There is the obvious connection between My fourth birthday party watching the mermaid show and the story “The Little Mermaid”, but the connection goes deeper then that. When I saw the mermaids, I wanted to be a mermaid too and partake in all their fun. When the little mermaid saw all the people on the ship, she wanted to be apart of their world. The mermaid was a sea creature that always felt a strong connection to the land, where I am a land creature who has always been pulled towards the sea.
For me, birthdays carry special meaning. They symbolize new beginnings, new opportunities, and responsibilities being presented in someone’s life. For the little mermaid, the day of her fifteenth birthday was the day she was finally able to go above the sea. It was then that she saw the prince for the first time, who was also celebrating his sixteenth birthday. I thought my fifth birthday was going to present me with the chance to ride a pony in my backyard, but instead I had the opportunity to learn to roll with the punches and watch my mother handle a crisis with grace and skill.
Water was the common thread throughout all my family stories and entertainment. While the little mermaid wanted to get away from the sea even though that is the only life she had ever known and it is where her families lives, I cannot spend enough time on the water because it is familiar to me. I grew-up near the water. When I think of my family, I think of fishing trip, clam bakes, trips to the beach, and being together near or on the water. While the little mermaid wanted to escape from the waters which represented comfort and familiarity, I love the water because it is comfortable and familiar.
Even when that water seemed to be a terrible force in my life, such as the flood, it led to my family being all together. So it still have positive associations.
