As I've mentioned before, I've been trying to be careful to explain meanings and morals behind the movies Hunter watches to coincide with the worldview we're trying to instill in him (be nice to people, everyone is a human being, be creative, do your best and keep trying to do better, etc.)

Even though he's young, I've also been trying to mitigate the typical Disney take on romantic relationships. At least he's not a girl, so I'm not as worried about him waiting for someone to come rescue him. However, I have been pointing out things like the reason Prince Eric loves Ariel in The Little Mermaid is not because she's pretty, but because of her enthusiasm and delight in everything she sees. I also make occasional comments about needing to get to know a person before you fall in love, rather than the whole "love at first sight" thing.

But.
*looks a bit sheepish*

See, when I met Shawn for the very first time, something clicked. There was a sense of recognition, a feeling of, "Oh, I see -- this is what I've been looking for." Yes, we talked a lot that first week -- cumulative hours at parties, on the phone, our first date -- but I still thought that, in one week, there was no way that I could be in love with someone that fast. A week and a half after we first set eyes on one another, Shawn badgered me into admitting that yes, all logic aside, I was. Over thirteen years later, he's still right about it.

Anyway, I'm finding that my abjurations against love at first sight are a bit half-hearted, so to speak.

Meanwhile, after trying to explain the various complicated plot points and the reasons behind Ursula's schemings, what is Hunter's take on The Little Mermaid?

"Why is Sebastian singing a song? He's a crab! Crab's aren't supposed to sing!"


*shakes head in amusement at the sudden, uncharacteristic demand for linear, concrete realism*