Jim Pace

What’s next? Mickey isn’t a real mouse? Why Disney, why?

October 27, 2009 | 1 Comment

I am just certain that I will be the very first to scoop this story that is, well, literally everywhere. The Disney Corporation is now offering refunds to people who purchased the Baby Einstein videos that were, once again, everywhere. A 2003 survey found that a full third of all babies from 6 months to three years lived in a home with at least one Baby Einstein video! Alas… they might have been just as well off watching Days of our Lives. Even though this is a bit on the funny side for those of us who didn’t happen to purchase any of the vids ourselves, I am certainly among the ranks of those that have allowed my fear of parenting badly to cause me to latch on to products or programs that promise better results than I feel I could produce myself.

My fear is that I can often parent out of fear.

The problem with that is when I am parenting out of a place of fear I cannot allow my faith to come into the picture. And that is what is so damaging to me. The fact is that my wife and I are incapable of parenting effectively on our own. Simply put, we are not enough. But God provided us with critical support systems that give us a way to navigate. When we seek and sense the Lord in solitude and when we seek and sense the Lord in community, that is when things begin to happen.

I can often find that in my busy life, fear is a better shortcut. It is easier, it comes more naturally, and takes less time. But what I lose by taking the easier road is a level of intimacy with my family, my God and my community that is much more costly.

Even more costly than overpriced videos that make me want to pound my head against a wall.

Categories: Culture, General