Dear Eye View
My ex-husband is a Disney hater. He’s always held very strong opinions about the evil this company has done to the world, their financing of war conflicts, their stereotyping, and their indoctrination of young minds. We have a daughter and when we were married, I accepted that we would raise her Disney-free, even though I have fond memories of watching Disney movies as a child. So our 9-year-old daughter watches Disney productions when she’s with me, but I don’t know if she’s told my ex. I’m now remarried and my husband has family in California near Disneyland. He loved going there as a kid and would like to offer the same experience to his stepdaughter. My daughter wants to go but is fearful of displeasing her father. (My ex is also very jealous and has forbidden our daughter to refer to my husband as her stepfather, but that’s another story.) My husband argues that my ex does not have any say in the way we spend our money or where we want to take the girl for vacation, as long as she’s not endangered, and Disneyland hardly counts as “endangerment of a child.” We’re traveling to California in August so we have to make a decision. My ex will say that we had an agreement on how to raise our daughter and I’m violating it. Help!
—We’re Going to Disneyland?
Dear WGTD
I understand your concern. There’s an argument to be made for limiting any corporation’s hold on your child particularly one responsible for the Oz the Great and Powerful. As for how Disney spends its money, someone has to tell your ex-husband that Disney’s purchase of the Star Wars franchise doesn’t mean the company is actually in the military business. But I’m worried about your daughter’s fear of her father’s displeasure. After this vacation, you don’t want your daughter to feel she has to lie to him about what she believes.
Tell your ex-husband he has a point regarding the evils of hyper marketing to young impressionable minds. Parents have to be careful regarding what their kids watch. Tell your ex-husband to keep an open mind. Tell him you will be staying at the corner of Sesame Street and Main Street USA. Hope this helps.
Moody Eye View 