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Following Your Dreams {The Little Mermaid Review and GIVEAWAY}

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I was eight years old when The Little Mermaid came out. I loved it so much that I even wrote a detailed account of the movie in my journal. For my art class at school, I remember trying to draw Ariel and working oh so very hard to draw her exactly as I saw her on screen. I erased one portion of her nose and lips and re-drew it so many times that the paper was close to having a hole as I tried to get it just right. And I remember throwing a little fit and crying because she looked like crap, ha ha! However, my mom told me how great Ariel looked and to be proud of how well I did and how long I worked on it, and to keep doing my best.Bailey is 4, turning 5 in September, and it was crazy that she hadn’t ever seen all of The Little Mermaid. Ariel is her favorite princess but we don’t yet own the movie. I knew we would be a great fit for this review because the magic of a Disney story would basically be unfolding itself on my little girl for the first time. And not just any movie! One of my own favorites as a little girl.  As soon as the movie arrived she was jumping up and down and so excited to put it in. I think we had the DVD for maybe 5 minutes tops before it was in our player.

Take a look at her, she’s enthralled: DSC_0626

She loved it, of course!  And it was just as much fun for me to watch it again and relive it through Bailey’s eyes.  She might even be seen combing her hair with an eating utensil nowadays.  Ariel is so passionate in following her dreams and most kids have amazing dreams for their life ahead. I want to help my children keep that excitement of believing they can become anything they want to. It’s amazing how confident a child can be—it’s one of my favorite things about children.

DSC_0612

It seems that at some point as they get older, they can lose that confidence in what they can do and become. They might succeed in some areas, and fall short in others, and sometimes those areas they fall short on can be the ones they so desire to succeed in!  It’s important to Dillon and I that we try and raise children who are ok to mess up, but to keep following their dreams no matter how difficult or daunting the steps getting there might seem. Ariel’s Dad was a little overprotective (don’t we all understand that!), but that didn’t stop her from following her dreams.  So we might as well support them while they chase their dreams, right?  As for Bailey, well she wants to be a ballerina, a soccer player, a mom, and a singer.  She is full of dreams and I can’t wait to see what Ruby’s dreams are!

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In the same way that my mom encouraged me to be happy with my drawing of Ariel when I was eight years old, we try to encourage our children to do their best and keep trying. We want them to explore new things, be open to many career paths, and not be afraid to fail sometimes! Life is full of so many amazing opportunities. It is so fun to help our kids discover what they are capable of–help them find their voice.  Because as a parent, I think they have some pretty great things to be and do in this world.

The Little Mermaid will soon be available for the first time in a Blu-Ray Combo Pack and HD Digital–October 1st to be exact. Share Disney’s modern classic with your family and you just might feel inspired yourself to follow some of your old childhood dreams and help your children reach theirs.

How do you encourage your children to follow their dreams? Answer this question by leaving one comment below and be entered to win a $50 Visa Gift Card and a Little Mermaid Diamond Edition Blu-ray Combo Pack!

Rules:No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “”#SweepstakesEntry””; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post”
c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 9/9/13 – 10/15/13.
Be sure to visit the Disney’s Little Mermaid page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

  3. I allow my little guy to explore our home and yard. Sometimes we make really big messes, but we have a blast! His favorite right now is exploring anything that can go (like cars, tractors, and power tools)!

  5. I help them by fostering their creative abilities. And we are always trying new things to broaden our horizons.

  6. My daughter, who just turned 4 a few days ago, loves art and music so I encourage her to be creative and I have her enrolled in ballet class.

    mami2jcn at gmail dot com

  7. My little men are only 2 years old and 10 months old, but I love to watch them grow and develop. I hope I can keep their curiosity alive and help them see all the possibilities of who they can become!

  12. After 4 boys and now 3 granddaughters, I’ve found the best way is to “ride in the back seat” — let them drive, let them plan the trip, and you just go along for the ride with moral support and occasionally changing a flat tire :)

  15. we always tell our girls how beautiful and smart they are. We tell them that whatever you can dream can be real. All you need to do is work hard at it and you can make it happen!! Thanks for hosting this giveaway. Little mermaid is our favorite!

  17. Delightful post! I love Disney!! We were frequent visitors there when my daughter was growing up. I encouraged her to follow her dreams by exposing her to everything I could. We didn’t have a lot of money, but we sure had a lot of fun adventures and learning experiences. As a single mom on a very tight shoestring, my hope was to lead by example and show her that ‘the world was her oyster’!

  18. I try to encourage my little one (16 mo) to be fearless, have fun and experiment. I’m sure I’m not doing something, but we are all learning! Hubby and I were just saying we need to get some Disney movies, this would be a great start.

  19. I try to encourage my daughter by always double-checking myself before saying “no”. Sometimes a simple change in my own attitude makes for the two of us having a blast together!

  21. I always agree with and try to encourage them when they tell me their dreams of what they want to be when they grow up, even this summer when my 4-year-old son was certain he wanted to be a circus clown (hey, at least it’s a fitting job for his personality!). :-)

  22. I encourage kids to go for their dreams and passions by supporting their ideas.
    tcarolinep at gmail dot com

  29. I try to tell them that they can do anything they try to do. I also have to point out lots to them that everything takes practice, and lots of it, nobody is perfect at anything the first or even the first 10 times. :)

  31. we have them try new things and continue to use their imagination, they can do whatever they put their mind to!
    daniellex at gmail dot com

  32. I encourage my son to try everything once, you never know what will spark a passion. When he finds something he loves, I make sure he has every opportunity to participate.

  33. I encourage my son to try everything once, you never know what will spark a passion. When he finds something he loves, I make sure he has every opportunity to participate.
    freddie8768 at gmail dot com

  36. We encourage our children to find their own voices through play, imagination and most importantly through showing love. My younger son has such a sense of freedom to be himself that he breaks into dance wherever he is! We want them to know they can be anything they want to be if they work hard enough and follow their dreams.

    mummytotwoboys@yahoo.com

  38. My kids are still pretty little but I love letting them use their imagination and always tell them they can be whatever they want to be.

  40. Their grandpa used to tell a story about people who worked at amusement parks measuring him ad telling him he was too short to ride the rides. So he’d stand up as straight as he could with good posture and he’d be 2 inches taller and able to go on the ride. When one of us gets tired and wants to quit, we yell “Two more inches” to encourage them. Because their dream is only 2 inches out of reach sometimes and we just need to stretch ourselves a little to reach it, but it’s totally worth it. IT WORKS FOR US.
    xo
    deannalw47 AT hotmail DOT com

  43. I never tell my daughter something she wants to do is impossible. And she’s smart enough that I don’t believe anything is anyway. :)

    chambanachik(at)gmail(dot)com

  46. Being supportive, positive and encouraging and always speaking positive words. Its so important to let them know nothing is impossible
    tweety800265(at)yahoo(dot)com

  52. Your little mermaids are adorable.
    Love the message from the Little Mermaid. :) I always encourage my kids to never give up, follow their heart and their dreams.

    amy [at] utry [dot] it

  55. The little mermaid is one of my all time favorite movies as well. I am buying it for me since I have all boys.

    I encourage them to try new things and not give up.

  56. I just make sure my kids know that I will help them in any way to pursue what their dreams are.
    nuthouse(at)centurytel(dot)net

  72. I support them and give them guidance to do whatever they want within limits.
    tamarsweeps-at-gmail-dot-com

  77. I encourage my kids to follow their dreams by supporting their ideas and the things they want to do. We work together to find a way to make the things happen that they want. At the same time, we instill realistic limits. We can’t fly into today, but if we study hard and work at it, we can get into NASA in the future and fly to space then :) You can have what you want, you just have to find a way to make it happen :)

    anastasia2013@gmail.com

  82. I encourage them to follow their dreams by signing them up for activities they are interested in, and letting them know they can pursue anything they want to
    stigay at Comcast.net

  88. I let my kids try new activities they are interested in, and encourage them to try their best.

    kellywcu8888ATgmailDOTcom

  101. I don’t have kids, but my parents always encouraged and applauded my interests. And later as a young adult, I did indeed follow my dreams :)
    adrianecoros(at)gmail(dot)com

  106. I encourage them to give everything a try once and if they like it then we stick with it and try to help them reach their goal or dream.

    fmd518 at gmail dot com

  107. I go to all my granddaughter’s dance recitals and games to show support for her dreams.
    smchester at gmail dot com

  109. Unlike my parents, I let my daughter join different groups and tryout for different events. My daughter use to be a wallflower and is now very outgoing. She got this way after auditioning and starring in several plays. I encourage her by working with her in these events and by praising her work.

  110. Your pics are beautiful! Thank you for sharing.

    I encourage my little great-niece by playing along with her imagination. She loves to dress up like a princess every day. She wants to be one when she grows up! I help her dress up and play with her and let her know that anything is possible if we work hard enough.

    zuzu.wilson(at)yahoo(dot)com

  112. I encourage my children by letting them know that every person is different with their interests and abilities. As long as they are happy and productive it doesn’t make a difference what they choose.

    willitara [at] gmail [dot] com

  115. I encourage her to follow her interests, she knows she can do anything she wants to through hard work. And anything that is truely something you want is worth it.

  116. My 25 yo daughter’s first- and favorite!- disney movie. We watch it twice a year to remember her childhood and the message that you can be your own person despite what your parents want!

  123. I encourage my children to follow their dreams by supporting them in all their in school and after school activities and helping suggest new activities to inspire them.
    lisalmg25 at gmail dot com

  131. I currently have no children, although I very much hope that we will be blessed soon. In the mean time, I’m in school to become a teacher and plan to encourage my students to follow their dreams… I will encourage them to work on their weaknesses nicely and will definitely support them in their strengths and encourage them to truly grow within these strengths.

  132. I try to encourage my boys through example. I always try to show them that the only thing that can hold them back is their own imagination. If they believe in something than their is always a way to make it happen they just have to want it enough to make that dream come true.

  133. Encourage starts by acknowledgement. We take their passions seriously, even the little ones, and give them the support to explore that passion more. If it has staying power, then we encourage them to set goals around the passion.

  136. One of the ways I help my children do the things that bring them joy is to encourage them to try new activites to find something they love to do.

    s2s2 at Comcast dot net

  138. I have always encouraged our children to dream big and reach for the stars. When they find something they like we all focus our attention on it as to help them follow their dreams!

    susansmoaks at gmail dot com

  139. I don’t have kids, but if I did I would never put limitations on their imaginations and lifetime possibilities if I could help it. I would raise them to believe in their powers and abilities.
    Angie
    14earth at gmail dot com

  141. I like to share stories of inspirational people with them. Ones who have succeeded against any obstacles to live their dreams. I let them know that even someone who is the best at what they do, was not great at first try. I expose them to as many activities as possible, and make sure they give them a good try. Yet, if their heart isn’t in it- I don’t push. I make sure they don’t feel they have failed. That everyone is different, and valuable, in their own way.

    fatesfrost@gmail.com

  148. I plan on unschooling, letting them learn what they like and focus on their passions instead of forcing them to do things they aren’t interested in

  153. I encourage my boys to follow their hearts and try to achieve their dreams. I let them know it’s okay to fail sometimes, because the only true failure is to never have tried.

  157. By helping them to believe in their self and that with a lot of practice and hard work they can accomplish anything wilcarvic
    [at]gmail[dot[com]]