Disney Movie Lines – Cinema Sunday: “I Like You Already”

“Life Lessons…one Disney Movie Line at a time.”

Have you ever looked at a person that you’ve never met before, known nothing about them and thought “I like you already”?  Perhaps the person was wearing a shirt sporting your favorite team’s logo or maybe that person was wearing a cute pair of patriotic Mouse Ears (oh wait – that’s me).  For whatever the reason, just like Tow Mater did with Lightning McQueen in “Cars”, you felt that you had made an instant connection.

Photo credit: Disney / Pixar

Then again, maybe you’ve looked at a person and immediately thought that you didn’t like them for some reason.  They could have been wearing a shirt emblazoned with your favorite team’s rival.  Their body may have been covered in tattoos or piercings.  Whatever the reason, you felt that you would never have a connection with that person so you never took the time to even say “hello”.

I think sometimes we’re all guilty of looking at someone and immediately judging a book by its cover to a certain extent.  As a mom, I am trying hard to raise my boys with open minds.   I want them to learn that we’re all human beings with feelings.  I don’t want them to be quick to judge others and just assume things because of the way a person looks or dresses.   I want them to know, that skin color is a characteristic, and doesn’t mean that everyone with a certain skin color should for example, be characterized all the same.

It’s a hard lesson to learn at a young age.  Kids can be so cruel and blatant when they are expressing their feelings.  It can also be confusing when there are so many different people from different backgrounds and families that are so diverse and different from ours.  I want my boys to be compassionate and kind-hearted and to know that no matter who makes up a person’s family, that it’s the love shown inside a home that is important.

Life has a way of changing a person too.  The paths we choose or are sent down without a choice can build character or bring you down.  It can keep you straight and narrow or send you off a cliff.  It’s the people that we meet along our journey, that will support us and help us find our way.  So while it’s easy to look at some people for the first time and say “I like you already”, it often pays off to take the time to get to know someone, and give them a chance even when there isn’t an instant connection.

Written by fellow Disney Mom & dear friend: Allison V. Allison is a proud member of the Walt Disney World Moms Panel. She is not a Disney employee. The postings on this site are her own and do not necessarily represent Disney’s positions or opinions.