Reflections from Toy Story 5
I was a teenager when the original Toy Story movie was released. Being older did not deter me from watching the original or the ones that followed as I have always loved Disney & Pixar movies. I enjoyed the clever storylines in the Toy Story movies and the nostalgia of imaginative play.
My son was around two and a half when we adopted him. He quickly fell in love with the Toy Story movies. For his third birthday (first with us), he received Woody and Buzz Lightyear action figures and he was thrilled. Not too long after, Toy Story 4 was released and we enjoyed it as a family, along with some of the newer characters that were introduced like Forky.
My child is older now, but still we all went to the movie theater as a family to watch Toy Story 5. As we enjoyed the movie, we appreciated the relevance of the storyline and the memories we have shared with our son and his vivid imagination.
Here are some reflections we had as a family:
Let the kids play.
My son is one who very much loves toys. He has too many, partly because he never wants to discard old toys. It’s possible this was influenced by the Toy Story franchise. In his defense, he really does play with all of them. We have always been amazed at his ability to cycle through all of his toys and involve a diverse range of toys in an elaborate storyline. Like most kids his age, he loves devices. However, he still loves to play with his toys, and I am grateful. I know he’s growing up quickly and his time with toys will be over soon. However, I don’t want to cheat him out of being a kid. I want us to find a balance between maturation and not losing the desire to play. I think we, as adults, could benefit from continuing to find ways to play.
Devices can be helpful, but have limitations.
Technology is what allows us to stay in contact with family and friends in other states. Because we adopted our son internationally, our family and friends were not able to meet him until we came home. In the meantime, we FaceTimed. The first time he met them in person, he knew exactly who they were. The relationships had already been initiated through FaceTime. However, too much time on devices can restrict social and imaginative play. Of course, all device time is not created equal. As it relates to devices, our key takeaway from the movie is that devices may serve a purpose, but should not replace play.
Toy Story is something that hits home for many of us. After all, how many of us, as adults, were just as excited, maybe more excited than our kids to see the movie? Looking back on our childhoods, many of us were in a hurry to grow up and ditch the toys. Now, we wish we would have lingered awhile longer. Let’s encourage our kids to keep playing and using their imaginations to create new things. We might also take the opportunity to join them in making memories that will last.
