Judy Hopps tells the animals of Zootopia that, “Real life is messy. We all have limitations. We all make mistakes… no matter what kind of person you are, I implore you: Try. Try to make the world a better place.”
Make the World a Better Place
As a parent, I often find myself telling my children something similar. With 5 children, they all have different aspirations, and they don’t always align with the expectations I may have laid out for them.
In Zootopia, Nick Wilde tells Judy that, “if the world’s only going to see [him] as a shifty fox and untrustworthy, then there’s no point in being anything else.”
Unlike Nick’s way of looking at things during that part of his life, I encourage my children to work towards the things they want to do no matter what others think.
Whether it’s earning a degree in finance, writing and singing songs, or creating new fashion designs, I want my kids to go after it. Gazelle’s song, “Try Everything” speaks volumes to this:
I won’t give up, no I won’t give in
Til I reach the end and then I’ll start again
No I won’t leave, I wanna try everything
I wanna try even though I could fail.
Admittedly, one of the toughest parts of parenting is watching our children fail, but we have to let them make their own mistakes in order to grow.
But at the same time, those failures lead to exciting successes as well.
For my tween girls, they already have big dreams that will take them all over the world. Recently, after hearing them talk about what they want to do when they get older, I found one common theme.
Whereas Jaden wants to sing and Jaci wants to design, both spoke about using their talents to help others. It’s important to them that they find ways to “try to make the world a better place,” as Judy suggested.
Jaden plans on using her money earned singing to continue to feed and clothe homeless around the world.
She has a charitable heart and is looking at the impact she can make with a bit of fortune and fame.
Jaci, just as caring and inspired, wants to design clothes that she can donate to those in need. She feels like it’s a great way to do what she loves and help others she meets along the way.
A mother simply cannot complain about the philanthropic heart of her children. At least, I’m not going to. I encourage and empower them to soar and can’t wait to see what they do.
Judy Hopps worked her bunny tail off from an early age to fulfill her dream of becoming a police officer.
Knowing that the odds were against her, she pushed through every setback and fought against every obstacle to overcome and see her aspirations come true.
She believes “anyone can be anything” and didn’t let anyone tell her differently.
How do you empower your children to fulfill their dreams?
Zootopia proves that we all have skills; they are simply different from those of others. Take a look at the talents you have and find a way to use them.
My bet is you will discover you have more expertise than you think! Now go and “Try Everything!”
Get your copy of Zootopia on Blu-ray™, Digital HD & Disney Movies Anywhere starting June 7th. It’s a great film for the whole family and opens up important topics for conversation.