Fairytale Parenting: Goodness is Unbreakable.

Where there is kindness, there is goodness… and where there is goodness, there is magic. 

Too sugary? Too sweet? Too bad. I’ve been swept away to Fantasyland and I’m not ashamed.

I’m gonna write this like a real mom talking to my friends at preschool drop-off: Every parent needs to take their kids to see Disney’s reinvention of the 1950’s classic Cinderella (opening nationwide in theaters Friday March 13, 2015). Every kid needs to see this movie. Every parent needs to see this movie. Now before you start rolling your eyes and going all wicked-stepmother on me with a lecture about how ushering little girls into princess culture is dangerous for modern feminism, hear me out.

(And no, I’m not being paid by Disney. But for the record I am more than willing to accept any extra pairs of fabulous glass slippers as a thank-you gift for being so passionately moved to write this post in the first place… just sayin’.)

Don’t be blinded by the pretty pretty princess-stuff: This “new, 2nd Cinderella” (as my little girls keep referring to it every time we pass a billboard or see glimpses of the trailer) is about staying true to yourself, having confidence, overcoming bullying and choosing to see the good in the world no matter what crap the world might deal you.

Those are lessons that every person needs to be reminded of. Child or adult.

The other day, I read a great blogpost by another mom (online) about how she would not be taking her kids to see Cinderella on the principle of not wanting to showcase mean-girl behavior, dead parents and marriage to a rich guy as a means to an end. I totally get it. (I myself have had royal reservations.) Good mom. But good moms also must remember to be savvy when it comes to raising our kids. There’s another side to this new Cinderella that moved me in a most unexpected way as I sat at the premiere chomping my popcorn.

This new Cinderella showed us all how to cope… in the most inspiring way.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a fairy tale character that was dealt a worse hand and was more abused than Cinderella… The girl’s mom died, then her dad died, then she was sent to live in a cold, drafty attic with rodents… all while being verbally assaulted by her stepmother and stepsisters. She also had no friends. But against all odds, Cinderella ended up on top. (She also married a stud, but that’s besides the main point).

My main goal as a mom – and I’ve mentioned this many times in real life and on this blog – is to raise my girls to be RESILIENT. Of course I’m also aiming for kind, positive, confident and on and on… but I believe that mastering the ability to overcome adversity and exhibit grace under pressure is the greatest trait of all. Especially in the world we live in now.

How will our kids learn to deal with bullying, disappointment and being dealt a bad situation (which life does deal to all of us, from time to time) if we don’t teach them how to cope? I’m no certified expert, but kids do learn by example… whether we teach them directly or whether they happen to see it in a movie. This movie shows how Cinderella stayed the person her parents raised her to be (even though they were no longer with her)… and how she showed kindness to everyone while choosing to see the good in the world. She chose to BE the good in the world. They say a positive attitude will overcome…

Good things happen to good people. And: Have faith that good people will find you when you most need them. That’s the moral of this 2015 Cinderella. (Forget about the handsome prince distraction… I’m convinced he’s just there for added eye-candy.)

Cinderella is a princess movie that’s… well… not really about princesses. It’s more applicable to real life that what it may first seem like. And so I will take my 3- and 4- year old little girls, dressed up in gowns, to learn how kindness, positivity, forgiveness, resilience and confidence always lead to happy endings… even if it takes a while. Because this mom believes in the magic of goodness.

Now bibbidi bobbidi that.