Mary Poppins

Mary Poppins: a Disney film made in 1964 starring Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke, and David Tomlinson.  This movie has been a favorite of mine since childhood.  I have always loved the character Mary Poppins; I remember buying a Mary Poppins doll at Disney World.  She was so cool because she sang, knew Bert, and took the children on adventures.  That’s what I remember loving.  But after watching the movie today, as a twenty year old, I realized there are many layers to the story.  The social commentary is so insightful.  Yes, it is set in 1910 [although the original books were set in the 1930’s], but there are commonalities between now and then.  The reason Mary Poppins comes is to restore the family bond between father, mother, and children.  She does so by allowing the children to go places and feeding their imaginations with a chalk drawing picture and laughing so hard that they float up to the ceiling.  During her interview [which is more her making the decision than Mr. Banks], she says she has a cheery disposition and is “kind but extremely firm.”  I like that discipline.  She is warm and she is there for the children.  However, her purpose is to have the family, especially the father, realize his role.  Throughout the movie, he is continuously perplexed by her methods and often outraged, but in the end he realizes what is important.  

So how is this like today? Yeah, most people do not hire out nannies to take care of their children, but they sure do drop them off at daycare.  I love children, and I have had my fair share of jobs where I take care of children, but it always makes my heart strings ache when they are far away from their parents for so long.  I will give them the care and affection they need and more, but I will never replace that family bond.  Mary Poppins knows that too; she leaves when the family is together again, when they have that happiness and love that she has exuded the whole time.  In a way, there is no place for her.  She always has to move on.  When she is packing the children ask her, “Don’t you love us?” and she replies “What would happen if I loved all the children I said goodbye to?”  However, we all know that she truly does love the children and knows what is best for them.  I can relate to that feeling.  I have interacted with so many children and loved every single one of them, but I’ve had to move on myself in life.  I am pretty sure that the remainder of my life will be working with children and their parents to bring their families back together.  It is bittersweet to be a part of, but I know that God gives me the love for it, and He overflows out of me.  I guess that’s the difference between Mary Poppins and me.