No, I do not want to build a snowman.

Frozen.

I used to like Frozen.

When taking Esther to see it for the first time in the cinema it was wonderful. I instantly loved the score, the songs and the animation. The story itself was quite high peril. Esther, who had a new baby brother, was distraught at the lack of sibling compassion and loneliness of Anna. We had tears in the cinema, loud anguished shouts of, 'Why can't they see each other anymore?' - 'Why doesn't Elsa love Anna?' As her first feature movie cinema experience, it was a bumpy ride.

I was offering my assurances of a happy ending, based on my years of Disney knowledge. Usually it's all okay. (I mean, there is always the possibility of death. Think Lion King, Bambi, and Kocoum in Pocahontas.) Finally resolved, no eternal winter, true love and sisterhood!

Caught up in the whirlwind, we bought the DVD and soundtrack as soon as they came out.

I don't know if it possible to be addicted to a soundtrack but all the symptoms Esther is displaying point towards an obsession.





Esther's recent comments on Frozen:

'When I try to think of anything else apart from Frozen, I can't'

'When I wake up in the morning I hear the songs in my head'

'When will I get a long, blonde French Plait ?'

'Why can't I listen to Frozen? If I can't listen to it then why did we buy it!'

In her roleplay it's all about having magic powers. One night last week we found her asleep in bed with socks on her hands. In the morning I asked her why. It was because she didn't want her powers to shoot out in the night and freeze her baby brother.

So I have told Esther we aren't going to listen to the sound track or watch the movie for a while. I have tried to explain that she's a little bit too involved with it. I have tried interrupting her flow when she is singing, to correct her wrong words, pronunciation and verse order. I thought this would put her off, but it seems to have inspired her dedication to reach word-perfect recital . I have sung along but stupidly out of tune (pretty much my normal state of warbling) and yet she encourages me and says 'that's a good try, Mummy' or on grumpy days tells me to be quiet and leave the room.

I love my daughter. I love that she loves to sing and dance. But her Frozen fixation is concerning. We haven't experienced this before. Maybe it will totally blow over, until the next big hit.

Has anyone else gone through something similar?

Please leave comments / suggestions. I would be most grateful.

And please don't ask if I want to build a snowman...