Have you seen Disney’s Inside Out? If not, stop reading and go buy it. Don’t waste your money renting it. It’s that good.
Inside Out taught me some valuable parenting tips that I wasn’t expecting and I am so thankful for it.
Time feels short.
We see Riley at birth and are very quickly filled in with memories and life until present day at age 11. My daughter is only 2 but thinking back to when she was a teeny tiny baby feels like yesterday. Live in the moment. Soak it up. Enjoy every stage.
Make the memories.
Mommas with older kids, if you had 10 minutes to explain your child’s young childhood what memories would be there? Memories aren’t just the perfectly planned Pinterest inspired projects. Think about the memories of your childhood. Pinterest wasn’t there to help your mom fill every second of every day, but I bet you still have some pretty awesome memories. Spend time with your kids. Let them play. Get them involved in sports, or dance, or volunteer activities. Play outside. Play games. Go on trips. Be there.
You are a vital part of your child’s life.
Yeah, I am sure you knew that already. But here’s a twist: the “personality islands” that make your child depend on you. If I don’t let my daughter play hockey, she most likely won’t have a hockey island. You aid in building your child’s personality every day just by your personality. Yell a little less. Smile more. Give more hugs. Celebrate more.
Be aware.
Be aware of what is going on in your child’s life. Not just the big things, but all the little things. School projects, friendships, all the good and bad stresses that make up our lives. The smallest things may be wreaking havoc on your child. Be a listening ear. Be present.
It’s okay to be sad.
We have all been sad. The old saying “life isn’t fair” brings sadness into our lives. Not everyone gets to play Elsa when you only have one Elsa dress. Not everyone gets to be the starting quarterback. Not everyone is going to be on their best friend’s team. At times, life just isn’t fair and it’s okay to be sad about it. Since you can’t be Elsa, maybe you can be Anna {who is still pretty stinking awesome}, or you find a new position on the football team, or you find a new friend who wouldn’t have met had you been on your best friend’s team.
{Sadness isn’t the same thing as a depression. If you think you or your child has depression, please contact your healthcare provider.}
Inside Out touches on a topic that a lot of people don’t want to talk about: their emotions. Our emotions control our lives and our children need to know that they can talk about their feelings. Instead of feeling pressured to live perfect, happy lives, or pretend to, can we just be real? Laugh at the imperfections, cry through the sadness, and smile through the joy.
What did you learn from Inside Out? Let us know in the comments!
I love that Sadness was the one that saved Riley – she NEEDED to feel sadness in order to get to a healing place and for her to reconnect with her parents. That was very unique about this film. Sadness was sort of shelved at the start of the beginning – Joy was afraid to let her touch too many memories. But in the end, we all need to be able to feel sadness in order to be healthy and fully process all of our other emotions.
Very cool.