Netflix Marathon = Life Lessons
With all the recent snow days we’ve had, what’s a family to do? We have been stuck inside a lot this winter. We’ve had four “snow” days this winter, more so due to extreme cold as opposed to actual snow. I’ll take them though. I love being home with my kids no matter what type of day it is. Sure, I may say they drive me nuts, but it’s a good kind of nuts! I appreciate those days because some day, they will all be gone and I’ll miss those days and those rugrats that cause me to have more gray hair than I can count.
So, how did we use our snow days? Watching Netflix of course!!! We heard that Netflix had two new original shows, Ever After High: Spring Unsprung and Mako Mermaids. My youngest and I started watching Ever After High: Spring Unsprung and I was actually quite surprised that she sat through many of the episodes! She’s not much of a girly girl so seeing her watch the popular dolls turned series was quite exciting for this mom. We had to back track a little so that we knew who everyone was, but after the first episode we were guessing who was who left and right. It was more of a game for us. My favorite was Raven Queen, daughter of the Evil Queen because she was torn between good and evil. Her destiny was to be that of evil, but you could tell, she really didn’t want to be evil. It reflected a lot to me actually. There are a lot of people who are stuck in situations that many would view as evil, not exactly in the sense of wrong doing, but more so, situations that they don’t want to be in. There are many people who are stuck in situations that they don’t necessarily know how to get out of. So I used this moment as a life lesson and talked to my youngest about how you can determine your own path in life. It isn’t your destiny to live out the dream of someone else. It is your destiny when you, and only you, follow your heart and believe in yourself to do or live life that you vision. You create your own path in life. You and you alone create your own destiny. You can allow outside situations influence your decisions, but you ultimately are the ones with the final say with your decisions. If it doesn’t feel right to you, it probably isn’t a good decision. How’s that for a great parenting moment?
This past weekend my oldest decided that she would spend the entire day downstairs on the couch watching tv with me. Yes, it is a rare occasion, but when they happen I treasure them. I was just again, surprised that when I turned on Mako Mermaids season one, she would end up sitting there watching it with me until we reached episode 22 {out of 26 mind you} of season one. I asked her what age group she thought this series was for and she said 10-13 maybe. The next thing I knew we’d been watching for hours and I laughed and told her it’s funny how she’s 16 and she’s watching it and hooked on it. She now wants a moon ring.
There are so many other cool movies and shows you can watch on Netflix to show your kids that life is about choices and how much power they have in creating their own destiny’s. Here are a few of my favorite suggestions.
Of course, Ever After High: Spring Unsprung & Mako Mermaids, and another good one, Richie Rich! We have also watched the determination of Gabby Douglas in The Gabby Douglas Story. Have a budding entrepreneur on your hands, check out Undercover Boss, or a want-to-be chef, give Chopped a viewing. There are so many great shows that can inspire young minds to be all that they dream they could be. Let them create their own paths. You’ll be happy when you see them living out their own dreams and not yours!
What Netflix show or movie have you used lately to create a life-lesson with your kids?
