"You know he won't remember it" what do you say back?

[lustergirl]

OMG: I can't wait to take my new and only grandson. He is 7 months now. I am going to take him when turns 2 years old. I would like to take him during Halloween time and dress him up like a little pirate.

 

[Jarmo]

I ask if they'd like me to plan their next vacation for them

 

[tobikaye]

Not a parent, but a child that was only 1 year old on my first trip to MK in 1978, then the only park. Do I have any memories? No. Do I have many pictures from that trip? No, my parents were not huge picture takers. Have I heard stories from that trip? Yes. Do I think those stories helped shape my love for WDW? Absolutely. I still get excited when I see Pinocchio in the parks since the main story from that 1978 trip was that I scared the living daylights out of him when he bent down to look at me in the stroller. I was just fussy and he chose the wrong time to check out the kid in the stroller.

Now, I will say it is possible that a 2-3 year old might have vague memories that they can retain. My oldest memory is from when I was 1 month shy of 3 when my aunt brought my cousin home from the hospital to my grandma's. This is not from stories I was told or pictures I saw since I have never seen any pictures from the day nor can I remember any of us being told stories of the day we came home.

 

[E-P-C-O-T]

No, but, my DH and I will and he will get to see the photos and relive the trip with us. My DD first trip was at 7 months old, we were DVC and had the banked points from the year before that needed to be used and quite frankly, we needed the vacation. We had the BEST time, my DD enjoyed everything, the rides, the characters, the fireworks. We ended up extending our trip two more days because we just could not leave. My DD loves looking at the pictures from that trip and from all the trips we have taken since then and we all get a warm feeling in our hearts and lots of joy when we look at them. We took a picture of her in her stroller during that trip that is framed and in my living room and my FIL has a copy, my Mom, and my Sis because it's such a beautiful picture of her, you can see how much fun she was having in her eyes. YOUR son, your decision, now go have fun!

 

[tlmadden73]

I took my son when he was 2.2 years old . .and we had such a good time (on a short trip) that we went back to celebrate his 3rd birthday.

My mother was one of those "He won't remember it" people ..

Answer them thusly:
1) Okay, I admit it, "I" want to go . and I think it will be fun to share that experience with my child (just like you want them to watch certain shows, play with certain toys, where certain clothes, etc.)
2) They will remember MORE than you think .. even months later (my son mentioned things about our first trip before we went back for our second)
3) WE will remember it (and the people we go with) .. you can't put a price on family memories (at ANY age of the child).
4) The photos you can get nowadays documents the trip a lot better than most of us were kids (My parents maybe have a few shots from my trips as a child).
We can show him DOZENS of photos from his experience. We made a photo book for him that he looked at often and the memories stayed with him more than I would have expected.
5) Kids under three are FREE .. it doesn't cost you anything to bring him along besides the cost of a few souvenirs

But make sure you are planning it around THEM though.
If you can't go on Expedition Everest, Space Mountain and the like, don't even try, go on those "kiddie" rides you always avoid. Do you find Small World annoying, but your child wants to ride it several times? Do it! Find the Tomorrowland Speedway boring and smelly? Your toddler will find it the biggest thrill in his/her life thus far!
Not interested in Disney Junior Show? GO TO IT .. they will love it (and you will LOVE the look on their face when they see their favorite characters live)

Know what you are getting into too. Understanding the "unknown" a toddler can bring, we purposely planned SHORT trips (two park days and two "rest" days).
Don't take a 2-3 year old and expect to be able to move fast .. to hit the "big" rides .. to get a lot done, etc. Every child was different, but my boy (on both trips) needed afternoon naps. So we often spent 2 hours every park day sitting around and doing nothing. It was still fun being there (and relaxing for us) .. but you can't help but feel you are "wasting" precious time.

Hindsight:
Taking a 2 year old was a lot better than a 3 year old. My son was a different person this time around despite it being only 10 months later .. independent, stubborn, would throw fits and just made meals a headache due to be antsy and not wanting to eat. There was just too much change of activities for a three year old. This time around he had zero interest (and scared in some part) of characters.

Despite all that .. just seeing his face light up at certain things throughout the trip made it ALL worth it. I've already forgotten some of the headaches and fondly remember him running to hug Belle during Enchanted Tales, him beaming throughout the entire Disney Junior Show .. and him saying how he liked to "go fast" on SDMT.

 

[nilla]

"Indoctrination tends to work best when started early."

 

[NorthshoreTigerFan]

My kids love love love love LOVE watching videos and looking of pictures of themselves when they were too little to remember the actual experiences. Aside from the trip also being for the other people in the party, that is just about enough reason for me.

 

[patfan1972]

Now, I will say it is possible that a 2-3 year old might have vague memories that they can retain. My oldest memory is from when I was 1 month shy of 3 when my aunt brought my cousin home from the hospital to my grandma's. This is not from stories I was told or pictures I saw since I have never seen any pictures from the day nor can I remember any of us being told stories of the day we came home.

^^This. I can't believe other people haven't mentioned "vague" memories around these ages. While I can't remember every minute/day/week, I'm certain I can recall things that happened to me before I started kindergarten. This is especially true when looking at old pictures and hearing stories, but as you mention, even these aren't needed. You never really know what a kid will remember, good or bad, from very early childhood.

 

[gtpoohbear]

I never understood that argument. I mean, if the only reason to do things with babies/kids is because they will consciously remember it, we might as well just stuff them in a closet with a feeding tube attached for the first year or two. If they aren't going to remember you rocking them, singing to them, feeding them, etc, why bother??? By that logic anyway.

Just because they don't retain specific memories doesn't mean they aren't learning. Exposing them to new things, sharing quality bonding time with them - these are things that affect them on a much more fundamental level, even if they don't "remember" it.

 

[AngiTN]

Why is it your business what we opt to do with our vacation?

 

[alliecat523]

Agree with what everyone else said.

We took my daughter for the first time when she was 3. She LOVED it and still remembers things that were not photographed (like her dancing around the Poly in her Jasmine costume).

 

[KTwiegs]

This is why I love the Dis so much. You all are so wonderful and so right!
Non Disney people just don't get it!
We are so excited for our trip!
(And honesty if I didn't have a child I would be just as excited!!! Haha)

 

[cath1979]

what I can tell you is when my daughter was 2.. maybe she has not remember it as much as us..but I DO and the memory that I have about my 2 years old all exited about everything is the best memory ever.. And ..I have to say that 2 years later..she is still singing "it's a small world" and that is the only place where si heard that song.. so yeah..she still remember pretty well

 

[ktlm]

dDD was 2 on her first trip. She is now 9, and that 2 year trip is probably still my all time favorite Disney trip. I remember the absolute joy on her face for almost the entire week. Everything was real and magical to her. By the way- DD still does have memories from that trip. We have gone every year since, but we still hear- my first trip I did or saw . She is always right too. Sure, she doesn't remember everything, but it isn't totally gone either.

I did get those questions. My answer was always: "But I will" and I might throw in "Kids under 3 are free- next year she costs money". If I felt particularly feisty and it was someone with a kid of a similar age, I would say- "Well your kid isn't going to remember that Santa came this year or that you gave them Christmas presents either, so are you going to skip all that this year?" That usually shut them up.... or I might say "Well your kid isn't going to remember you took them to the park this week or the zoo this week either so why are you going?". They inevitably would answer that he or she does have fun there. And I would say "Exactly- are you trying to say that we shouldn't do things our kids have fun doing as a toddler just because they won't remember it later on?" "They sure enjoyed it while it was happening.". Or if it was someone who tends to be a pain and criticizes others- I would say "Tomorrow isn't guaranteed. Something could happen to any of us. What if later it turns out this would have been our only chance. I'm not going to not get every minute of joy I can with my child while I can, just because you don't think she will remember it later".

I always feel a little sorry for those people who say that they will not take their kids until they hit 40 inches and can ride the big rides. Just because your kid is 40 inches and CAN ride the big rides doesn't mean that they WILL ride the big rides. There are plenty of kids who won't set foot on the thrill rides even though they are well past tall enough. DD was 40 inches at age 3. Since then, she has ridden BTMRR once, and she hates it and won't get on it. Although she is now 55 inches, she won't get near RNRC, doesn't care for TOT, and will only ride Splash at DLR, not WDW (logs are different- she feels like she is going to fall out of WDW's bench log) . Plus, what you don't realize when your kids are toddlers, is how quickly they will lose the magic in this day and age. When they are 5 and get to kindergarten, they will likely have other kids enlighten them on the ways of the world. That is when certain kids started telling DD that things weren't real or that Princesses are for babies. DD still likes the princesses at age 9, but most of her friends gave them up in 1st grade. I wouldn't give up all those princess interactions or her in princess dresses flouncing around WDW for anything! Disney is still magical and fun when they are older , but not everything is real to them like it is before they are in school.

 

[Lori74]

have a great time! when I tell people we are going to Disney world I get a lot of "must be nice!" or "how can you afford that?" it makes me feel bad for a second then I realize, the remarks are about them, not me. one of the hardest lessons in life is to live it for you and not others. only you know what's best for you and your family. the answer, "i will" is perfect! use that with a smile!

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

Yes you will, you will remember the joy and wonder in your child's eyes and joy when he sees one amazing thing after another, when he meets the characters and rides the attractions. It called Disney Magic and Pixie DUST.

and whether the child remembers, yes you will, and in any case the child will remember the next trip and the ones after that.

The Magic will continue when your older and the child has given you Gods gift of grandchildren and the whole thing starts again.

so late one night when your awake and your running on those remembers though your mind, reliving all the Magic and Pixie Dust you can whisper thank you Uncle Walt.


AKK

 

[Rhombus]

We are heading back to our happy place at the end of January and this time we will be taking our then 2 year old for the first time!!!!
So excited!
But honestly I can't stand that everyone tells us that our son won't remember the trip.
What do you say back when people say that??

"It doesn't matter if he won't remember it. After all, the trip is for ME, not him."

 

[famy27]

Several things. Both of our DDs went to WDW many times before age 3 for so many reasons.

1) They are free under 3. This is the first year I have to buy four APs, and that is a painful bill.
2) We're making family memories and taking more pictures than you can shake a stick at. Older DD loves to look back at her pictures from early trips and see how WDW has changed. We also take the same picture ever year in from of EE and it's such a fun way to see how everyone has evolved.
3) They actually do seem to remember the trips. Last September, I was on the boat ride in Mexico. DD had just turned two in June. AS we were riding, she said, "Oh this is the one with the fireworks at the end." We had been to WDW in late May, so this was a memory she kept from four months back. And this wasn't something she remembered because we kept discussing it. I can't think of any context in which I would have mentioned the "firework" lights on the ceiling of the boat ride. It was totally and completely something in her memory.
4) My mother always says, "Begin as you mean to go on." We started our girls early on travel generally and WDW specifically, and they both love to travel so much and are amazing travelers. Just last weekend, younger DD asked if we could go to WDW that day. She's got a bad case of the Disney Fever.
5) I will never forget taking the bus back to AKV when we were staying in a Savanna view at Kidani. DD was 15 months, and she grabbed my face and looked right into my eyes and said, "Annn-eee-mals" in a way that made it very clear that she wanted that bus to hurry up and get back to the resort so she could see the animals from the balcony.
6) It's fun

 

[ErinCat]

Because once they are old enough to remember, they are also old enough to know that the characters are not "real". I will treasure the photos of my daughter when she was two and stood with the characters in paroxysms of delight.

 

[lustergirl]

I took my son when he was 2.2 years old . .and we had such a good time (on a short trip) that we went back to celebrate his 3rd birthday.

My mother was one of those "He won't remember it" people ..

Answer them thusly:
1) Okay, I admit it, "I" want to go . and I think it will be fun to share that experience with my child (just like you want them to watch certain shows, play with certain toys, where certain clothes, etc.)
2) They will remember MORE than you think .. even months later (my son mentioned things about our first trip before we went back for our second)
3) WE will remember it (and the people we go with) .. you can't put a price on family memories (at ANY age of the child).
4) The photos you can get nowadays documents the trip a lot better than most of us were kids (My parents maybe have a few shots from my trips as a child).
We can show him DOZENS of photos from his experience. We made a photo book for him that he looked at often and the memories stayed with him more than I would have expected.
5) Kids under three are FREE .. it doesn't cost you anything to bring him along besides the cost of a few souvenirs

But make sure you are planning it around THEM though.
If you can't go on Expedition Everest, Space Mountain and the like, don't even try, go on those "kiddie" rides you always avoid. Do you find Small World annoying, but your child wants to ride it several times? Do it! Find the Tomorrowland Speedway boring and smelly? Your toddler will find it the biggest thrill in his/her life thus far!
Not interested in Disney Junior Show? GO TO IT .. they will love it (and you will LOVE the look on their face when they see their favorite characters live)

Know what you are getting into too. Understanding the "unknown" a toddler can bring, we purposely planned SHORT trips (two park days and two "rest" days).
Don't take a 2-3 year old and expect to be able to move fast .. to hit the "big" rides .. to get a lot done, etc. Every child was different, but my boy (on both trips) needed afternoon naps. So we often spent 2 hours every park day sitting around and doing nothing. It was still fun being there (and relaxing for us) .. but you can't help but feel you are "wasting" precious time.

Hindsight:
Taking a 2 year old was a lot better than a 3 year old. My son was a different person this time around despite it being only 10 months later .. independent, stubborn, would throw fits and just made meals a headache due to be antsy and not wanting to eat. There was just too much change of activities for a three year old. This time around he had zero interest (and scared in some part) of characters.

Despite all that .. just seeing his face light up at certain things throughout the trip made it ALL worth it. I've already forgotten some of the headaches and fondly remember him running to hug Belle during Enchanted Tales, him beaming throughout the entire Disney Junior Show .. and him saying how he liked to "go fast" on SDMT.

I agree. When I do take my grandson it is going to be a whole new experience for us. I have never been when my sons were little like that age. I am going to need a stroller, a baby bag, etc. Definitely will be taking more breaks throughout the day. I have to plan my days around him.