Lessons from Mary Poppins Returns

Six different images from Mary Poppins Returns

We recently saw the new Disney film taking the cinema by storm – Mary Poppins Returns. Before I go into it let me confess to something that might shock you – I’ve not seen the original Mary Poppins! I thoroughly enjoyed Mary Poppins Returns. Emily Blunt is amazing as Mary Poppins. She’s such a good actress! The music is wonderful and I can’t stop singing “Can You Imagine That”. Little Miss is asking to watch it again and she doesn’t understand that we can’t watch in on telly!

Anyhow I digress…. as I sat in the cinema with my girls, there were a few things that struck a chord with me….

1) Let Your Imagination Run Free

Lin-Manuel Miranda and Emily Blunt as Jack and Mary Poppins dancing with an animated penguin — (C) Walt Disney Studios

I absolutely loved the imagination that Mary Poppins brings out in the new generation of Banks children. A simple bath turns into an epic underwater adventure. A child’s imagination should be nurtured and I fear that I’m not doing this with my kids.

2) Refind Your Sense of Fun

Emily Mortimer and Ben Wsishaw as Jane and Michael Banks — (C) Walt Disney Studios

The now grown up Michael Banks has lost his sense of fun and joie de vivre. He’s now an adult and has responsibilities. He’s a character I can completely relate to (minus the family tragedy). I found myself questioning where has my sense of fun and adventure gone?

3) Remember, They’re Only Small

A smiling Emily Blunt as Mary Poppins — (C) Walt Disney Studios

There’s a line in the film where Mary Poppins turns to Michael Banks and tells him to lay off the kids as “they’re only small”. I often forget that my girls are still so young. Eldest is turning 5 this month and youngest still only 3 for a few months yet. I watched their little faces get excited by the music and watched them get scared by the Wolf stealing Georgie’s toy giraffe. That’s the thing that scared them most was the thought of their toys being stolen.

Oh how I wish we could back to those days when our greatest worry was our toys being stolen, we believed in magic and lived with a sense of fun. On the way home, and somewhat fitting as it was New Year’s Day, I decided I’m going to rediscover my childhood joie de vivre and be more of a fun Mam that my girls deserve. First job, take them to see Mary Poppins Returns again today!