Has this classic film been forgotten? Or are parents shielding their children too much nowadays?
I was very shocked this weekend when I found out that my step-kids have not seen or even know what “The Wizard of Oz” is.
What?
How can this possibly be?
I am suspicious that this is some type of pandemic of this generation, I have a couple of friends with children under 12 and they too have been deprived the joy of Oz.
Not only have they not seen the movie but the parents are oblivious to the fact that there are a total of 13 books written about the magical land of oz. Now I have read the books and yes they are a bit dark and I know that many children have been frightened by the flying monkeys (I was for sure but I watched it again and again), but aren’t parents overprotecting their kids a little too much these days. Life isn’t all sunshine and trophies; come on lets face it sometimes life is really hard and scary and as parents aren’t we supposed to teach our children to cope with all life’s aspects, including the hard and scary parts?
I know when I found out I was pregnant with my oldest one of the things I planned was all the things I wanted to share with him, not just how adorable I would decorate the nursery or what college he would go to.
First my love of books, I have read all L Frank Baum books and love them dearly. Now I am the first to admit that the books can be a little adult but the are perfect for the getting the imagination going. Lack of imagination is something that I am so sorry to be leaving our children in this age of video and internet.
Second my love of film, and of course “The Wizard” is in my top 10 classic kid movies, and I loved watching it with my kids every year just like I watched it with my mom, (yes the monkeys scared them too) but I was there to comfort them and to educate them that they were not real, and just part of someone’s imagination, and by using their imagination they could think of anything, they could go anywhere, and do anything. This movie also teaches great family values like the importance of family, and home. It teaches the value of appreciating what you have, and about heart, courage, loyalty, and love. It teaches about morals such as, good and evil, right and wrong, and honesty. They will see beauty and wonderment, like a horse of a different color. It is good old-fashioned family entertainment, which can be hard to come by these days.
Third my love of music, and what great music has “The Wizard of Oz” produced from “Somewhere over the Rainbow” to “Ease on Down the Road” to “Defying Gravity” these are some amazing classics and talk about inspirational.
love you my love(this is what happens at my house when you leave your computer open and walk away… awe, I luv u too BF) Ok back to the blog, lol
I shared all these things with my boys and yes they were a little bored with the movie after seeing it a few times, compared to today’s special effect filled films it can seem lackluster, but its a cherished memory now, those nights snuggled up on the couch and when we play movie trivia games at Christmas (a tradition in our house) there is almost always a question that if they hadn’t seen it they wouldn’t know. Most important they learned from this movie, we watched and discussed it afterwords, what they understood and didn’t, I explained to them. I read the book to them. We sang the songs together. They were encouraged to use their imaginations, to dream, to believe the impossible, but to always love home and family.
I will be sharing this movie classic with the steppies (and someday my grandkids) next time they come to visit. I will hold them when the monkeys scare them and reassure them that witches are not real. I will be reading them the books (guess what they are part of the Kindle classic freebies, sweet!) I will be playing the songs in the car so we can sing along. I am actually really excited to be able to share these things I love with them, and I hope that in the years to come they will appreciate that I shared this cherished family tradition with them. I hope they will appreciate the classics, be it on film, in print, or in a melody.
Most of all I hope that you share these things with your children and grandchildren.
Because there is no place like home…
Enjoy Y’all
Lizz
Life in a Different Direction 