com/AliciaJennette/status/389925479303507968
We're just supportive and tell them that they can do anything they put their minds to.
I encourage my daughter to follow her dreams by cheering her on, no matter what it is that she is doing or how well she is doing it .
https://twitter.com/susan1215/status/389949856560582656
by lovingly supporting them!
by lovingly supporting them!
I tell my nephew he is smart and can do anything he wants.
I tell them to never give up no matter how tough it gets, and that I will always be there.
I currently have no children, although I very much hope that we will be blessed soon. In the mean time, I'm in school to become a teacher and plan to encourage my students to follow their dreams... I will encourage them to work on their weaknesses nicely and will definitely support them in their strengths and encourage them to truly grow within these strengths.
I try to encourage my boys through example. I always try to show them that the only thing that can hold them back is their own imagination. If they believe in something than their is always a way to make it happen they just have to want it enough to make that dream come true.
I always tell them that they can achieve anything if they want it really bad
I like to discover what truly excites the kids. Then if they keep to it a bit, I try to brainstorm with them on what they could do with that interest and make it something more by involving other people.
I encourage my kids by supporting them and encouraging them!
https://twitter.com/SkyShyskyk/status/390088409554767872
My teen son loves basketball and plays in high school and aau..we encourage him to practice to be the best he can be and it must be paying off last year he was named one of the dream dozen for vermont state :)
https://twitter.com/klp1965/status/390095627448623104
I love to share stories of inspirational people with them. People who beat the odds that were against them, to find their path, and do what they love. I try to expose them to as many activities as possible. I watch closely for what interests them, and do all I can to let them experience it.