I have a great kid

[Skjhjb]

What a sweetheart! She reminds me very much of my own daughter, who is now 18. For the record, my daughter has never been like a previous poster described when they said: "The next trip to WDW, she'll be a teenager with too much mascara and a smartphone. She'll probably insist on bringing a friend along and going off into the parks without you; where they'll spend the whole day staring at boys and trying to find some bad decisions to make." It's not inevitable. Some kids are just nice, level-headed, thoughtful people, pretty much all their lives. I took my daughter to London, England a few weeks ago to celebrate her upcoming graduation from high school. She's not into makeup and boys, she's into Harry Potter, Sherlock and Doctor Who. I spent a good chunk of the vacation prodding her to do what SHE wanted and wondering why the kid kept turning around and asking me what I wanted to do. Then, finally, I asked her outright what was up, and she said, "Well, this trip is kinda all about me. England's my favourite place and we're seeing all the things I wanted to see. But it's your first time ever visiting here, mom, so I want to make sure you're having a good time, too!" Here I am, trying to make sure she's enjoying herself, while she's trying just as hard to make sure I'm enjoying myself. Have a wonderful time at Disney with your family. And I'm so glad you snagged the Frozen meet-and-greet! It'll be very special for you and your daughter.

I'll echo this as well. We have been very lucky with our girls. I have heard horror stories of girls who hit 13 and became unrecognizable hormone monsters. Sure, we had emotional moments, but nothing that made me wish the teen years would be over soon.

My oldest is very much like Magpie's DD..... Doctor Who, Sherlock, anime shows (and yet also Walking Dead and Hannibal...ick). My second DD is into makeup and boys and much more high maintenance than her sister.

But both of them, at 16 and 18, are super excited for this family trip. My oldest fully intended to stand in line for A & E for hours, before it was announced that they were moving and having a FP. Now we have a FP to see them on our first day instead. We did chat about Star Wars meals, but as a family, we decided we didn't want to give up two of our already planned ADRs (we have the dining plan) to do a Star Wars dinner. And that works for us, even though we are big fans.

It is all about what works for your family. Your daughter sounds like a lovely girl!

 

[JeremyGNJ]

Oh and thanks to everyone's kind words. I'm not the bragging type, but this one hit me and I had to share

 

[SA mom]

Awesome story! Planning a trip to WDW with the kids really does help them realize that funds are not infinite. What a great opportunity to teach our kids about budgets, planning, and making trade-offs for the sake of the entire family's enjoyment.

 

[2Tiggies]

What a sweet kid you have
It's always touching when kids remind us that they are more grateful than we sometimes think.

 

[2Tiggies]

Oh and thanks to everyone's kind words. I'm not the bragging type, but this one hit me and I had to share

It came across as sharing from the outset. Never struck me as bragging And you are right to be proud!

Awesome story! Planning a trip to WDW with the kids really does help them realize that funds are not infinite. What a great opportunity to teach our kids about budgets, planning, and making trade-offs for the sake of the entire family's enjoyment.

Totally agree

 

[OtherScott]

1. You have a great kid
2. Great kids aren't born - they're made
3. Congrats to you and mom and the entire sphere of influence
4. Posters can't fully appreciate your relationship, so they rely only on your words. I think cobright reads "We kind of swayed her away from it, because it's kinda pricey...Then we planned our Star Wars breakfast and I think she heard my wife going back and forth over whether it was worth the money...Yes, I'd like to, but if it's too much it's ok" and sees that maybe your daughter really does want this last shot at holding onto an earlier time.

This is where I yell amen: "I think it's important to SHOW a kid (as opposed to just telling them), that you cannot do everything. You have to weigh your options and pick the best choices, not just buy whatever is put in front of you because it's cool."

Your kids will feel better about themselves once they know they have the power to choose what they want most over what they want now.

 

[NoodlesMom]

Thanks for sharing. She sounds like a great kid! I'm a high school teacher and I'll tell you, thoughtfulness is rare. I have two great kiddos as well. We're going on a budget WDW trip this summer. They don't care what we do or ride, their just glad to be going back to the pool at POP. They know that our trips aren't cheap and they appreciate it.

 

[Magpie]

I got a private message on this thread from someone. They very lightly and politely said that while that one poster came off as kinda rude, maybe there's some truth in the fact that maybe my daughter wants to go to a princess breakfast. And that maybe I should consider both.

The truth is that I could. We make a good living, and could certainly afford to do several character meals. But there's a couple of reason that I don't.

1. I think it's important to SHOW a kid (as opposed to just telling them), that you cannot do everything. You have to weigh your options and pick the best choices, not just buy whatever is put in front of you because it's cool.

2. I believe that vacation is primarily about spending time together as a family. I feel that if you fill up your vacation with "experiences", then those experiences become the focus of the vacation. "What's next?" I'd much rather have vacation be relaxed family interaction with a couple of events intertwined, rather than a string of pre-planned happenings.

I think you make very good points, and it sounds like you're raising your kids very much like we've raised ours.

Vacations have BUDGETS, regardless of your personal income. Even from the youngest age, we made sure the kids understood this. There isn't a double standard where adults get to spend however much they want on whatever they choose, either. Everyone has to help budget.

This "you can't have everything" philosophy covers more than just vacations. My kids got gifts on birthdays and Christmas. If they wanted something non-essential during the rest of the year, the question was always, "Are you going to work to pay for it yourself? No? Then do you want it for your birthday or Christmas?" And you could see their brains ticking over, as they evaluated just how much they wanted this item, and what they were willing to give up to have it.

My kids have also both heard me talk through decisions such as, "My jacket is getting worn and I would like a new one and I really like the look of this one. But it's about 30 dollars more than I would expect to pay for a jacket like this, I could buy it if I truly loved it, but now that I look at it closer, I see that it has a plastic zipper. So, it's not going to last, and however pretty it might be, I really can't justify buying it. I'll keep looking." And now that they're older, I can hear them having the same conversations with themselves about their own purchasing decisions.

As a result, my kids never got the "Gimmes" that so many parents complain about and I now have two teenagers who are extremely responsible with their money. And who are thoughtful and considerate when it comes to spending their parents' money. Though our 16 year old son sometimes teases us that we don't have the correct consumer attitude for people in our income bracket.

 

[Planogirl]

Wow, this is a nice story. I was just thinking that I would have been all about Star Wars at that age too. The princesses never did appeal to me.

Besides the question about what character comes to mind if someone asks about a favorite is kind of odd too. I don't know about anyone else but I don't think of Star Wars or Marvel or even the Muppets as being about Disney characters. Maybe this is because they all existed so long before Disney had anything to do with them. Personally I think of Tigger and Goofy.

 

[Travelgrrl]

Besides the question about what character comes to mind if someone asks about a favorite is kind of odd too. I don't know about anyone else but I don't think of Star Wars or Marvel or even the Muppets as being about Disney characters. Maybe this is because they all existed so long before Disney had anything to do with them. Personally I think of Tigger and Goofy.

The Winnie the Pooh characters (ie, Tigger) existed long before they were co-opted by Disney - in fact far longer than the Muppets or Star Wars.

 

[rapunzels]

When we started planning our Disney trip, my daughter (11) wanted to do the Princess Breakfast like she did when she was 5. We kind of swayed her away from it, because it's kinda pricey, and she's not really even into princesses anymore.

Then we planned our Star Wars breakfast and I think she heard my wife going back and forth over whether it was worth the money. The whole family decided this was worth it and more cool than the princess breakfast anyway.

So today when the Anna and Elsa FP+'s were released, I grabbed one. I wasn't sure if my daughter would even want to bother but I figured I'd grab one while I was able. So then I called my wife and asked if they wanted to see A&E. She called to DD from the other room and said "Hey, Emily, do you want to see Anna and Elsa when we go to Disney?"

Her response: "Yes, I'd like to, but if it's too much it's ok"

She must have thought it cost money to see them like the character breakfast. So happy I don't have a spoiled kid, and that she thinks of others but herself. She just earned herself some Disney Dollars.

Sounds like my 11 year old daughter and your 11 year old daughter would be great friends.. just yesterday my daughter and I were talking about the warmer weather, and I told her we should go shopping to buy her another pair of sandals, since they allow girls in middle school to wear sandals to school.. she recently started wearing her flip flops to school.. maybe a week ago... I asked her what type of sandal she might want to get... she told me she liked the look of an ankle type gladiator sandal.... but she was good with her flip flops, since the other sandals were probably too expensive...

....warmed my heart probably as much as your daughters comment warmed your heart!! I don't have a spoiled kid! I don't do everything right, but maybe I did something right somewhere along the way!

I think it is perfectly fine for a child to think there are limitations on the things they want. So many kids these days don't understand the difference between a want and need. Sometimes, I think adults struggle with that too... As a parent, my job is to meet all of my child's needs, and know my child is confident that I will meet all of their needs... what isn't my job is to meet all of my child's wants... will I give her some of her wants, absolutely... will I give her all of them.. not a chance. ... will my daughter end up with her gladiator sandal? You betcha... and it will not be because she expects them, it will be because I want her to have them... and that is what makes all the difference in the world.

In your case... is not going to a princess breakfast going to make or break your daughter from turning into a well rounded adult? Nope... Will she not enjoy her Disney vacation because of it? no.... Will you be missing out on an experience with your 11 year old daughter? can I say, you are already on vacation at DisneyWorld!!!... I would hope you would get MANY opportunities to gleefully enjoy your daughter and family...

Have a fantastic vacation with your family! I hope you enjoy the Star Wars breakfast!! I totally want to go too! Hopefully they will offer it when we are at Disney in 6 months... Come back and give us a report!!! Who wouldn't want to go to this breakfast? The characters look so cute! What a fun NEW experience!

http://disneyparks.disney.go.com/bl...s-may-4-june-15-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/