Have you often wondered why your child seems to love the villains or the “bad guys” in movies? You might still remember when you were watching Transformers with your son, and instead of rooting for Optimus Prime, you heard him shouting “Megatron! Megatron!” Or you might still recall your daughter smiling with glee when the Wicked Witch finally got Princess Aurora in Sleeping Beauty. Are you somehow worried about why your child prefers the bad guys over the good ones? Are you afraid that your child might have the tendencies to become violent?
Well, fear not because your child is normal.
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It is quite natural for little kids to root for the bad guys instead of the good ones, especially during fight scenes. They do this not because they want to provoke you or to tell you that they would rather choose the bad over the good. It’s just that they are not fully aware that hurting people is bad. They just know that what the villains are doing is somehow similar to the strong emotions that continue to build up inside of them. When they watch the villains fight, they are somehow glad that what they feel inside can actually be expressed just the way the villains are doing it in the movies.
Children are often clueless as to what actions really mean. They have practically no idea that actions can either be good or bad. What they are aware of, are the strong emotions inside of them that they can’t seem to control. So when they see Orochimaru trying to beat Naruto in a fight, their emotions start to build up and they unconsciously feel happy that someone is actually doing what they only feel inside of themselves.
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More often than not, these villains look totally different from the rest of the characters in the movie. Villains look ugly and scary, and are often loners or live isolated from the other characters of the movie. So aside from the fact that children see their strong emotions expressed through the villains, they also see their personalities in the villains themselves. Children who are loners or rejected by others will have a tendency to identify themselves with these villains. They often feel happy that there is actually someone who is just like themselves – alone and rejected.
Villains, even though they are rejected by many, often possess superhuman powers, intelligence and strength. Researchers say that this is very appealing to kids, especially those who have very strong personalities. This type of kid loves the villains because these characters have the courage to say no to the rules and live any way they please while utilizing their superhuman abilities. They find it very appealing that villains are brave to face those who reject them and tell them to their face that they don’t care about what anybody thinks.
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However, it can be frightening when your children start to imitate the villains and begin to act on their strong emotions. You definitely don’t want them hurting their siblings, especially those who are younger and definitely powerless to run away from their “attackers.” This can be a perfect time to educate your villain-loving kids on the realities of good and bad. You have to make them aware that good actions are desirable while bad actions are not acceptable — under any circumstances! Tell them that a villain’s actions are definitely bad no matter what the motive may be.
It would take some time for your kids to really understand that some actions are good while some are deemed bad and unacceptable. So be patient as there will still be many instances when they will try to hurt their siblings or friends while pretending to be one of those bad guys in the movies. Just point out to them that in all movies it’s always the good guys who win in the end. Villains are always losers.