I am old enough to remember going to see the movie in the theatre when it first came out! Later that year, my sister & I got a record player, along with two LPs -- the Mary Poppins soundtrack, and a Julie Andrews album of Christmas music. :) Later, when I was in high school, we adapted the movie as our spring musical production. (Our music teacher actually got the sheet music from Disney and wrote her own script -- which I now find amazing, given what I know today about Disney and its tight control of copyrights!). I was Mrs. Banks and got to sing "Sister Suffragettes." :) So needless to say, I know the movie well!
These are such great memories, Lori! I think my mom's family also had the soundtrack to Mary Poppins and a lot of other musicals of the time on LP. When we started watching them in the 1980s, she would often have a big burst of nostalgia for a film she'd only seen once or twice in the theater, but whose soundtrack she knew backwards and forwards.
And oh my gosh, your high school music teacher sounds AMAZING. Honestly, I am still in awe of middle and high school music and theater teachers. As a former high school teacher myself, I know what it takes to orchestrate large groups of adolescents to do ANYTHING, let alone sing and dance in unison. And while I think teacher-authored adaptations of beloved stories are less-common these days, I know for a fact they still happen. The scripts often cost schools an arm and a leg, so teachers will sometimes do it themselves at GREAT cost to themselves in terms of time and labor. It's awe-inspiring.
What a gift you gave that mom -- a safe place for her kid, a heads up about where he was, and help with reconciliation. It's really true that fraying the relationship between parent and child does more harm than good in the long run, even if it feels good in the short term. I grew up very close to one of my child free aunts; she had kids later in life and I was then very involved with her kids. But when I was in my thirties I found out she had been lying about my mom and sowing discord in my family for years. She was upset with my mom and accused her of "turning me against her." But the truth is, she did it herself by thinking she could deeply hurt my mom and retain her relationship with me. In the absence of abuse, we're all stronger if we don't undermine each other's unique roles in a child's life -- even when that child is grown.
This is such a nice response, Lacey -- thank you! I really appreciate the story you're sharing here. It's so completely on point.
As a former teacher and current teacher educator, I've seen (and been tempted to) a similar dynamic in the education world as well. In particular, teachers who are charismatic and beloved have to make a moral decision when students try to elevate them as "favorite" and/or talk smack about other teachers or their parents. The temptation is real, but giving into it has a high cost. Kids might not perceive it at the time, but adults sure do.
I love that you are focusing on Mary Poppins. It's basically the only movie I let me kids watch so it's very fresh in my mind. I appreciate your interpretation and totally agree with it -- I'd always been sad that Mary Poppins leaves, but I see now that it's the more loving choice. When the kids ask her if she loves them and she says "what would happen if I loved all the kids I took care of?" (or something like that) which kinda seemed cold to me! But that line aside, I see her vast wisdom. Thank you for this detailed take.
To write this post, I reread the screenplay, so it's fresh in my mind. Lori is absolutely right that the parrot's head on her umbrella questions Mary Poppins's claim in the final scene. And actually, after Mary Poppins says it's "as it should be" that the kids love their father best, the umbrella says something like, "I know you, Mary Poppins, you old softie, you can't fool me," and she closes his mouth with her fingers and says something like "That's quite enough of that!"
Also, I'm a big fan of your newsletter! I'm so glad to see you here. :)
The parrot head on her umbrella handle says to her as they watch the family leave to go kite-flying (something like), "It's like they love their father more than you!" And Mary Poppins says softly, "That's as it should be." :)
Thank you so much for this article. It was a missing piece of the puzzle for me. I have a friend with young kids who does not want aunties for her kids, in part because the kids then say when mad "I'm gonna go live with X, she is always nice". I don't think this article will change her mind, but it gives me an idea of how to navigate this in the future, as an auntie and even how to ask aunties to help with any kids I may have.
I’m so glad! It sounds like your friend may have some attachment trauma, poor thing. I hope over time she gets to experience support AS support and not as a threat!
I recently saw the stage musical version of Mary Poppins and would highly recommend it - they refreshed and shortened the plot a little and developed the characters of the father and mother quite a bit more. It's also just a fabulous musical! Glad to say they have kept the lesson that Mary's job is to heal the family relationships, not replace them.
Adults - I'm in the UK though so wouldn't have been the same production! It's on a national tour here at the moment. The kids who played the children were particularly good, so funny and natural performers.
Oh man, I could talk about that bank scene all day. I find it completely hilarious -- and it went 10,000 feet over my head when I was a kid. I really appreciate programming for kids that also thinks about the adult audience. Bluey is another such excellent example of this, as are many of my favorite kids' books.
What a beautiful writer you are Lisa!! The hint of academic analysis made my forever-student so happy to consume (and seemed SO spot on in my humble doctoral opinion :) I had never understood Mary Poppins that way and now, very gratefully, always will - and what a way to see the movie!
Side note - my oldest kid is VERY sensitive to scary things (she’s 5 and a half and we can watch literally not a single animated Disney or Pixar yet) but Mary Poppins is one of the very, very few actual movies we’ve all been able to watch as a family, which made this post particularly heartwarming for me 💙
Thank you so much, Katie! I'm always in a little tug-of-war about how much research and academese to bring into these posts, so I appreciate the affirmation!
I am old enough to remember going to see the movie in the theatre when it first came out! Later that year, my sister & I got a record player, along with two LPs -- the Mary Poppins soundtrack, and a Julie Andrews album of Christmas music. :) Later, when I was in high school, we adapted the movie as our spring musical production. (Our music teacher actually got the sheet music from Disney and wrote her own script -- which I now find amazing, given what I know today about Disney and its tight control of copyrights!). I was Mrs. Banks and got to sing "Sister Suffragettes." :) So needless to say, I know the movie well!
These are such great memories, Lori! I think my mom's family also had the soundtrack to Mary Poppins and a lot of other musicals of the time on LP. When we started watching them in the 1980s, she would often have a big burst of nostalgia for a film she'd only seen once or twice in the theater, but whose soundtrack she knew backwards and forwards.
And oh my gosh, your high school music teacher sounds AMAZING. Honestly, I am still in awe of middle and high school music and theater teachers. As a former high school teacher myself, I know what it takes to orchestrate large groups of adolescents to do ANYTHING, let alone sing and dance in unison. And while I think teacher-authored adaptations of beloved stories are less-common these days, I know for a fact they still happen. The scripts often cost schools an arm and a leg, so teachers will sometimes do it themselves at GREAT cost to themselves in terms of time and labor. It's awe-inspiring.
What a gift you gave that mom -- a safe place for her kid, a heads up about where he was, and help with reconciliation. It's really true that fraying the relationship between parent and child does more harm than good in the long run, even if it feels good in the short term. I grew up very close to one of my child free aunts; she had kids later in life and I was then very involved with her kids. But when I was in my thirties I found out she had been lying about my mom and sowing discord in my family for years. She was upset with my mom and accused her of "turning me against her." But the truth is, she did it herself by thinking she could deeply hurt my mom and retain her relationship with me. In the absence of abuse, we're all stronger if we don't undermine each other's unique roles in a child's life -- even when that child is grown.
This is such a nice response, Lacey -- thank you! I really appreciate the story you're sharing here. It's so completely on point.
As a former teacher and current teacher educator, I've seen (and been tempted to) a similar dynamic in the education world as well. In particular, teachers who are charismatic and beloved have to make a moral decision when students try to elevate them as "favorite" and/or talk smack about other teachers or their parents. The temptation is real, but giving into it has a high cost. Kids might not perceive it at the time, but adults sure do.
I love that you are focusing on Mary Poppins. It's basically the only movie I let me kids watch so it's very fresh in my mind. I appreciate your interpretation and totally agree with it -- I'd always been sad that Mary Poppins leaves, but I see now that it's the more loving choice. When the kids ask her if she loves them and she says "what would happen if I loved all the kids I took care of?" (or something like that) which kinda seemed cold to me! But that line aside, I see her vast wisdom. Thank you for this detailed take.
To write this post, I reread the screenplay, so it's fresh in my mind. Lori is absolutely right that the parrot's head on her umbrella questions Mary Poppins's claim in the final scene. And actually, after Mary Poppins says it's "as it should be" that the kids love their father best, the umbrella says something like, "I know you, Mary Poppins, you old softie, you can't fool me," and she closes his mouth with her fingers and says something like "That's quite enough of that!"
Also, I'm a big fan of your newsletter! I'm so glad to see you here. :)
The parrot head on her umbrella handle says to her as they watch the family leave to go kite-flying (something like), "It's like they love their father more than you!" And Mary Poppins says softly, "That's as it should be." :)
Thank you so much for this article. It was a missing piece of the puzzle for me. I have a friend with young kids who does not want aunties for her kids, in part because the kids then say when mad "I'm gonna go live with X, she is always nice". I don't think this article will change her mind, but it gives me an idea of how to navigate this in the future, as an auntie and even how to ask aunties to help with any kids I may have.
I’m so glad! It sounds like your friend may have some attachment trauma, poor thing. I hope over time she gets to experience support AS support and not as a threat!
I recently saw the stage musical version of Mary Poppins and would highly recommend it - they refreshed and shortened the plot a little and developed the characters of the father and mother quite a bit more. It's also just a fabulous musical! Glad to say they have kept the lesson that Mary's job is to heal the family relationships, not replace them.
Me too! It was a middle school adaptation in my case. Did the father have a backstory with a scary authoritarian nanny from his own childhood?
Yes!
Maybe we saw the same one! Was yours with kid actors or adults? It also had some different songs…
Adults - I'm in the UK though so wouldn't have been the same production! It's on a national tour here at the moment. The kids who played the children were particularly good, so funny and natural performers.
This was a great read and a really important message-- thank you!
The bank scene is gold (no pun intended). This was a great read!
Oh man, I could talk about that bank scene all day. I find it completely hilarious -- and it went 10,000 feet over my head when I was a kid. I really appreciate programming for kids that also thinks about the adult audience. Bluey is another such excellent example of this, as are many of my favorite kids' books.
Yes absolutely - a little something for everyone!
What a beautiful writer you are Lisa!! The hint of academic analysis made my forever-student so happy to consume (and seemed SO spot on in my humble doctoral opinion :) I had never understood Mary Poppins that way and now, very gratefully, always will - and what a way to see the movie!
Side note - my oldest kid is VERY sensitive to scary things (she’s 5 and a half and we can watch literally not a single animated Disney or Pixar yet) but Mary Poppins is one of the very, very few actual movies we’ve all been able to watch as a family, which made this post particularly heartwarming for me 💙
Thank you!
Thank you so much, Katie! I'm always in a little tug-of-war about how much research and academese to bring into these posts, so I appreciate the affirmation!