Last week, Siella and I had a date night at the movies, where we watched the newest Disney movie, Cinderella. For the event, she made sure to wear her favorite blue dress that can pass for Frozen’s Elsa or Cinderella. I knew she was going to love the movie, but what I didn’t anticipate was how much I would love it alike. I’ve read the tale countless times in my lifetime, but seeing it now as a parent, the movie touched on so much topics that I want to continue teaching my children. One thing in particular- Have Courage and Be Kind.
The beginning of the film shows a happy, loving family of three, but the mother falls ill, and passes away. Having been accustomed to the more vanilla versions of the fable, I wasn’t prepared for this part of the story line, and needed to explain to Siella what happened. As the story progresses, watching Cinderella relegated to nothing more than a servant girl covered in ashes, beginning to lose hope, practically sent me to tears. Watching her break down like this made me want to hug all three of my babies, as I never want them to ever lose hope in themselves, or ever feel that they are less than anyone else. In the end, she remembered her dying mother’s promise to have courage and be kind, and I believe it was these words, not the Prince, that saved her.
Siella sat infatuated through the entire film, asking lots of questions, eager to understand why her step sisters were being mean to her. Overall, I think she fell in love with Cinderella’s soft personality, and the fairytale of pumpkins turning into horse drawn carriages. The costumes were exquisite and the movie truly was even better than I remember the story from childhood. While I do think Siella did get the message, Have Courage and Be Kind are virtues that I will continue to instill in my children.
Fandango Family offers ideas for extending the fun and magic of the Cinderella movie at home including a semi-homemade Cinderella party, an affordable princess makeover in the style of Disney’s Bippity Boppity Boutique, and DIY Cinderella tees for girls and boys.
2 thoughts on “Have Courage & Be Kind”
We took the kids last weekend and loved the movie too! Such a great message and the film is so beautiful!
Have courage and be kind are terrific messages for kids.