Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series has brought many smiles to families across the world. We have even seen live action movies based on the book. Now, the first book in Jeff Kinney’s worldwide bestselling series comes to Disney+ in the all-new animated adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Last week I got to preview the movie and interview Jeff Kinney. Look out for that interview soon in the Art of Fatherhood podcast. While watching the animated version of Diary Of A Wimpy Kid I thought about some of the life lessons we can talk to our kids about after watching this movie. This movie helps you start a conversation with your kids about some important topics. Here are two of those lessons I took away from from the movie.
Being Yourself Doesn’t Make You A Wimpy Kid
One of the traits that I admire from Greg Heffley’s best friend Rowley is that he is secure to be true to himself. For someone to do that in middle school is amazing. Rowley marches to the beat of his own drum. It was fine for Greg when they were in elementary school, but as they both go into middle school, Greg wants Rowley to tone it down a bit. Yeah, Rowley might get mocked or have a bully make fun of him, but Rowley is so resilient that he just keeps on being himself. Greg eventually realizes this and it even helps Greg make better life choices after learning this lesson.
Always Be There For Your Best Friend
All friends fight. No one is perfect. You are not always going to see eye to eye with your best friend. When you do have an argument with your friend you might stop hanging out with them for a bit. A true friend will always be there for you in the best and worst moments. I have kept my friendships from middle school and high school. Those friendships mean the world to me, but it does take work. As you get older you realize how important these friendships are in your life. So to make sure you keep these friends you have to put in the work and be there for them. Greg and Rowley are great friends and realize the value of their friendship even having a major fight. We can teach our kids about forgiveness and importance of being there for your best friend.
About Diary Of A Wimpy Kid Animated Film
Greg Heffley is a scrawny but ambitious kid with an active imagination and big plans to be rich and famous, he just has to survive middle school first. To make matters worse, Greg’s lovable best friend Rowley seems to coast through life and succeed at everything without even trying! As details of his hilarious – and often disastrous – attempts to fit in fill the pages of his journal, Greg learns to appreciate true friends and the satisfaction that comes from standing up for what is right. Watch the all new animated adventure Diary of a Wimpy Kid exclusively on Disney+.