Good Guys and Bad Guys

 Disney seems to have the "formula" for Good Guys vs. Bad Guys down to a science.  When my elder son was about 18 months old, he became enamored with "The Jungle Book" movie, book, and characters.  Even with a cast of animals, except for the role of Mowgli, the forces of good and evil competed throughout the story.

With the release of each new Disney movie, we were confronted with the same blueprint of action - the benevolent vs. the malevolent.  Taking in and processing the story lines, my son became focused on who was "good" and who was "bad", which led to nightly reviews of these opposing influences.  When the narrative was "clear cut", deciphering individual proclivities was simple.  

However, just as in real life, the lines can become less distinctive when good people make bad decisions.  It can be perplexing, particularly when exploring that conundrum with a toddler.

"Let's talk about good guys and bad guys," he would say, inquiring:

"Is Baloo a good guy or a bad guy?".

"What do you think?"

"A good guy!"

My turn:

"Is Jafar a good guy or a bad guy?"

"Bad guy!", my son would respond definitively.

Next, he might query:

"Is Robinhood a good guy or a bad guy?"

"What do you think?"

"Good guy!"

Here's where it got a little sticky.

"Yes, he was good because his heart was in the right place, but he shouldn't have taken what didn't belong to him." 

And thus, the conversations continued, evaluating the behaviors of countless Disney characters, with special emphasis on those whose true natures may have been obscured by bad choices.

As my son matured and his world expanded, he began to see and hear, first-hand, the dichotomy of influences that exist.  He would listen to snippets of news reports, or see headlines in the local paper, which prompted further discussions about the exploits and decisions of those who made the news.

How does one explain, to a youngster, acts of thievery, violence, or deception?  We cannot protect our children from observing and even, at times, experiencing these ills. 

So, we arm them with knowledge. 

We explain, in the gentlest of terms, that the world is a beautiful, miraculous place- filled with opportunities, wonderments, and all types of people. We try to convey that good exists in everyone but it might not be readily obvious when someone takes the fork in the road that can lead them astray and alter their moral compass.

Time elapsed, and the dialogue between my son and me went from effortless delineation of common decency to deciphering the shades of gray that arose from the opposing force of iniquity.

He began to understand that, in addition to a magnificent universe of goodness, there existed outliers whose thoughts and actions conflicted with that well-being. One day, he asked me:

"Why is there even such a thing as "bad guys" in the world?",

Because a concrete answer to his very valid question escaped me, I opted, instead, to inject a bit of optimism.  Through my hesitation, likely undetected by him, I said the first thing that came to my mind:

"So that we make sure to truly appreciate the good guys!"

In his youth, he may never have been able to comprehend why some people make choices that hurt others, the environment in which we live, or the ethical fiber of society, but I was tasked with encouraging him to value and genuinely appreciate acts of kindness in its many forms, which seemed to quell his rising concerns about the "bad guys" among us.

For society, as a whole, may those individuals be few and far between, and may our sometimes-heavy hearts be lifted as we encounter others who exude integrity when faced with that fork in the road.  

Children are impressionable, curious, and observant, even if they don't always verbalize their ponderings.  Yes, let's talk about good guys and bad guys, and in doing so, honor the ones who make the world a better place.

© Cre8ive Writes, LLC  2022