civileng68
<font color=teal>That May scare the poopy out of m
- Joined
- Jul 23, 2003
First let me say I'm 30 years old, married with a 2 year old son. I've been an annual passholder to Disney for seven years. I've gone more times than I can count. I love it! Sometimes over the years, I found myself bored in going and still wanted to be there. It was confusing to even myself.
2 years ago, when my wife had our first and currently only child, we stopped going for a while. However, on business trips to Los Angeles I made sure to get to Disneyland twice over the last year and Epcot in March, all on business. I cant get enough, again even though sometimes I found myself bored while being there.............odd.
Tonight was the first night my wife, myself and my 2 year old child have visited WDW together. I'ts the first time my son has ever been. Though he'll never remember the trip and though he's too young to notice much of what's going on I realized something that's been a question for myself for three years now.
Three years ago, I invited a friend of mine to WDW. My wife was pregnant and didnt want to go. My friend had never been before. He grew up in Ohio and we both now lived in SW Florida. We took a long weekend and went up. Unfortunately he found himself bored most of the time and wanted to spend the rest of his time at Universal Studios. I really was shocked. Often I find myself the type of person who finds it odd to understand people's though processes and it takes years to figure it out, like in this situation.
My friend had nothing negative to say about WDW but just found it a bit disappointing and boring in comparison to other typical "theme parks".
Lately I've been reading on the Dis about people who were disappointed,
mostly on their first visit. Obviously many are not, but some are. This is what I've never understood, even up until tonight.
Tonight I feel like I had a bit of a revelation in my thought and understanding of WDW and those who visit, and those who love it and return regularly.
I grew up in a town just outside of Charlotte, NC and spent the first 22 years of my life there. I had a good childhood but sometimes we found ourselves in siuations where we couldnt afford to take vacations that were far away. However, as a kid I dreamed of going to WDW. Amazingly my mom won a radio contest in Charlotte when I was 8 years old and it was for a free week at WDW!!!!!! We stayed on site and all was paid for us! I dont remember much of that trip but I do remember a few things. More importantly it was a memory of spending time with my family that was special, beyond the normal daily process of our lives. There was no school. There were no distractions for my dad with his work. There were no friends of my parents around. It was just them and me. I am an only child but this would be no different if I were not. It was my parents and myself.
I grew up in a very very strict home, frankly more than the norm and definately more than necessary and I never had alot of great moments at home. However, when we were at WDW it was different. It was like it was my world and it was built just for me.
I never revisited WDW until I was 23 years old and living in Fl. However, I asked my friend when we visited and he told he me had never been to WDW as a kid.
Typically I'm not an overly emotional person. I was raised to be tough, and tough minded. Though I dont like that part of the way I was raised, it did give me a toughness to be successful in my career.
However tonight I felt in a very small sense, my life came full circle.
Tonight we were at WDW and it was a good time. However, later in the evening when Wishes began I picked up my son and held in while standing on Main STreet. I didnt even know how he'd respond to the fireworks. He's never seen them before. He loved then! He kept looking at me almost as if to make sure everything was ok with these big booming noises. Then he'd smile.
I gotta tell you, I cried tonight on Main Street during Wishes. Ok, I know many of you sapps cant keep it together on your own while watching it but I now know where you're coming from. I hate to admit I was crying. I was even hiding it from my wife standing with me. I couldnt even talk correctly during the show. I was trying to sing the song to my son and couldnt do it. I was such a baby tonight. Yes I felt like a girly man standing there sobbing under the cloak of my manhood.
(ok had to pause while typing when my wife walked by)
Anyways it hit me. So many people who dont like WDW never had any childhood memories from there. Those who do love it I've found often do have childhood memories there. Often those who didnt have a childhood memory there, simply cannot feel the the magic and thus cannot look behind rides as their form of entertainment.
For me, tonight was full circle as I got to spend an emotional and touching moment with my son. He wont remember it but when he I take him at 5 years old and older he hopefully will. He will then do the same with his children.
I think this makes WDW so special. It seperates it from everything else. It's a place that no place else can match it's emotional impact for those who spent timeless moments there with their families.
I love WDW and tonight discovered another reason why I do.
2 years ago, when my wife had our first and currently only child, we stopped going for a while. However, on business trips to Los Angeles I made sure to get to Disneyland twice over the last year and Epcot in March, all on business. I cant get enough, again even though sometimes I found myself bored while being there.............odd.
Tonight was the first night my wife, myself and my 2 year old child have visited WDW together. I'ts the first time my son has ever been. Though he'll never remember the trip and though he's too young to notice much of what's going on I realized something that's been a question for myself for three years now.
Three years ago, I invited a friend of mine to WDW. My wife was pregnant and didnt want to go. My friend had never been before. He grew up in Ohio and we both now lived in SW Florida. We took a long weekend and went up. Unfortunately he found himself bored most of the time and wanted to spend the rest of his time at Universal Studios. I really was shocked. Often I find myself the type of person who finds it odd to understand people's though processes and it takes years to figure it out, like in this situation.
My friend had nothing negative to say about WDW but just found it a bit disappointing and boring in comparison to other typical "theme parks".
Lately I've been reading on the Dis about people who were disappointed,
mostly on their first visit. Obviously many are not, but some are. This is what I've never understood, even up until tonight.
Tonight I feel like I had a bit of a revelation in my thought and understanding of WDW and those who visit, and those who love it and return regularly.
I grew up in a town just outside of Charlotte, NC and spent the first 22 years of my life there. I had a good childhood but sometimes we found ourselves in siuations where we couldnt afford to take vacations that were far away. However, as a kid I dreamed of going to WDW. Amazingly my mom won a radio contest in Charlotte when I was 8 years old and it was for a free week at WDW!!!!!! We stayed on site and all was paid for us! I dont remember much of that trip but I do remember a few things. More importantly it was a memory of spending time with my family that was special, beyond the normal daily process of our lives. There was no school. There were no distractions for my dad with his work. There were no friends of my parents around. It was just them and me. I am an only child but this would be no different if I were not. It was my parents and myself.
I grew up in a very very strict home, frankly more than the norm and definately more than necessary and I never had alot of great moments at home. However, when we were at WDW it was different. It was like it was my world and it was built just for me.
I never revisited WDW until I was 23 years old and living in Fl. However, I asked my friend when we visited and he told he me had never been to WDW as a kid.
Typically I'm not an overly emotional person. I was raised to be tough, and tough minded. Though I dont like that part of the way I was raised, it did give me a toughness to be successful in my career.
However tonight I felt in a very small sense, my life came full circle.
Tonight we were at WDW and it was a good time. However, later in the evening when Wishes began I picked up my son and held in while standing on Main STreet. I didnt even know how he'd respond to the fireworks. He's never seen them before. He loved then! He kept looking at me almost as if to make sure everything was ok with these big booming noises. Then he'd smile.
I gotta tell you, I cried tonight on Main Street during Wishes. Ok, I know many of you sapps cant keep it together on your own while watching it but I now know where you're coming from. I hate to admit I was crying. I was even hiding it from my wife standing with me. I couldnt even talk correctly during the show. I was trying to sing the song to my son and couldnt do it. I was such a baby tonight. Yes I felt like a girly man standing there sobbing under the cloak of my manhood.
(ok had to pause while typing when my wife walked by)
Anyways it hit me. So many people who dont like WDW never had any childhood memories from there. Those who do love it I've found often do have childhood memories there. Often those who didnt have a childhood memory there, simply cannot feel the the magic and thus cannot look behind rides as their form of entertainment.
For me, tonight was full circle as I got to spend an emotional and touching moment with my son. He wont remember it but when he I take him at 5 years old and older he hopefully will. He will then do the same with his children.
I think this makes WDW so special. It seperates it from everything else. It's a place that no place else can match it's emotional impact for those who spent timeless moments there with their families.
I love WDW and tonight discovered another reason why I do.
I think at age 20 on my first visit, standing on Main Street, and witnessed my 50 year old mother proceed to chase Donald Duck down the street exclaiming that she's loved him all her life!!!!! that did it for me!!! That's when the 'magic' began. ... and it's never stopped. thanks for the teary eyes from reading your post. Here's hoping you have many, many enjoyable experiences with your son. I know I did with my mom until she died 14 years ago. Those memories are precious.
