In May I posted about how the movie Frozen all but took over our elementary school’s arts festival. Girls were singing songs from Frozen left and right. These songs tap into deep, deep issues that girls face. “Do You Want to Build a Snowman,” one of the favorites, speaks to troubles in girl friendships. And “Let it Go” speaks to a central conflict for girls: when we have powerful feelings, we’re always asked to hold them in, but . . . maybe we don’t have to!
Here are a couple lyrics from “Let it Go”:
Don’t let them in, don’t let them see
Be the good girl you always have to be
Conceal, don’t feel, don’t let them know
Well, now they knowLet it go, let it go
Can’t hold it back anymore
Let it go, let it go
Turn away and slam the door…Let it go, let it go.
And I’ll rise like the break of dawn.
Let it go, let it go
That perfect girl is gone
Here I stand, in the light of day.Let the storm rage on!
The cold never bothered me anyway…
And here’s a link to the singalong youtube video.
Girls started singing this song all over the place — at the park, at home, at school . . .
. . . but there’s a backlash.
Yesterday I went to the Boys & Girls Club to pick up my kids from childcare, and I noticed a little sign. You know how at workplaces they often have signs saying how long it’s been without an industrial accident? It’s meant to encourage good behavior and stop people from getting hurt. Well, this sign said:
“Number of days without singing a song from Frozen.”
I burst out laughing.
Based on my experiences at home, here’s what I think happened: Girls started singing the song alone or in groups. Boys got annoyed. They started singing mutilated versions of the song. Everyone got louder. There were tears, maybe an exchange of blows. It turned into an all-out singing war. Something had to be done!
And since the song was the problem, it was the song that had to be stopped!
At home we have chosen a slightly different solution. There is a time and a place for singing songs from Frozen, and more often than not, it’s when the girl and the boy are in different rooms. When the girl and I burst spontaneously into song and the boy gets mad or sings a mutilated version, we do sing over him, but after the song is done we move on to another activity. When the girl tries to sing the song and the boy sabotages it and the girl ends up in tears, I weather the storm and then afterward we discuss it together.
So I know that putting up a sign is not the only response to the problem. Here’s hoping the camp counselors, and the rest of the grownup world, will figure out how to handle the backlash . . .
. . . without shutting up the girls.
Kristin Ann King 