They’re Not Just For Kids: A Rant
August 05, 2018Happy Sunday, friend! I hope this post finds you well. (Also, apologies. I accidentally hit publish a couple days ago, and it WASN’T READY THEN. But it is now, so enjoy!)
A couple months ago, a friend and I were sitting in the lunchroom at school. I had recently finished the final season of Avatar: The Last Airbender, and I had borrowed the sequel comics from my local library. (They’re excellent, by the way. Highly recommended.)
My friend had laid one of the comics out on the table - I was lending it to her, since she had never read them before. I noticed the comic and asked her what she thought of it. Of course, this led to a very fangirl-y conversation.
At one point, a classmate came and sat down at the table with us. She’s a good friend of mine, and usually we like the same sort of media.
This time, however, she took a look at the comic next to my friend and asked, “You guys are actually reading that?”
I don’t remember exactly how we responded, but we said something to the effect of, “Yeah, it’s really good!”
Her response was, “Oh. I thought you guys would be too old to read that.”
Take me, for instance. If you looked at my bookshelf, you could probably guess that I love fantasy, I’m a Christian, and I prefer clean literature. All of that is true.
Is this necessarily a bad thing that we can learn about people? No.
This becomes a bad thing when we begin to judge and dislike people based on what books and movies they like.
For instance: I love the movie Rise of the Guardians. I think that it’s an excellent, fun movie with good messages.
However, I always have this nagging worry that if I tell someone I like it, they will automatically think, “Oh, that’s a kids movie! You must be stupid if you actually like that kind of stuff.” Would they say this in person? Probably not. But I’m always worried about it.
And I don’t think there’s a set age where people have to stop liking kids movies. Heck, I’ll probably be watching them when I’m ninety!
There are going to be books and movies out there that contain some less than satisfactory elements. There are going to be people that read and watch them.
However, we still shouldn’t judge or dislike these people. I know people that have read Fifty Shades of Gray. I don’t believe that this book is something that my conscience would allow me to read. I still love these people, and I don’t dislike them for doing so. But I do think that this was an unwise choice for them to make.
Why?
The short answer: I was embarrassed that I liked a “kid show.”
Now, there’s a fine line between embarrassment and shame. I could probably do a whole post on this, but in short: I believe that shame comes partially from your conscience, to tell you that what you’re doing might be wrong. While embarrassment could be part of this, it’s more of the I-just-dropped-my-mashed-potatoes-all-over-the-floor type thing.
Why should we be embarrassed to say that we like a kid’s movie? Why should I be embarrassed to say that I like Avatar: The Last Airbender? Are we this afraid that people will judge us?
We can’t control people judging us. But so what? I’m not the one doing wrong by watching How to Train Your Dragon.
Now, if we’re ashamed to say that we like a certain book, movie, or TV show, maybe we should re-evaluate why we like it. If we’re ashamed to say we like it, that might be God telling us that you know, maybe you shouldn’t be watching this.
I’m also trying to get better at listening to my conscience. If I get a nagging feeling that I maybe shouldn’t be reading this book, I try to put aside my absorption into the story, and put the book down.
Anyways, the whole point of this rant was to say this:
Don’t be embarrassed to like kids movies. Don’t dislike or judge people for the books and movies they like. And if you feel ashamed of a book you like, maybe you shouldn’t be reading it.
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Well, that kind of went in circles, but I think you get the point! I haven’t had a rant in a while, and this one has been building up inside of me for a while.
Hope you have a restful, fun-filled Sunday!
-Nicole
What do you guys think? Do you love any “kids” movies? Let’s talk!
30 comments
I agree, people should be able to enjoy whatever books and movies they want to without being embarrassed by it.
ReplyDeleteI think I got very lucky with my close friend group, because we all seem to love "kids" movies. During June, we all went to see Incredibles 2, and are already planning on seeing How to Train Your Dragon 3 when it comes out. (I adore both of those movies with all of my heart.)
Exactly!
DeleteAnd same! Most of my friends LOVE those sort of movies, which is awesome. (HTTYD 3!!!!! I can’t wait! I’m beginning to see posters for it and ACK I CAN'T WAIT TILL MARCH.)
YES! GREAT POST! I adore so many "kid's" movies and shows and books lol and I don't really care what others think because HELLO I'M A KID AT HEART and hope I always will be ;DD I love Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew and Wild Kratts (that's a Canadian kids show XD) and we have this running joke in the family that I am the biggest fan of Paw Patrol in the family XDD
ReplyDeleteAAAHHH THANK YOU SO MUCH, LISA!!
DeleteI agree! Everyone tells me that "your interests will grow up," and I’m like, "well, no, they probably won’t." XD Kid-at-heart for life!
Yessss, Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys are absolutely AMAZING! I haven’t heard of Wild Kratts, but I’ll check it out ASAP! And I’ve seen one or two episodes of Paw Patrol, but they were on mute in a restaurant so I was really confused. :)
Thank you for reading this, Lisa! <3
Awesome post! I agree! I have to say that I'm always nervous bringing my book in public, because I guess I'm afraid of exactly that - being judged. :P
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Lila! And I’m the same way: if I’m worried that people might judge me, I will carry it in a backpack so others won’t see it.
DeleteThanks for reading! <3
I've tried to get into comic books, but I've never been able to. I have teased one of my friends for reading them by calling her a dork, but it was in a joking way. Honestly, why would anyone call something like comic books childish? They seem fun, I wish I could make myself enjoy them. :D
ReplyDeleteI’m not a big comic book person either! But I haven’t really tried them, probably because I would only read Marvel comics, and they have some weeeeeird stuff in them. I tried reading one Marvel comic, but I got really . . . bad vibes? But I agree! I don’t know why someone would call them childish! I would almost think that adults would like them more.....but I don’t know.
DeleteThanks for reading, Gray!
Great post, Nicole! <3 Some of my favorite movies are kids movies...such as "Incredibles", "Big Hero 6", "Tangled".... :)
ReplyDeleteLove this! <3
Aw, thank you so much, Allison! And I absolutely LOVE all of those movies! (I wasn’t a huge fan of Tangled's ending, though. #unpopularopinion) Did you like the first or second Incredibles movie better?
DeleteNow I'm curious. Why didn't you like the ending of Tangled?
DeleteI was six or seven when it first came out, and I watched it in theaters. And I think I was a little traumatized by how Flynn was imprisoned and how Rapunzel thought he had deserted her, and that the mom was bad. I haven’t seen it in a while, though, so my feelings might have changed!
DeleteI loved this post! Especially the difference you made between embarrassment and shame -- I think we often forget there is even a difference! Though I find myself leaning toward shame about things I should actually just be embarrassed about...anyway XD I loved your rant here! And How to Train Your Dragon is the best!
ReplyDeleteI know! "Embarrassment" and "shame" are too often interchanged these days. And I’m like you: I get ashamed about things that I should really be embarrassed about. Whoops. :)
Delete(Have you seen the trailer for HTTYD 3 yet? If you haven’t, it is AMAZING!!!
Thank you so much, Audrey! I was kind of worried what others would think when I posted this, but seeing your encouragement and so many other people's opinions has really released me!
OH MY GOSH CAN I JUST SAY PREACH TO ALL OF THIS. So many people look at me weird whenever I say I watch animated movies and anime shows... like, they're not always just for kids? Also, we have such similar tastes in movies-- Rise of the Guardians is an underrated Dreamworks film and needs a sequel. I also cannot wait for How To Train Your Dragon 3!
ReplyDeletexoxo Abigail Lennah | Story-Eyed
P.S. AtLA is sophisticated and is watchable for all ages + has a level of complexity only equivalent in "adult" shows don't @ me
EXACTLY! I completely agree with you on ALL of this. RotG definitely need a sequel (although there is a spinoff book series that is also good!). And HTTYD 3 is going to be amazing! (And I’ll probably be sobbing through it.....XD)
DeleteAnd finally, someone who feels the same way about ATLA! I feel like it gets a lot of junk because it’s animated, but yet there are tons of adults who like it!
Thanks for reading! This comment honestly made my day! <3
Whoever said that we have to grow up and stop enjoying the things we did as a child is crazy. KEEP LOVING WHAT YOU ARE LOVING! This post was a great one. Glad I go to read it.
ReplyDeleteI know, right? I completely agree!
DeleteAw, thank you Vanessa, and thanks for the follow! Can’t wait to check out your blog!
But kids stuff is usually more clean then what the world considers my level of reading! :D So yeah, I read kids books. Why I'll read picture books. Also I like cartoon movies like Tom and Jerry and Tintin and some of the Bugs Bunny shows. :D
ReplyDeleteSame! All the teen books are so full of inappropriate stuff nowadays, which is sad.
DeleteHaha, yes, Tom and Jerry is amazing! Have you read the Tintin comics?
I can't even look at the covers of most teen novels without shuddering. :(
DeleteMy favorite Tom and Jerry The Wizard of Oz. It's so funny. :D Yes, I've read all the Tintin comics, watched all the old original cartoon ones, seen the animated one and have been waiting very impatiently for the next animated one. We own all the Tintin books except the last one, but I've been getting them from the library because ours are to used. :D
Oh, my, yes, I completely agree!
DeleteWow, I didn’t even know there was a Tintin cartoon TV show! I’ve read a couple comic books, but haven’t been able to get my hands on any others. I might try the movie, though!
Great.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Regine!
DeleteGreat post! I totally agree, we shouldn't judge people for what they read, especially if the target demographic of the film/book/show is younger than that person. I mean, let people enjoy what they enjoy. xD And I heard somewhere that kids' movies and shows are designed to have lots of humour for the adults watching too, so I don't think there's any shame in enjoying them! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melissa! And I agree on all of that. It seems like most kids movies have inside jokes for adults as well, so that adds an extra dimension!
DeleteThank you for reading!
AGREED. I've watched Tangled a thousand and one times and will probably watch it another ten thousand times.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I TOTALLY agree that people should be able to like whatever they like. Plus, lots of movies meant for younger audiences are really good.
It's the same way with politics. I may not agree with the other person but we can totally still be friends.
And I do like more "adult" stories but I absolutely HATE when authors/directors put in meaningless romance, swearing and violence. In my book, at least it kind of shows a point (long story short: the MC was a Christian, and now isn't and part of her story is revisiting her faith in God, and helping her find it again).
Anyway, great post as always.
YES! :)
DeleteExactly! I agree 100% - in fact, I think a lot of movies for younger audiences are even better when you watch it as an adult.
Ugh, yes, it's so annoying when they put it in for no reason. (Oh, wow, your story sounds awesome!)
Aw, thank you!
Yes! Definitely. I also revisit all my Disney Channel favorites (which is basically just Descendants but it was a pretty good movie).
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm cool with it as long as it isn't pointless (and with language it ALWAYS is). At least with romance it can be contained or proves a point (thank you, Battlestar Galactica for non-pointless violence and romance. And great characters.).
Thanks so much! Plus it's sort of an action/adventure/drama if that makes sense.
That's awesome!
Delete*nods* yeah, I agree with you on that - language is basically never justified. Even in super stressful situations, I know people who don't curse.
(is there a new Battlestar Galactica? I thought I remembered hearing something about a reboot, but I never heard more about it.)
Yesssss, action/adventure/drama for the win!!
Welcome to the comment section! I love hearing what you guys think and seeing you guys talk. Just remember to keep it clean, and as always, check back for my replies! <3
-Nicole