Take a break from your school work to look back at some of your favorite Disney Channel shows of your childhood. Who knows, you might just learn a lesson or two!
Kim Possible
Ron Stoppable the Sidekick – even his name says that he’s not as capable as Kim, but he never gets jealous or angry and never blames Kim for this. Instead, Ron supports her; he embraces his own role in life and understands that he’s the main character of his own life, not Kim’s, and that’s okay. Ron is humble and because of this he’s happy. Ron reminds us that the being self-involved sets us up for failure. Ron is always there for Kim and anyone who needs his help, wit, or “Nacos” to make them smile.
The Proud Family
Penny lives with a family where everyone is in a different stage life. Penny, however, is constantly changing, growing up, and experiencing new things. Let’s face it: Change is scary. When our lives are changing, we’re vulnerable. We want reinforcement and attention from those around us. With a family so big and with everyone in such different places in their lives, Penny can’t expect those around her to accommodate her emotions and experiences. She can’t control the changes in her life or the people around her. The way these changes and people affect her can’t be held accountable for her problems. Until Penny accepts her role in these problems and removes her expectations of others, she sets herself up for failure. Penny reminds us to remember that we can’t be the top priority for the people in our lives, even those who love us the most. She teaches us to take responsibility for ourselves and focus less on our own selfish wants and desires. Penny is proud, but she is only part of The Proud Family, not the star of it.
That’s So Raven
We cannot control the future, as much as we want to and as certain as we are about what will or what should happen. It just isn’t possible. Raven repeatedly gets herself into trouble when she tries to control everything. Raven is a bit of a perfectionist, and like any perfectionist, she tries to solve a problem before it happens. Raven has good intentions, but we would be better served to learn from her mistakes and let things play out. When we stop trying to control or create perfection, the future seems a little less scary. When we don’t interfere, we aren’t responsible for the consequences. There’s nothing wrong with caring about the future and investing our time and passions, but obsessing and trying to prevent all harm from touching our lives sets our expectations sky high. This makes for a long and painful fall. Let go a little, and learn to accept things as they come. Stressing yourself out over something that doesn’t even exist yet just isn’t worth it.
Phil of the Future
Let’s face it, Phil seemed crazy to almost everyone he met at first. He was unique and a bit out of touch, but he was unapologetically himself. Phil saw none of his differences as barriers, even when the rest of the world tried to convince him they were. Phil is in a new place, a new time, a whole new world. In a way, going to college is a lot like time traveling. Like Phil, we are away from what we knew our whole lives, we are granted new independence, and we are surrounded by people from other backgrounds we don’t yet understand. Like Phil, we might make fools of ourselves. We might not always find the people who appreciate the things we love most about ourselves, and sometimes we might want nothing more than to go home. If you stay, if you learn, if you adapt, if you grow, you’ll be better for it. Learn how you fit into a new place instead of returning to the familiar. Don’t rush home to safety; build your safe space here. Celebrate yourself when the rest of the world won’t. Watch a few episodes of Phil of the Future and be weird with him, be lost with him, but don’t go home just yet.
Enjoy these classic shows of the early ’00s: laugh, reminice, and learn.
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