Pixar’s lesson for kids, adults
Submitted by Canton1 on
We need all our emotions to be healthy, even ones that hurt
Pixar’s latest flick holds some major life lessons for kids — and adults, too.
“Inside Out” takes place inside the head of an 11-year-old girl, Riley, as she and her parents move from Minnesota
to San Francisco. The main characters are cute personifications of the main characters inside of each of us: Joy, Sadness, Anger, Disgust, and Fear.
Joy, played by Amy Poehler, runs the show, attempting to keep Sadness from bringing Riley down as she struggles with her family’s move. As far as Joy’s concerned, Sadness is a downer. And really, what’s the point of being sad anyway?
Riley’s parents pile on by encouraging her to be happy all the time and praising her when she manages a smile.
You might recognize this parental behavior, because it’s a common one.
At one point or another, parenting means finding yourself in a situation when your child’s emotions are really, really inconvenient.
Sometimes in a public place, frequently over an issue that — to you, as an adult — is no big deal, and often with loud sobs
and crocodile tears.
What do you do?
Some parents try to dismiss their child’s emotions. Others use anger: “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about!” I’ve even heard an adult try to scare a kid by telling her that if she didn’t cut it out, nobody would want to play with her.
