Lessons Learned from the Lion King - By Heather Neds
Emma, a spirited three-year-old little girl with a rubber band holding together a little clump of hair on the top of her head, Pebbles Flintstone style, bounces happily around from one thing to another like a bee spreading pollen. As she moves about, her laughter fills the room and smiles are shared with each person she encounters. Her blue eyes, rimmed with a dark grey, draw you in, and they are framed by the longest, darkest eyelashes that you’d swear will swallow her up each time she blinks.
Her energy is boundless, she is happy and she feels loved. Already at three years of age, one can tell Emma is strongly independent and will take on the world ferociously. Even when watching her favorite movie, The Lion King, her body is at rest, but she is intently taking in each word and action of every character she sees. The message conveyed, “Remember who you are,” is one she seems, even at a young age, to grasp and apply to her life.
As Emma grows, it is clear she has taken to heart the lesson she learned from the wise Rafiki, medicine man (monkey) from the beloved The Lion King movie she has watched over and over. She is content with herself and doesn’t let the words or actions of others change what she likes, believes in, or how she acts.
Emma attended the same school every year since preschool. Many of her classmates she’d known since they were three years old. Through elementary school, she continued to be socially active participating in play dates and sleepovers, Girls Scouts, and basketball. At recess Emma played with everyone and was welcomed to join in whatever activities her peers were playing.
This acceptance in elementary school embedded the self-confidence Emma carried within. She was comfortable in her own skin, not allowing others to dictate what she liked or how she should act. She continued to be happy most of the time, and she wasn’t afraid to get up and sing or dance or even laugh at herself. These qualities were ones that allowed her the luxury of being friends with everyone in her grade.
However, in the seventh grade, this confidence was tested. Emma’s classmates began to make fun of her because of these qualities. Both the boys and the girls ridiculed her for not following the crowd, and she was no longer free to express herself without the harsh eyes of the other students. Those whom she had considered friends stopped including her in their plans, and suddenly, this social butterfly was sucked into a tsunami of teenage bullying. Emma began to retreat into a cocoon, wondering if she changed, whether they would accept her again.
The change was gradual, and it didn’t begin to affect her behavior or attitude at home right away. Emma was determined she was strong enough to handle the unkind words and tried to ignore that she was not being invited to the social activities many of the middle school students were attending. It wasn’t until her Mom volunteered to coach volleyball at the school did it become clear to her that there was a significant chasm among the girls in Emma’s class, and that her daughter was a victim of bullying.
Since Emma had been attending the school since she was three years old, the other kids, parents, and teachers were like family. Emma’s mom began to ask questions. Many of the answers she received were chalked up to middle school, pre-teen behavior. However, each day she could see the glint of joy that had regularly been in Emma’s big blue eyes fade, leaving remnants of that energetic little girl behind.
Since the response from the school and other parents dictated there would be no change made on their end, Emma’s family needed to decide what would be best for Emma on their own. They wanted to give her a new start, the chance to be herself and to be in a place where she was accepted, even encouraged, to not settle for mediocrity. Emma, courageously decided to leave the only school she had ever known and begin a new school at one of the most difficult times in a person’s life, the eighth grade.
The next few months were tough for Emma, knowing she was going to be leaving a school where she knew all fifty of her classmates, to a school where she would not know anyone. One day, after her classmates were particularly cruel, she went home, planning to jump into bed and pull her covers up over her head to try to drown out the bad day. To her surprise, when she entered her room, she noticed that her mom had left a red piece of paper cut in the shape of a heart on her pillow next to the Simba stuffed animal she’d had since she was six months old. Instead of getting into bed and crying, she was filled with peace, Emma knew in that moment she was going to be okay.
In order to make the transition smoother, she attended some summer activities through the school and immediately made new friends. It turned out that there were two other girls who were transferring from other schools, and the three of them bonded as they took a tour of the school together. Any nervousness or doubt she might have felt before was replaced with the excitement of a new school and the opportunity to start over.
The first day of school was also the first day of volleyball tryouts. At the tryout she became reacquainted with a friend she had met when in the fifth grade, bringing her friend count up to three. Emma was given a total boost of confidence and acceptance when she was picked to be a starter on the volleyball team. She also joined the choir, where she excitedly helped choreograph a couple of the songs they performed and even had a solo. The sparkle was back in full force and the butterfly was able to spread her wings.
When faced with the decision to change schools in the eighth grade, many thought it would be a disaster. Change scares people. However, Emma’s mom had learned that it is only through conflict that you can grow, and she believed in her daughter to persevere. Sometimes a person needs to start over, have a new beginning and clear the landscape so they can thrive.
All too often people stay in a situation, let others make decisions for them, allow obstacles to build up, and then lose themselves. We can lose sight of who we are. God created each person for a purpose, and though we sometimes get off track or weighed down, each day God gives us a new start. And as the wise old Rafiki from The Lion King said, “The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”
For Emma, those lessons she learned from The Lion King helped her overcome. They gave her the strength and confidence she would need when faced with opposition. They also gave her the courage to do something no one thought she was going to be able to do and then do it successfully. The circle of life is a seri
Her energy is boundless, she is happy and she feels loved. Already at three years of age, one can tell Emma is strongly independent and will take on the world ferociously. Even when watching her favorite movie, The Lion King, her body is at rest, but she is intently taking in each word and action of every character she sees. The message conveyed, “Remember who you are,” is one she seems, even at a young age, to grasp and apply to her life.
As Emma grows, it is clear she has taken to heart the lesson she learned from the wise Rafiki, medicine man (monkey) from the beloved The Lion King movie she has watched over and over. She is content with herself and doesn’t let the words or actions of others change what she likes, believes in, or how she acts.
Emma attended the same school every year since preschool. Many of her classmates she’d known since they were three years old. Through elementary school, she continued to be socially active participating in play dates and sleepovers, Girls Scouts, and basketball. At recess Emma played with everyone and was welcomed to join in whatever activities her peers were playing.
This acceptance in elementary school embedded the self-confidence Emma carried within. She was comfortable in her own skin, not allowing others to dictate what she liked or how she should act. She continued to be happy most of the time, and she wasn’t afraid to get up and sing or dance or even laugh at herself. These qualities were ones that allowed her the luxury of being friends with everyone in her grade.
However, in the seventh grade, this confidence was tested. Emma’s classmates began to make fun of her because of these qualities. Both the boys and the girls ridiculed her for not following the crowd, and she was no longer free to express herself without the harsh eyes of the other students. Those whom she had considered friends stopped including her in their plans, and suddenly, this social butterfly was sucked into a tsunami of teenage bullying. Emma began to retreat into a cocoon, wondering if she changed, whether they would accept her again.
The change was gradual, and it didn’t begin to affect her behavior or attitude at home right away. Emma was determined she was strong enough to handle the unkind words and tried to ignore that she was not being invited to the social activities many of the middle school students were attending. It wasn’t until her Mom volunteered to coach volleyball at the school did it become clear to her that there was a significant chasm among the girls in Emma’s class, and that her daughter was a victim of bullying.
Since Emma had been attending the school since she was three years old, the other kids, parents, and teachers were like family. Emma’s mom began to ask questions. Many of the answers she received were chalked up to middle school, pre-teen behavior. However, each day she could see the glint of joy that had regularly been in Emma’s big blue eyes fade, leaving remnants of that energetic little girl behind.
Since the response from the school and other parents dictated there would be no change made on their end, Emma’s family needed to decide what would be best for Emma on their own. They wanted to give her a new start, the chance to be herself and to be in a place where she was accepted, even encouraged, to not settle for mediocrity. Emma, courageously decided to leave the only school she had ever known and begin a new school at one of the most difficult times in a person’s life, the eighth grade.
The next few months were tough for Emma, knowing she was going to be leaving a school where she knew all fifty of her classmates, to a school where she would not know anyone. One day, after her classmates were particularly cruel, she went home, planning to jump into bed and pull her covers up over her head to try to drown out the bad day. To her surprise, when she entered her room, she noticed that her mom had left a red piece of paper cut in the shape of a heart on her pillow next to the Simba stuffed animal she’d had since she was six months old. Instead of getting into bed and crying, she was filled with peace, Emma knew in that moment she was going to be okay.
In order to make the transition smoother, she attended some summer activities through the school and immediately made new friends. It turned out that there were two other girls who were transferring from other schools, and the three of them bonded as they took a tour of the school together. Any nervousness or doubt she might have felt before was replaced with the excitement of a new school and the opportunity to start over.
The first day of school was also the first day of volleyball tryouts. At the tryout she became reacquainted with a friend she had met when in the fifth grade, bringing her friend count up to three. Emma was given a total boost of confidence and acceptance when she was picked to be a starter on the volleyball team. She also joined the choir, where she excitedly helped choreograph a couple of the songs they performed and even had a solo. The sparkle was back in full force and the butterfly was able to spread her wings.
When faced with the decision to change schools in the eighth grade, many thought it would be a disaster. Change scares people. However, Emma’s mom had learned that it is only through conflict that you can grow, and she believed in her daughter to persevere. Sometimes a person needs to start over, have a new beginning and clear the landscape so they can thrive.
All too often people stay in a situation, let others make decisions for them, allow obstacles to build up, and then lose themselves. We can lose sight of who we are. God created each person for a purpose, and though we sometimes get off track or weighed down, each day God gives us a new start. And as the wise old Rafiki from The Lion King said, “The past can hurt, but the way I see it, you can either run from it or learn from it.”
For Emma, those lessons she learned from The Lion King helped her overcome. They gave her the strength and confidence she would need when faced with opposition. They also gave her the courage to do something no one thought she was going to be able to do and then do it successfully. The circle of life is a seri
About Heather Neds
A joy seeker, mom of three young adult daughters and loving wife for 25+ years. She was encouraged by her scripture group to share her gift of writing and has published articles in Celebration Magazine and writes a weekly blog with prayers and reflections, www.weeklyscripturejournal.org
A joy seeker, mom of three young adult daughters and loving wife for 25+ years. She was encouraged by her scripture group to share her gift of writing and has published articles in Celebration Magazine and writes a weekly blog with prayers and reflections, www.weeklyscripturejournal.org
