Anyone who knows me knows I love Disney. I was raised on the videotapes (yes, the ones you play in a VCR) of Disney movies. There was nothing more frustrating than putting in the tape to find that the whole thing had to be re-wound, which meant you needed to spend the next two or three minutes holding down the re-wind button on the VCR until you saw the Disney castle appear.
There are a few main ways you know you’re a Disney kid.
1. You have Disney values.
You speak up and work hard. You can’t stand to watch someone being bullied, and you aren’t afraid to voice your opinion because Disney taught you that your voice was important.
You know the common pitfalls. There’s no way someone is going to convince YOU to eat an apple from an old lady appearing on your doorstep! You know what to avoid because Disney was your first sense of what is dangerous. Stranger offering you food, anyone who seems to be surrounded by green smoke or has a pet parrot, and anybody who offers you an eternity-length contract, you run away from. Seriously though, Disney did a pretty good job of showing you that deceit and evil can hide in places you wouldn’t otherwise suspect.
You respect everyone equally because that’s how it is. No one is more important than anyone else.
2. You know ALL the lyrics. All of them. Every single one.
This one is pretty self-explanatory.
3. You know who you are.
*Breaks into song*
But really, Disney kids grew up with the ever-present idea that being yourself is better, and that you never had to change to suit someone else, because that would probably backfire horribly.
Time and time again you saw characters grow and be happy because they made the choice to be themselves. You related to most of the characters you saw, because to one extent or another they were you, and they gave you the courage to be yourself, which is both the easiest and hardest thing in the world to do.
So, congratulations if you are a Disney Kid. We are a diverse and distinctive group. To find Disney kids in your local area, play any Disney song out loud and look around for whoever begins to mouth the lyrics, bop their head or just straight up starts dancing. You’ll know who we are.
