I realize I’m probably in the minority with my feelings.
I will probably lose friends over this.
We don’t do Disney.
I will never take my family to a Disney park.
I don’t even really like Disney movies, TV, or toys.
I just don’t want to feed that monster.
I have so many more important things to do with our money and time.
Parents trust Disney to provide their children with wholesome entertainment.
Wholesome?
When my eldest daughter was very young, we indulged in Disney DVDs, the Disney Channel, and even visited Disney World in Orlando.
What seemed harmless then is certainly problematic now.
I grew up with The Smurfs and Duck Tales. Disney 20 years ago is not Disney now.
I’ve seen probably all the Disney movies, especially the cartoons. So have my kids, but they’re not our favorites.
Disney Junior for preschoolers is mostly ok. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Doc McStuffins actually teach character values within a cute context. Dinosaur Train is a fun nature show that advocates adoption. Little Einsteins introduces great art and classical music. My son discovered Jake and the Neverland Pirates and fell in love, which killed me that they’d ruined Peter Pan! He’s mostly over it now, thank God.
But I’m kinda glad we’ve outgrown that stage.
The shows aimed for tween demographics are disgusting. It seems most of the plots aren’t any better than Clerks or Mallrats. Outrageous attitudes, absent or neglectful parents, glorification of sex are blatant in the dialogue and body language of the shallow characters.
I can’t get over the amount of rudeness in these shows – directed at peers, parents, school authorities, strangers. I don’t want my kids learning social cues from these shows!
Disney teaches disrespect as the normal, expected behavior of kids.
It seems that many Disney child stars grow up and pose nude in magazines, have drug problems, struggle with eating disorders, and more. They obviously feel the need to throw off that Disney image.
I had misgivings about letting my kids watch Maleficent. It still leaves a bad taste in my mouth. And there’s supposed to be a sequel? ugh.
And don’t get me started on the sexist and racist stereotypes in Disney. They’re just crude.
Disney is not wholesome entertainment.
So why would I want to support that empire?
No fluff
I prefer my kids to be exposed to quality books and movies.
Disney entertainment is just twaddle.
I prefer to fill my kids’ heads with quality literature, music, and films.
If we’re gonna have screentime, I want to at least feel good about it instead of feeling we’ve wasted 1.5-2 hours of our lives.
Accuracy
I’m always disappointed by the lack of accuracy in Disney films.
We know the real story of Pocahontas and the Disney cartoon musical is just full of mistakes.
We have read The Hunchback of Notre Dame and fortunately, the gargoyles didn’t come to life when we visited Notre Dame Cathedral.
We have read Greek and Roman mythology and the Hercules show is just silly.
We’ve read the folk tale of Mulan and the movie is ridiculous even if the songs are catchy.
No mindless entertainment
I just don’t see the point of amusement parks.
I did take my eldest daughter to Magic Kingdom, Epcot, and Animal Kingdom in Orlando when she was a preschooler. It was expensive, exhausting, stressful, and she doesn’t even remember it.
I know I’m in a minority on this one. I see all the pictures on social media of all the fun people seem to have at Disney parks. I have no desire to go.
We prefer to travel to see nature, history, culture, art…instead of make-believe, neon lights, painted costumed characters who are paid to smile at kids.
I find it so weird that people scrimp and save and plan trips to Disney Paris…there are a million destinations in Paris we’d rather see than Disney.
It’s just not for us.
What do we do instead of Disney?
I’m a firm believer that if we remove something considered “normal” then we should replace it with a better alternative. I teach my kids why we live differently and have different priorities. I’m not encouraging a mass rebellion over The Little Mermaid.
We read living books and history texts.
We read Grimm’s and Hans Christian Anderson fairy tales. Yes, we sometimes watch the Disney versions on DVD or Netflix to compare/contrast.
We watch classic and new quality films in theatres, on DVD, and streaming.
We travel to lots of places all over the world to learn about history, culture, art, and nature.
I don’t like what Disney teaches.
In the real world, we have to work for what we want.
There’s no magic wand. We don’t always get what we deserve and we’re not all princes and princesses.
Evil is not always obvious and it does sometimes win. Life isn’t always happy ever after.
Reading suggestions:
Disturbing life lessons from Disney.
Disney Treats Family as a 4-Letter Word: ABC Family is now Freeform and Fox Family loses the “family.” Apparently, nowadays, being known as a “family channel” is a liability, not an asset.
Wow, Jennifer!
What an admirable stand to take! I applaud your courage and resolve!
My kids are grown now, but I was just thinking recently about all of the time we wasted and all of hte junk we allowed to go into their minds. They are wonderful young adults, but I wish I’d spent more time on good books, Bible study, character building, in-depth discussions, and things that mattered.
You go, Girl!
Found your post today on Tuesday Talk.
Hope you have a blessed day~
Melanie
I too took Disney out of our home, too late. (Though have said prayers against it) There’s so much more to the story as its meant to hyponotize our children and turn them from God! Bravo Mom!
We don’t do Disney either. They just do not have the values we want to promote to our kids. Brave post, though! I’m sure a lot of people will disagree.
Thank you for speaking out for many of us! We have our own opinions of Disney shows/movies, but for the most part we agree. I also recognize that others have their own convictions and that’s ok! What I thank you for the most is that you did not ostracize those who disagree with you! Your standpoint was stated with love, in your OWN blog. You were real, and I love that.
I’m so glad I succeeded in my goal of stating why we do this…but I understand others love Disney no matter what!
To a large extent, I agree. My daughter (18 now) is not a fan of the “princess” movies, for the most part, and hasn’t been for a long time. (There are exceptions – Brave is a favorite, and while Princess and the Frog is not, she does like Tiana – she got her happily ever after, but she also knows how to WORK. ;))
When my kids were small, most of their favorite shows weren’t on Disney (exception: my middle child liked Little Einsteins and the import Charlie and Lola), they were on Nickelodeon, which also isn’t the same anymore. My young teen gentleman likes some of the animated shows, but generally they’re not “Disney”, even if owned by them – Star Wars and Marvel. (I do have to admit, I personally like Phineas and Ferb – those are two good-hearted young men just trying not to be bored over summer break, because that would probably be dangerous! ;) And one of the first things they do, in the second story, is to come up with a good birthday present for their sister/stepsister. Granted, what a preteen boy thinks would be a good present may not be what a teenage girl thinks is a good present. ;))
While I can not argue with your logic… and I fully admit I’m in love with the OLD Disney that you talked about. We do Do Disney; so much so that I would love to head back to Walt Disney World this fall and my boys asked if we could find someplace else to go!
When we were paying for TV, I locked the Disney Channel, my husband and I couldn’t take the garbage that was being taught any longer. Once that channel was removed we saw a huge difference in our son. Thankfully, he has never one time asked to go to Disney, although when he was little I would have loved to take him.
We are not amusement park people. I’m amazed at how quickly people consider spending thousands of dollars for a few days at a commercialized business, when there are places like The Grand Canyon, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Parks just waiting to be explored. Perfect opportunities for families to spend quality time together.
Jennifer, thanks for sharing with Thankful Thursdays.
Yes, it’s harder when they’re little because Disney seems like such harmless childhood magic then. And I took my daughter to Orlando, but I don’t care to ever go back. And that reminds me to write up our Yellowstone trip!
Thanks for sharing this piece at the #LMMLinkup. While I have not come to a complete boycott of Disney and we do enjoy some of the magical feel of the Disney enterprise, I have become increasingly distressed by the values they’re promoting. It does not bother me in the slightest that they change details of historical stories to make entertaining movies or pay performers to entertain my kids, but it does bother me that they are promoting so many values in contradiction to mine. You’ve given me good food for thought.
Wow! I am wondering if you added this post just to start a big controversy ?? Because I have a feeling you are in for one. While my kids don’t watch TV, Disney or otherwise. The Disney Parks are a great experience for any child. They always make everyone feel welcome, no matter what color or age you may be. We have been to both parks in the US, a handful of times and always had the best experiences on vacation. As far as movies go, they are meant to be “entertainment” – not education. If you’re looking for education, documentaries and other such videos would probably be more appropriate. I don’t watch Robocop in the hopes of someone becoming a robot one day… I don’t watch Bolt because I think animals may one day talk. I do watch Earth – to see the beauty of this planet. And after all, it all boils down to – how you bring up your own children. Whether you show them the way to be respectful or let them run free, should have nothing to do with the Disney franchise. I agree old school Disney is different, but I was raised differently than I raise my kids now, and I am sure Disney was not planning to take on that responsibility of yours when they released Pocahontas. Whether you show your children the way to be respectful or let them run free, should have nothing to do with Disney. I would never allow a video, movie or amusement park to bring up my children. And I talk to them whenever we encounter ideals that I do not agree with, instead limiting the experiences that they will eventually encounter as they get older. Disney should be part of everyone’s childhood.
Nowhere in my post did I preach to anyone about how they should bring up their children so I don’t see why you feel the need to be so belligerent about our family’s choice to not visit amusement parks, especially Disney. I was certainly raised differently than how I raise my own children, which is why we choose to do many of the things we do. And I certainly don’t use pop culture to bring up my kids, more like a warning what NOT to do. I do mention that we have watched most Disney movies and discuss them at length. We encounter ideals I disagree with every.single.day. As for controversy, I wrote this post because I get asked all the time about why we believe what we do.
Thank you for linking up at #HomeMattersParty hope you have a great week!
What an awesome, thought-provoking post.
We don’t have a lot of Disney in our home. I find with children we have to be particularly careful about what they watch because if they like something, they watch it repeatedly… that can have a huge impact on them (negative and positive)!
Thanks for sharing (and for linking up to the #SHINEbloghop).
Wishing you a lovely day.
xoxo
I’m not a fan of regular Disney, either. We do watch Doc McStuffins. My daughter adores her!! But I can’t stomach Disney tween shows! I get it. Thanks so much for joining us at 100 Happy Days. I have loved reading your post. Hope you come back again this Thursday. http://www.akreativewhim.com/sleepless-solo
This was a great post! We were traveling west 2 years ago and was planning to go to Disneyland. However, instead of the price being in the two digits it was now in the three. We decided to go to the Grand Canyon. It was wonderful! We had the best time. We have 4 children ages 14-18months and all had a blast.
Love this…it is so true. Especially regarding the rudeness of the characters, the blatant disrepect…I am referring to the modern Disney movies. My 8 year old son’s behavior became so bad that we have banned those films from our family. And I am a stay at home, homeschooling mom–I am humbled and sad that I let this trash into our home, our sanctuary, but at least now I can go forward with confidence and conviction about what NEVER to compromise on! Children are little sponges, they will soak up anything they are exposed to!