She’s not afraid of the wicked witch of the west. Or the flying monkeys.
I remember being terrified of both. Until I was like, thirty-five. It was my mom’s favorite movie and it was on ONCE a year. None of that on-demand nonsense. And she MADE us watch it. I remember hiding my eyes from the witch and huddling under a blanket as the monkeys swooped in.
Gaaaahhhhh! That movie had an impact.
Recently, we (with LOTS of trepidation) let Mayhem watch it. We had been talking about the story of The Wizard of Oz, and Mayhem had since, begged to watch it. But all Keith and I could think about was how much it scared us, as kids. And then she begged some more.
We decided that watching it with her, during early (read: not right before bed) afternoon would be best. So I sat down on the couch and she snuggled in next to me. The opening credits rolled through and the movie began. Mayhem was quick to ask “How long until it turns to color?” We encouraged her to sit back and watch the story.
She sat wide-eyed and taking it all in. I loved watching her LOVE it. When Dorothy stepped into MunchkinLand (and color), Mayhem’s face lit up. But when Dorothy began skipping and singing Follow the Yellow Brick Road, Mayhem was consumed.
But the witch … the witch didn’t seem to scare her. Not even a little! Mayhem simply asked “that’s just a lady in a costume, right?” I confirmed her suspicion that all of the characters were people in very elaborate costumes, and she simply smiled and bobbed her head as the next musical number played.
When it was all over, Mayhem immediately ran to her room to put on the most Dorothy outfit she could find. And she’s worn it every day since.
She’s declared that The Wizard of Oz is her new “most favoritest movie in the whole universe”. And in place of our daily walks, we now have daily skips. She carries Toto in a bag and sings Follow The Yellow Brick Road the entire way. I love that a classic from 1939 can still have such an impact. The singing, the dancing, and the costumes draw her in like nothing I’ve seen before.
But, I still couldn’t get over that something that terrified me so much as a kid, didn’t seem to scare her a bit. So I pressed the conversation. And she finally said, “The Good Dinosaur was WAY more scary, Mom. Way!” (For the record, I did have that feeling too as I watched TGD with her.)
And with that, she made me realize something I should have tapped into long ago. Times have changed. Stories that kids are exposed too these days are very different than when I grew up. Even the animated movies have some seriously scary characters and a parent seems to reach a tragic end in all of them. Side note: WTH?!?! Those movies feel relatable in a way that scares her. All the “what ifs?” that those stories conjure up in her mind feel very possible.
It’s given me a lot to think about. Is it a good thing or a bad thing that this generation is somewhat numb to the “scary”? Or has “scary” just changed? I don’t really have any answers yet, but the conversation in my head is ongoing.
In the meantime, as long as she continues to refer to me as Glinda, I’ll continue letting her watch The Wizard of Oz. On repeat 😉 And I’ll braid her hair everyday. And tie in bows. And I’ll hang onto our daily skips through the neighborhood for as long as she sees a yellow brick road.
I still remember watching Wizard of Oz for the first time when I was about 4 or 5 and I was TERRIFIED!!! I wouldn’t even walk down the hallway to my bedroom without my parents that night. It left a serious impression on me. Mom and Dad had to be very careful for a few years after that on what I could watch. BUT now my 5 year old nephew is watching Jurassic Park and it doesn’t even bother him!! Times have changed for sure.
Right?!?! We were SO worried about her being scared (having nightmares) and Keith and I agreed that we’d turn it off at the first sight of her being really scared. Crazy that she just sat there and loved it all. I was like you … afraid to even go in my bedroom 😉
Thanks for writing – I just enjoy reading about Mayhem’s adventures. I wasn’t afraid of the Wizard of Oz either, but my mom still reminds me that my sister and I were afraid of Michael Jackson’s Thriller video (which she “made” us watch with her because she loved it so much, until we told her we didn’t like it).
It is a different world, and social media often makes it feel scarier by making everything so accessible. Maybe Mayhem isn’t so scared of the characters because she knows she can create them. I wish I had a quarter of her creativity! Keep up the good work, mom!
Wow – you just took me way back!!! I SO remember the Thriller video and being terrified of that too!
It’s definitely a different world, I like to think everything just evolves and try not to get too hung up on how different things are than when I was a kid, but sometimes it’s just so stunning. And I do think you may be right about her just being excited about something to create out of it – that is how her mind works 🙂
Just wanted to say that that Dorothy outfit is ADORABLE!!!!!!!! 😀 And Moxie sounds like the perfect candidate for Toto 😉
Thanks so much! And yes, Moxie would make an excellent Toto … if she was willing to cooperate. So far, no dice 😉
No, no, no! I’m 50 and I have always loved Wizard of Oz. It has never scared me at all. (Blair Witch Project gave me nightmares as an adult though.)
WOZ will just always be amazing to some of us- that’s why it’s a classic.
The Wizard of Oz was my favorite movie when I was little — still is. For whatever reason it never scared me. Lots of others did, though. Pinocchio, for example, terrified me. I absolutely loved watching Mayhem discover the movie that, still, brings me so much joy. A simple reminder of innocence and adventure. Absolutely one of my favorite Snapchat series to date! (Though the baking adventures come in a very close second.)
Do you think since she has actively made “clothes” that she just has a better understanding that “the woman in a costume” is just that… someone acting scary? Either way… very interesting and such a cutie! I hope she enjoys her adventures on her yellow brick road!
You might want to consider showing her “Meet Me In St. Louie” while she’s in her Juxy Garland phase! Such a gorgeous film about family, with lots of paper dress inspiration!
I used to go back and forth between that and Wizard of Oz, when I was her age!