Disney Magic

I'm not a TV restricting parent.  They've learnt a lot of obscure things from watching television, and they've learnt a lot of important things.

I alternate when they are wanting to watch films between films that they want to watch, and films that I want them to watch.  I think all 3 of them, even the baby, can recite High School Musical 1 & 2 (less so 3 because if I am going to have these films playing in the background, they can watch the superior two) - that is a their choice thing.  Star Wars and Back to the Future they weren't given much of a choice over (although they were too young for Star Wars at the time, we need to try again).

Disney however (proper Disney - none of this Disney Channel Movie stuff) is generally a united thing.  Nemo got played so much that we had to get a second copy, Tangled is rapidly becoming a favourite (horses and frying pans - what's not to love?), Enchanted was played on repeat one Christmas...

My most often quoted one though has to be Lilo and Stitch.  I adore that film.  I saw it in the cinema pre-kids and sobbed at "I'm lost!".  One of my only Disney Store teddies is a Stitch.  Over the past two years I have found myself using "Ohana" a lot.  It is generally when I am trying to remind them that yes, I am Mum, but we are a family and I am outnumbered so we all have to pull together to look after each other.

We sat in the car earlier in the week, and Strawb mentioned Stitch - she swiped the beloved teddy a while back and sleeps with him every night.  It suddenly occurred to me that I couldn't recall her watching it... I asked her, and no, Stitch is just toy, not film.

This had to be rectified!  She was excited by the idea of Stitch having a film, all was good.

Tonight, I set her up on the sofa, and she curled up with a blanket and Stitch to watch.  She was utterly enthralled in minutes.  Dude came to join her, and the two of them were glued to it.  Even the arrival of Gran which normally brings excitement didn't make her move.

I was going back and forth doing various jobs, and she told me I had to sit with them because she was sad - they had just got past Stitch being lost and alone in the woods.  So for once in my life, I actually stopped trying to slot in jobs, and just got under the blanket with my babies.  I welled up as Stitch talked about his little broken family, and about Ohana.

Yes, we can be a bit broken, I yell too much, things don't tend to go according to plan, but we're a family, and family means no-one gets left behind, or forgotten.