When most people think of Disney Channel, they think about shows they used to watch back when they were 13 or 14 years old. They think of kid's shows. They think of the dumb jokes that used to be told, and relationships coming to an end/a beginning. I used to think the same thing until I started watching Girl Meets World on Disney Channel.
It started with me watching it just because it was the sequel series to Boy Meets World, which I loved. I would spend my teen years watching it on ABC Family learning all about the lives of Topanga, Cory, Feenie, and Shaun. I loved it, and I really learned a lot from them--some of which has stuck with me even to this day. I wanted to know if Girl Meets World was going to be similar.
That show did deliver, and it found a way into my 20 year old heart. Here are some of the main lessons I learned from the show so far:
1.Your Best Friends Can Always Be Number One in Your Life
Maya and Riley are literally friendship goals. They always have each other’s backs, and they don’t let boys get in the way of their friendship. Even when they ”liked” the same boy at one point, they were able to stay best friends and give themselves time to figure out what to do next.
2) Teachers/Professors Can Push You and Sometimes That is a Good Thing.
Mr. Matthews is always pushing his students to do the best they can do in life. Sometimes a teacher can teach life lessons that will always be remembered. In one episode Señora Feinstein-Chang pushed Riley to do better with her grades. She didn’t let Riley retake the test, but she says with a lot more studying and practice, she could do anything. One assignment/exam won’t kill you (I know I needed that lesson! I worry about grades a lot in college).
3) It Truly Is Okay to Be Your Goofy Self.
RIley is always trying to be herself and be in Riley Town. She is growing up, but she is taking her spirit with her. She is allowed to be herself while she is growing up, which is always important. I don’t have to become an adult with a briefcase with no sense of personality. I can be an adult with a briefcase who loves telling puns.
4) You Can Live Through Bullying.
There was an episode in which Riley was severely bullied. It reminded me of my own experiences with bullying in Junior High and High School. She got through it with the help of her friends. You can get through anything if you form a ground to stand on. I will get through my hard past with the help of my family and friends as well.
5) Just Because Someone Has Abandoned You, Doesn’t Mean You're Broken.
Maya has taught me this time and time again. Her dad may have left, but she is still her. She is living and breathing and she is 100% who she wants to be. You don’t need the people who abandon you in life. Yeah, it hurts. It will hurt, but it cannot hurt enough to break you. You have to trudge on and know that you can get through it without them. It is their loss anyway.
6) It’s Never Too Late to Find the Love of Your Life.
Shawn has taught me that. He fell in love with Maya’s Mom, Katy, at a relatively older age. That doesn’t matter though, because love can break through old ages. You don’t have to be 25 and married if you don’t want to. You can find love out of High School like Topanga and Corey, or you can wait to find real love like Shawn and Katy. No matter what, someday you will find it.
7) There Will Always Be An Inspiration in Your Life.
Feeny shaped Corey and Topanga’s life, as well as Shawn's. He will always be a part of their souls. When they look back on life, the memories will come flooding back to how many lessons they learned from Faw-Fa-Fa-Fa-Feenyyyyyy. I have those people in my life as well, even a teacher from Elementary School who shaped my life, and I know I will always look back on his lessons fondly
8) It Is Okay To Take Things Slow
You don’t have to have your whole life planned out RIGHT NOW. You can take time. Maya and Josh demonstrate that for sure with their whole Long Game with their relationship. Sometimes you don’t have to have everything figured out right away. You sometimes can play the long game and figure it out sometime later. For instance, for me, I don’t need to know what Law School I am going to right away. I can play the Long Game for at least 2 more years and not be anxious about it quite yet. It will all be sorted if I play the long game.
9) Sometimes College is Hard
Josh in Girl Meets Bear talks about how hard it was in college to adjust from High School. Different friends. Hard Classes. It is not all parties and fun. It is hard work. I know this now that I am a sophomore, but it still feels amazing to know that other people go through the struggle of making friends and adjusting to a new way of thinking in college.
10) Not all New Disney Channel Shows are Badly Made.
There is this stigma around Disney Channel that is really not true. “Ew. It’s so awful. I miss when it was good back in the 1990s and early 2000s,” say most people over 18. That is not true however, because this show is brilliantly acted by all of the cast. The producers and writers piece together the best plots imaginable for the show. Every week there is a new episode, I count down the hours until I get to finally see it. Yes, some of it is childish. It is meant for children/teens though. You will see goofy things that could not possibly happen, but it really is the message that develops through the episode that really counts.
I love this show. I love what it means. I love everything about it. Right now, it has not been announced if there will be another season yet. I really hope there is though, because I am invested in the show and the characters. I am even more so invested in the lessons. I feel like I have so much more to learn even at 20.
