Another song I fell in love with. Some of you know my apprehensions about "Disney Princess". I, like most people, was all excited to get the princess movies for my little girls and had collected quite a few of them. But as I watched Olivia watch these and be influenced by them, I realized how the adversary is really working on our children in these last days. She started to want to dress immodestly, and started to get that "entitled" attitude that comes with the title of princess. It took me a bit to realize where this was coming from, but I started to really notice it after she watched Beauty and the Beast. Then I noticed Tinkerbell on a toothbrush, looking like she should be on the hood of a car. Then I noticed that all of the princess stuff has been super marketed and pushed on these little people and I was appalled at the messages they were sending. Then I noticed what kind of message these movies really do hold. Parents are usually out of the picture, Kids running away from home, Lying to your parents, stealing because you "have to", Dreams to come true even if you don't have to work for it (This one has changed in recent years), and if they don't hold the latter moral, they talk about the dark arts. Voo doo, magic, etc. This world is a hard enough place to grow up in, and I worry enough about keeping my children armored with the things of God. I'm grateful that this was brought to my attention. We watch Disney Princess very sparingly at our house anymore. Like, hardly ever. I don't mind general princess stuff, but these particular ladies are sending the wrong messages to our youth. I'm as surprised as you are at my conclusions, but I want to do what Heavenly Father wants me to do in raising my children, so I have to do what the spirit tells me is right. It doesn't matter what it was for me growing up. It wasn't nearly as promoted as it is these days and these princesses get increasingly sexier. That is definitely not the message I want to be sending my daughter. (And let's be honest. Didn't you like your shoulders a little more after watching the little mermaid and beauty and the beast? I know I did.)
Here's the interesting thing. After I started to pull her away from it, her whole attitude changed. Things I wasn't expecting to happen happened. She was nicer to Ethan, she was more respectful to me, and she wanted to dress modestly again. Just the other day, I had her in her leotard for dance and she said, "Mommy, I need pants on, I need to be modest." So cute.
So, I've been praying and searching for ways to keep the true spirit of princess in her heart. Telling her she is a daughter of God and that that makes her a real princess. We talk about it all the time and the importance of what it means to be a child of God.
We've been helping our kids learn bible stories by reading to them from the LDS Children's Illistrated stories and then we'll all watch the Veggietales associated with that story. It's been kind of fun. The other day I stumbled on "Sweetpea Beauty" (available on my Netflix instant play). So I thought I'd give it a shot and see if she'd take to that princess story. After we watched it, I realized that I was close to tears listening to the message contained (I've become such a bawlbaby, but seriously, the spirit touched me). It's a great one for all of us young and old. At the end there was this song that I totally loved and wanted to share with you. I hope it touches your heart as it did mine. (Does that sound cheesy? Oh well, it's the truth.)
1 comment:
Great song. I noticed that about the Disney movies, too. We watched a lot more boy movies in our house, but Aladdin, Lion King and others weren't long lasting around here.
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