3 lessons Dads can teach their kids from Wall.E

I have just watched Wall.E with J and you probably know as well as I do, that it is rare to find a good movie with great values these days. We all know how hard it can be at times to convey big concepts to little minds and whenever we find something that captures the imagination of our children, we should use it to the fullest as a teaching aids. I guess the folks at Disney and Pixar have created a worthwhile film full of positive subtle messages for children and adults alike.

I am going to list 3 quick lessons that I have learnt from the film and you go make your own judgments. (I gotta admit I may be over-stretching things a wee bit) However, if you think this will in some way jeopardize your fun of watching the film for yourself, feel free to stop reading now.

 

1. Excessive love of ease can produce dire consequences
Imagine a world where humans did not have to work or lift a finger to do anything at all, so conditioned by years of laziness and non-movement that we are reduced to mere liquid food-gulping blobs. Cool? I think not. We are made for work and we need to teach our kids from a young age to respect the need to work hard for our needs. Unless one is incapable of working due to being physically challenged, one should work to support himself and our dependents. Let the kids start to understand this from school and I believe it will go a long way to form healthy foundational attitudes towards hard work.

2. Life has meaning ONLY when we begin to focus on relationships
I love the way that the animation guys and gals have set up the opening minutes showing how mundane Wall.E’s life was. Yes I know, I know, can’t use the word life cause he (it?) is technically a robot. You get the drift. All Wall.E knew was to spend the better part of daylight crushing wastes into junk cubes. He knew nothing outside of work. Sounds familiar, all we busy dads? All that changed when Wall.E the mobile trash compactor found EVE the vegetation evaluator. Our children need to know the value of relationships far above all material achievements. And they learn that from us by experience and imitation.

3. Don’t just sit around when there is a problem
There was a problem in the bridge and the captain was too weak to do anything. One of the most memorable lines from the film was when the captain proclaimed ‘We just sit around, that’s what we do all the time’. A very important mind set that we can inculcate in our young ones is the courage to face problems and look for a solutions on their own. We cannot and should not solve every single issue and setback for them. Their spirit and mental strength needs exercising every now and then. There will come a time when they will have to be on their own. Better to prepare them now.

Alright then. Go enjoy the film with your kids and tell me what you think. I would love to hear your comments.