AAHHH DD5 doesn't want to go

[ntburns22]

We leave for WDW tuesday morning. I could not be more excited. This is our first family vacation on our own. My DD5 has had a rough month starting with breaking her toe. As we were finishing up packing she said she didn't want to go. The only reason she would tell me was because she didn't want to miss school. Her school has no problems with her missing. We have little magical surprises planned for our trip for the kids. For example a dress from Cindy to wear to CRT. Should I start the suprises now to help get her excited for our trip?

 

[JESW]

She will have a great time! Do you have a special bag packed for her for the plane or car? My kids are now 6 & 10 and they LOVE their airplane bags. I pack them with a bottle of water, bag of goldfish, gum, few other snacks, some activity books, etc. DD6 gets new markers, new drawing pad and whatever other little treats I can find. I also get her some lip gloss - her latest obsession. Bribery works well.

Hope you have a great vacation!

Jill

 

[pklein09]

You could start now with a small surprise. If she's worried about missing school, tell her she can bring something back from WDW for her class. They sell lollipops with characters on the wrappers that aren't terribly expensive. They're in a 8- or 10-pack and under $5. You can find them in the candy shop on Main Street or in the building where package pick-up is located in MK. I've bought these for my 3 kids to share with their classmates. My kids feel good about sharing and the other kids get a little bit of Disney.

Have a wonderul trip!!!

 

[kpk89]

Maybe she's just worried that she'll be missing something at school?? My ds5 didn't know about our trip beforehand, but I had a feeling that he'd worry or be disappointed about missing the goings on at kindergarten. Would her teacher be willing to write your dd a little note giving her "blessing" and maybe giving her a job to do such as take photos, send a postcard, or draw a picture about the trip to bring back to the class?

As adults we can't think of anything more exciting than going to WDW but little kids worry about different things than we do - she's probably not worried about her absence being excused but maybe about a project/activity she'll be missing?

At any rate, rest assured that she'll likely rally once you're on your way. Who can resist the magic??

 

[ntburns22]

Thanks for the lolipop idea. I think if she could bring something back that would help. I know she will be fine once we get there. It is the getting there part we are having problems with. I did take her shopping for special airplane treats and activites too.

 

[pdarrah]

Another idea on something to bring back for the class.... My DS6 always brings back chocolate coins with the Disney characters on them. They are quite reasonably priced. Last year he had TWO classes (montessori in the morning and kindergarden in the afternoon) so we had to get enough for all of them! They also have princess coins, so since we needed so many he even got some princess ones for the girls.

We started this way back for his first WDW trip when he was in preschool (we are insane and visit WDW twice per year - DH & I started it long before DS was born!) to make going back to school more fun after the trip. Now it is a "tradition" in his mind and we have to do it every time. At his old school I knew that there weren't any chocolate problems with any of the kids. This year (next week! ) I don't know that, so I will probably also pick up a few alternate items to give to the teacher just in case.

My DS has occasionally said he didn't want to go right before a trip - but he quickly recovers! I think it has to do with the stress of leaving their familiar environment (their house, bed, toys, etc.) Once the trip starts, the excitement usually overcomes any regrets.

good luck!

pdarrah

 

[tmt martins]

When my DD was smaller she took back either pens or pencils back to the class.THEY LOVED IT

 

[ainmama2001]

I had Mickey send my dd her Pal Mickey to bring on the plane. If she's truly worried about missing school, suggest that you take part of your trip...EPCOT is awesome for this...and do a little report on each country. Take a picture of the buildings represented, sample some ethnic food and talk to some of the CM's there. Most of them are from the country they are working in. It would be a great way to assuage the guilt and it would give her some kudos from her teacher for making her "vacation" an educational experience too! She'll snap out of it once she sees that castle...I'm SURE of it!

 

[YourMajesty]

Those sweet little 5 year olds can have a negative streak in them! My DS(5) is insisting that he does NOT want to go to MNSSHP on our trip. I think they still have fears because they are still trying to seperate reality from fantasy. We will have to compare notes when we return. We are actually trying to take some of the surprise away so he will feel "secure" with what is going on around him. Good luck!

 

[mommaU4]

I have 5 yr. old twins and although they have not said they don't want to go, they do love being in Kindergarten for the first time and are going to miss it. Their teacher has asked that they both keep a journal to share with the class when they get back. I have a ton of spiral paper notebooks that I bought cheap before school started so I am going to get some Disney stickers and let them decorate the front and then on the inside we are going to add photos, postcards, maybe even some character signatures, along with their thoughts on the things they did each day of the trip. Then they can share it with the class during show and tell.
Also the night before we leave I have some new Disney p.j.'s I am going to let them sleep in. We are driving and getting an early start the next morning so I'll put them in the car still wearing them so we'll have them with us on the trip. I would definately give her a few things now to build up her excitement. And like the others said once you get there she'll have a blast.
Oh, I almost forgot. Do you have the Disney planning video? My 5 yr.olds watch it over and over, and get excited watching that. Have fun!!!

 

[kerry34]

My 5yr old twins had some pre-trip anxiety before our last trip, but once we were on our way they were fine. Sometimes it is hard to tell with young children if they could be worrying about something. I am willing to bet she will be fine once you go. On our last trip my girls got nervous because they thought we were moving there and they werent coming back home again, so I had to be more specific on our plans. I guess I just assumed that they realized that we were only going for a week. Then I thought about it and realized that their concept of a week for them is probably different than mine. They were also concerned about their belongings and the house for a bit, until I reassured them that everything was going to be fine at home while we were gone because the neighbors would keep an eye on things. The whole trip thing can be overwhelming for little ones. I am also going to bring back little treats for their classrooms. They want to buy them with some of their disney money, so my girls are very much looking forward to that. I bet your daughter would love picking some things out to bring back. Good luck and I hope you enjoy your trip!!