Amusing Parenting Column

[MommyBoo!]

Soooo, are you all taking the poll? I did. I wonder what the poll will look like after the Disers get through with it?

If I had waited until my daughter was older, she would not have told all of the villians to behave and leave the princesses alone when we were getting autographs (with one hand on her hip and the other shaking her finger at them). My son would never have agreed to dress up as Peter Pan to her Tinkerbell for MNSSHP had he been older. We would not all know the monorail monologue by heart. Not to mention the photos, laughs and other priceless memories.

We know our kids and their limits. We adjusted for things at WDW. We had a blast and went back for more. And we'll keep going back. This year with a 20 month old. We are staying longer to allow for a more laid back schedule for her. I think we'll all survive and have more fun than ever!

 

[tedhowe]

It's not crucial to me that my DD (age 3) remembers the trip - but I bet she will.

My earliest memory in life is of my first trip to WDW. My parents took the whole family when I was 3. I very clearly remember being taken on Dumbo by my older sister, being scared at first when heading into the ride at IASW - then being fascinated by the rest of the ride, playing with my plastic Eeyore in the sand on the beach at the Poly (and breaking his squeaker by getting sand stuck in it - kinda like Wheezy in Toy Story 2).

The only memory I have before those is from the same trip - two days before arriving at WDW - of playing in the kiddie pool at the Howard Johnson's with my father.

I'm SURE that these memories are part of why I love WDW so much - and I would love it if we can give my Daughter some of those same sorts of memories.

WDW has so much to offer for so many different ages - great memories to be had for all. That includes the littlest ones.

Anyway - I'll step down off of my memory lane soapbox.

Ted

 

[WDWorBUST]

Sammi's first trip to WDW was in utero - I was 32 weeks pregnant. Her second she was 13 months. BOTH of those trips were different for us. Of course while I was pregnant I had restrictions - and yes...I missed some things....but I also had an entirely different trip than I had ever had before. And Sammi was our first - and only so far - child. That trip we slowed down - we did the waterparks for the first time and I did a lot of people-watching. We went with friends so DH still got to do the things he liked too. Sammi's 2nd trip was absolutely amazing. We slowed down even more and went off of her schedule. We never baby-swapped (not that there is anything wrong with it ) we just enjoyed her while enjoying something we loved. And seeing her enjoy it. She loved the parade at MVMCP and by the end was waving enthusiastically at everyone who went by with a big smile on her face. She loved just hanging out with mommy and daddy all day every day for 9 straight days - we both work and she stays with granny so something as simple as that she loved. We started late - took naps - and finished up our days early. But we were with her and the joy you could see on that baby girls face was priceless. Did she get tired?? Yes....we tried to leave before she got too tired and take a nap. Over a 9 day trip we never had one melt down. On more than one occasion we had others compliment us/her on how well-behaved she was. Getting off the Great Movie Ride at MGM a gentleman stopped us just to tell us that "you always worry when you get in the same car with a little on - "Oh boy - this is going to be fun" - but she was a total pleasure to be on the ride with and you can ride on any ride with us" --- talk about feeling good. Sammi will be 23 months our next trip and 25 months the one after that (those pesky AP's ) and I just hope she does as well. We are going with the same mindset that it's all about her. We're going with friends and their dd is 3 months older than Sammi and can be a holy terror right now - I'm just hoping Sammi isn't at that stage or doesn't go through that stage quite as drastically. She has been pretty low-key and laid back about everything so far so I don't think she will be. But if she is we will spend a lot of time at the pool and the water parks and playgrounds at the resort. It is vacation after all - and we are a family and should enjoy it together. Every time we talk about going somewhere else I always come back to - when Sammi is older and will enjoy it we will do that. She can enjoy Disney now. You can't say that about a lot of vacation destinations so I personally think Mr. Rosemond is smoking crack. Oh...but I will say, if a family isn't going to take multiple trips to Disney then I definitely understand waiting as well. My thoughts are - do what works for your family and trust that others are doing the same and don't judge them.

 

[Mom to Jordan]

Anyone else know that John Rosemand's baisc though is that you NEVER put a child first in a family??? I attended a workshop that he gave BEFORE I had a child and thought that this man has to be a little off. AFTER I had a child it really hit hard how off he really was. Yes we do make time in our family for parent time but so many times the kids just HAVE to come first and shoud come first . They will only be little for such a short time. My almost 13 year old that was 11 inches at birth is now level with me!!!!
Take those babies and enjoy those trips.

Jordan's mom

 

[SoCalKDG]

You can find so called experts in every field that say something different. The big mistake of the article is to include ages. Each child matures differently, each parent needs to see their own child and make the decision.

We are AP'ers at DLR and have been taking my daughter there since she was 3 months old. By 2 she liked to go on Pirates and put her hands in the air. Riding the rollercoaster in Toontown was also a favorite. Just before her 3rd birthday she hit 40" and now loves splash mountain and Soaring. We took our first trip to WDW before she hit 3 and are going again next month. She loves it all, and has a better memory than me(getting old at 40) of everything we do.

I think because she has been all her life, it doesn't overwhelm her. We also know not to keep her their longer than 6-7 hours(me too). So I'd say try testing your child at a local amusement park to make sure they are ready for a WDW vacation.

I'll bet the couple asking the question weren't Dis'ers. Probably didn't know about PS, FP, or which park to go to on what day, adding to the difficulties of the whole trip.

 

[KimWDW]

It seems like this guy has a bias against Disney in the first place. He refuses to use the proper name and continually refers to it as "Dizzy World." And he seems a little off to me. Kids are not supposed to get excited at the zoo? If the kids don't stay calm at the petting zoo, leave and don't come back for a while? He must have interesting kids. Zombies, maybe.

He's probably one of those nutjobs like Dobson. Not my kind of parenting.

 

[cinjam]

He's America's #1 parenting expert? (as noted at the bottom of his column). I didn't like his approach or advise at all. Hey, to each his own.

Me and my family - we've gone every year since our 1st son was 1 (skipped a year when I had DS #2). Had AWESOME vacations every time too! And we'll keep on doing it that way.

ETA: The percentages on the poll have changed. Now it's 27% disagree with his advise & 73% agree.

 

[dis-happy]

When I read that article, I was more disturbed by what the mom wrote in her letter, calling her kids demon possessed and wanting duct tape and a straight jacket to tie them up in. What kind of mom says that about her kids? To me, it sounded like she had no control and no parenting skills. When things get that out of hand, I think that most of us would take a break, head back to the room, allow the kids to de-compress. I once saw a mom swearing at her daughter in a store (not at WDW), the poor thing was only about 8 or 9 years old---this mom reminds me of that--the kids are acting like kids, she can't handle it and responds by blowing their behavior out of proportion and her ability to handle the situation into extremes. I hate to see what happens in this family when these 2 and 3 year olds are 12 and 13.

Rosemond's response didn't bother me much---yes, I happily take my kids at younger ages, and can handle things as a parent. But if I'm not mistaken, even the UG recommends that sometimes WDW is better experienced with older children. Looking from the point of view of a "once in a lifetime trip" that many people take with WDW (not DISers, obviously! ), it makes sense to do it later so they'll remember it. The same thing can be said about taking a child to a foreign country---a big expensive trip that the parents will want them to remember. We've postponed a couple of opportunities to go to France for that reason (and our trip to the Grand Canyon with an almost 6 year old is hardly remembered by him 5 years later, to my great dismay).

 

[Rachie0507]

I read most of that "article" wondering if it was for real! He doesn't give kids much credit, huh? Saying a two year old won't remember it in a week???? I have a two year old (hasn't gone to WDW yet, though I'm not against it) and I know that he remembers a lot (still asks me if that bug we flushed down the toilet two months ago is still swimming in the ocean!). For an "expert", he doesn't seem to give kids much credit. To each his own, I suppose. My in-laws have that mind set that children shouldn't go til they are older. Both my brother in laws brought their children when they were older but those families planned it as their one and only trip to Disney. And when DD announced to her grandmother that we were going to go she said, 'no you're not, you are too little' and looked at us disapprovingly! DH and I are going with the kids in December and we're already talking about a trip for 2006 also!!! Disney will be part of my kids' lives just like it was for me. And I turned out alright, didn't I?????

 

[ebarj1098]

The percentages have changed again on his poll. Its now 70 something agree and 20 something disagree. Makes sense I guess, nearly everone I know has told me they think my 2 & 4 yr olds are too young. (Including DH!)

 

[SuzieQMomof3]

I guess I have to tell my 10-year-old and 8-year-old we can't go to Disney until the 1-year-old and 4-year-old grow up more. Yeah, that's fair. Sheesh!

 

[lindaso]

I've thought Rosemond was a complete idiot for a long time now. But I love this article b/c if that many people follow his advice, the parks will be less crowded for all of us

 

[Stitch Inside]

I believe the DIS has influenced his poll. Today it's 68% agree 32% disagree.

 

[Cameo]

What bothers me about his advice is that he suggests that the parents "lie" and say they are sick so they don't have to go the family reunion. I'm not sure an ethical parent models lying as a positive action to their children. And then to also "lie" to the relatives, saying that they had a great vacation. I'm sure he said these things tongue in cheek, but if he is an expert, he should think before he says things with potential for bad behavior.

I have looked at our Disney vacations with our young children as a training ground for them regarding traveling. Of course we have had some trying moments regarding grumpiness, nervousness or sleepiness, but over the years they have certainly learned about flying, making a plan, waiting in line, trying new foods, seeing people of other cultures and languages, etc. I could go on and on. The positives have far outweighed the negatives.

In fact, I'm pretty sure that my DS5 started reading at 4 so that he could read the signs at Disney, his Disney books, Disney websites and Disney games!! Disney lights up his life. He is a subject matter expert and we are glad our trips to WDW provided his knowledge!!

 

[cinjam]

I have looked at our Disney vacations with our young children as a training ground for them regarding traveling. Of course we have had some trying moments regarding grumpiness, nervousness or sleepiness, but over the years they have certainly learned about flying, making a plan, waiting in line, trying new foods, seeing people of other cultures and languages, etc. I could go on and on. The positives have far outweighed the negatives.

Well said, Cameo!