I’m never going to recommend one use Disney as a trusted source for parenting wisdom. There’s really not a whole lot of parenting on display there, and what little is shown is inept, ineffective, and out of touch. Surely we can find better parenting resources than Disney. I’m also not going to tout Disney as wisdom for life to my children. Deception, daydreams, and drivel don’t make for good decisions, and that’s what comprises most of Disney. Sure, it can be “redeemed” in a way by using whatever show or movie you watch with your kids as the foundation for intentional, thoughtful discussion as you (hopefully) help them practice discernment and distinguishing good from evil (or maybe even harder, good from almost good), but I sincerely hope it never serves as the foundation for decision-making, especially not for Christians.
Perhaps your house, like mine, is (or was once) ringing with the sounds of Disney music though. The movie tunes really are catchy, and honestly fun to sing, however frivolous they might be. We tend to go through phases of preferred music and cycle through the favorite movies. Right now they’re stuck on Frozen (both the first and the second), and there’s one song I’m almost praying sticks with them.
If I’ve learned anything in the last 30+ years, it’s that life is unpredictable and not smooth, and mental and emotional health are being discussed more frequently, and a lack of mental/emotional health becoming more prevalent. Whereas once such illness was stigmatized and carried a sense of abnormality, it’s becoming almost normal. One hand this is good, in that we can begin to reduce the prejudice and bias and stigma that accompanies. On the other hand, it’s not good, in that truly more people are struggling in these areas. The reality is that at some point, my daughters are likely to either experience depression (in this case, defined as more than a routine emotional low) themselves or be in a close relationship with someone who does, and probably sooner rather than later. Whether that’s brought on by trauma, the death of a loved one, an unexpected illness, or some other event, I want my girls to have every possible tool at their disposal to combat that, whether Scripture, mindfulness, physical activity, or music (yes, even Disney music). Hopefully they’ll have far more to work with than Disney songs – honestly, that’s one reason Scripture memorization is an important part of our homeschooling – but sometimes one requires just a single practical step to take. And that’s where this song, The Next Right Thing, comes in.
You can read all the lyrics, watch/listen to the whole song, and/or read the backstory to the song if you’re not familiar with it already, and I would actually encourage you to do so. In a nutshell though, what is one to do when faced with depression or grief? The next right thing. What exactly that means is going to be different in each circumstance, and that’s ok. There’s never going to be a universal “right” answer to that question. More than anything, I hope – and yes, even pray – that this song makes a nebulous, difficult concept a little more concrete, whenever my kids need it.
I have never seen Frozen nor Frozen II but I can relate reading the backstory behind it. Thirty five years ago today our first son, Nathan, died. It was hard and I agree that there is no one “right” answer. But doing the next right thing, with Gods help, did let us recover and carry on. Depression can affect us in so many ways, some that we don’t even realize, but by DOING something, taking the next step when you want to curl up and cry, and especially reaching out to the hand of Jesus who always has His hands reaching out to you. Thank you for bringing your insight as you raise your children in Christ.