*movie spoilers ahead.*
I just finished watching The Wild Robot and so many lines stuck out to me, especially one from Fink the Fox: “Fly Like You, Not Like Them.”
When Roz arrives on an island filled with wary animals, she’s immediately seen as an outsider. She doesn’t speak their language, doesn’t understand their ways, and certainly doesn’t belong; at least, not in their eyes. It’s a situation that many kids (and adults) experience daily, whether due to neurodivergence, disability, or simply being different from the majority.
At first, Roz tries to stay hidden. She watches, listens, and slowly learns how to communicate in a way that makes sense to the animals. She doesn’t try to become them but she does adapt to her environment, while also staying true to herself.
How often do kids feel they need to change who they are just to “fit in”? Roz never stops being a robot. She doesn’t become an animal. However, she ends up becoming an important part of the island community. That’s a lesson so many of us need to remember for ourselves and our kids, right? Real inclusion doesn’t come from forcing people to act like everyone else. It isn’t about erasing differences. It’s about recognizing that every individual, from a child in a classroom, to a fictional robot on an island, has something valuable to offer.
By the end of the movie, Roz is an important part of the island’s family. Her strengths are able to be utilized, while her new friends are supporting her and each other. They’ve all gone outside of their comfort zone and accepted each other’s differences. Isn’t that what we all want for our kids? To be seen, accepted, and valued exactly as they are?
Our world needs more Rozes. More people who accept others unconditionally. More opportunities for kids to be themselves. More spaces where no one is expected to “fly” like everyone else.
The best kind of world is one where we all fly like ourselves, not like them.
Just My MomSense 