I was given the "wait and go when they all will remember it" lecture again

[deuceswild10]

OP I'm glad you posted this. I'm taking my kids next year when they'll be just about 2 years old. It will be a fun trip for all of us. Why shouldn't we go? I guess if it were an absolutely once in a life time experience we might wait, but we'll be back to Florida, not every year, but occasionally. I think Disney will be great for us b/c it will be fun all around and a nice treat for DH and I surviving and thriving with twins for two years!

We do things every day that they won't remember, but so what? Family memories and traditions have to start somewhere.

 

[spacemountainmom]

I used to be one of those people except that I would never say that to anyone else. My parents took me to DL when I was 1, 2 and almost 6. I have no memories of the first two trips and very, very few of the Kindergarten trip and those are mostly of other parts of the trip.

My dad wanted to take my dd when she was very young and I didn't think it was a great idea because of my own experience. My mom would tell me that she may not remember the trip, but WE would remember the trip and her reactions to it. My dad had a heart attack and quadruple by-pass right after dd turned three. He decided that we were going to WDW no matter what and that kept him going through the recovery process.

Grandpa had a fabulous time giving his little princess the WDW experience. The first night we watched the evening parade and as I watched my daughter enjoy the magic, I finally "got" what my mom had been talking about. DD is now 15 and been four more times, but she does still remember her first trip. DH and I will always remember that trip because of her reactions to everything and the extra special souvenir we brought home. The one dd would still rather we didn't.

Now, as much as I love going to Disney with both of them able to do everything....I have regrets that ds never got to see Disney until he was 8 years old.

I would say that if you can afford it....go for it and don't let anyone else rain on your parade.

 

[kkmcan]

I heard this once or twice too (esp after getting annual passes, we're in Fl) But you know what, NOTHING beats the look on a 2 year olds face when he sees PLayhouse Disney on stage , or your 4 year old girl practically in tears over watching Belle dance with the Beast. Our your little girl squealing over seeing "the princess'es castle!!!" or watching tinkerbell go overhead. Or your boy shooting at the evil emperor Zurg, theres a million moments we have experienced with a 2 and a 4 year old that I wouldn't trade for the world!

Completely and totally agree with this post!! Some of our best memories are when we took our kids when they were 3 and 6. DD was in love with the princesses and ds was beyond cute driving the autopia cars (in DL). He was obsessed with cars and we have the most priceless video of him "driving" (dad pushed the pedal, ds turned the wheel) and having the cutest conversation in his high pitched little voice! I cry when I see that video!

I miss those times since our kids are older now but I'm so glad that we went even though ds doesn't really remember being there when he was 3. The look of awe and joy on their little faces is something you'll never regret or forget!

 

[3pletprincesses]

I hear it all the time and it drives me nuts. The last time my mom said that, I asked her where could I go and have meals, entertainments and lodging for 2 adults and 3 kids for under $3000 then like a 4 yo child, I like to point out to her that we never travelled anywhere as kids and I was spoiling myself and my daughters. My parents only believed in saving money, buying extra large houses that take too long to clean and expensive furniture that no one could use by fear that it might get durty. I hated and still hate that lifestyle and my parents have a really hard time understanding that i love my little house and prefer taking that extra money to travel and take time with my daughters doing something that we all enjoy and making memories.


No matter what people say, they will remember parts of it and one thing is for sure, you will remember all of it. It's princeless to see the twingle in their eyes from morning to night. I am certain that on your last day, your oldest will probably ask to stay "just one more day, please mommy just one more"

 

[Ava]

I completely agree with this and will add... I will never ever forget my dd screaming at the top of her lungs when the Beast came out for a character meal...Snow White quickly came to the rescue and calmed her down...

It is a magical place for those who believe and for those who don't... they will wait and take their kids once and be disappointed when things don't go perfect. I for one am thankful that I have had the opportunity to return year after year to add more memories.

PS - My dd doesn't remember the run-in with the Beast!

My first trip to WDW I was 3 years old. I don't remember this, but apparently I was terrified of Goofy at our character breakfast. We have lovely photos of me with Mickey, Minnie & Pluto, but the photo with Goofy is me hiding in my mom's shoulder with Goofy about 10 feet away, lol.

We're taking DD to WDW for the first time in May. She'll be just turned 2, so I'm sure she won't remember a thing about it when she's older, but I know she'll have a blast while we're there and we will remember her little face the first time she meets "Mouse."

 

[Crystal824]

You're looking for the reason in the wrong place, which is why you can't find it.

This POV normally is not really about money, at least not so much as it is about the widely-held perception that adults do not LIKE to go to Disney World, and that they only go there to please their children. Therefore, it follows that if the children are not old enough to "appreciate" it, there is no point in going.

The simple answer is, "I'm not going for them, I'm going for me. I *like* Disney World, and watching them enjoy the moment is just a bonus."

This is totally us. We are taking our dd who will be 10 months when we go. As my DH likes to say, we aren't taking her to Disney, she is coming with us on our vaction meaning we aren't going for her sake. We are going because we want to and she gets to come because, well, she is our kid and we wouldn't feel right not bringing her...also we can't leave her home alone

If we were only going to go to WDW once with her or going just for her sake, then yes, we would probably wait until she was at least 5 or 6, but that isn't the case. We are going because we want to and she is more or less coming along for the ride. We will do things that she will be interested in that we might not otherwise do without her (Disney Jr. show, etc.) but we are mostly going because we want to go. That is what my DH says when people ask him why we are taking her when she won't remember it.

 

[C&G'sMama]

I haven't read all the posts but another one saying phbtt to your aunt. It's your money, your vacation, enjoy!!!
Our children will be 8 and 11 on our trip at the end of May. It will be DD's (11) 9th trip and DS's 7th trip. They each went on their first trip when they were 18mos old and have gone at just about every age in between.

It is so much fun no matter what age they are. Our daughter's favorite thing on our first trip was that we were outside all the time. It was December and we can't wear shorts in Western NY in December. She learned how to say grampa (my in-laws were with us) on that trip and she loved the ice machine.

What's really cool is looking back at each trip and it's kind of a road map of their growing up. From doing kid swap with both kids. To playing in the little kid laughing place at Splash with DS while his Big Sister went on a ride with mommy, to now where both kids go on all the rides. We look at those little kid places and remember when they were in those. We remember the pack and play in the room.

And you're never too old to go for that matter. My mother is 93 and will be joining us this trip. It will be her first time!!!

So go, have fun and treasure the family time!!

 

[Becky2005]

I basically don't remember my first trip as a kid other than I saw Mickey really wanted to see him but then it started raining and we went into the Hall of Presidents with my mom telling me we would see Mickey later and we never did... I do remember I thought the Hall of Presidents was the coolest thing ever though. I think I was about 9ish....I know it was in the 70's but I don't know when exactly. I don't think it was when the park opened (wasn't that '72? because I would have only been 4 years old & I'm pretty sure I was older than that when we went).

So, I was thrilled to get to see Mickey when we went last time.

On the FLIP side -- my mom tells us about this ride we went on that "the kid (i.e. Disney employee) at the entrance said it wasn't too scary" and apparently I was in one row of a boat with my mom & grandmother in the other row and I screamed my head off in fright and there was nothing my mom could do about it because they were stuck behind me and couldn't get to me. All I know is there were skeletons popping out according to my mom because I do NOT remember this at all. We think it was the Pirates of Caribbean ride but from my mom's description, it doesn't quite fit either. All I know is she was rather mad at "the kid at the entrance" because she asked how scary it was.

It was a running joke that I was going to go on some ride in 2005 and all of a sudden have flashbacks or something. I never did make it on the Pirates ride -- hmmm...my mom is coming with us this time around, I wonder if we will get to ride it and then I can ask her "was this the ride?"

Apparently the only memory my mom has is me screaming my head off and feeling bad. LOL!!! My own 8 year old son begged to go on Stitch and I knew what it was about so tried to convince him otherwise -- he went on and I basically had to talk him through it so he wouldn't scream his head off during it and that was the beginning of the end, since he refused to go into any other ride he couldn't see after that...but unlike my mom, I didn't feel guilty...since I had pre-warned him and the insane boy wants to go on it again now that he is older. I'm thinking "umm....that will be an end of the vacation ride". He doesn't really remember much of our vacation either.

 

[briarose]

My DH can't remember half of what we did last time....so apparently he should never go to Disney because "he won't remember it"

Thank you you made my day with that

We have been told this and I always say they are only going to be this age once and my memories of their experience are priceless! Also my now six year old completely remembers everything about Disney when she was four. Why because we talk about it and look at pictures. And my four year old never stops talking about the pirate ride, she was only two. Will they remember it forever--who knows-do they enjoy it in the moment -you better believe it! And I am all for enjoying life in the moment!

 

[jpeka65844]

I think this is a dumb argument. I mean, if we wait until our kids will REMEMBER something, then we'd never do anything.

When someone gives us the speech about taking our small kids, our response is, "Well, it's the only time in their life where they can go to Disney for FREE!" That usually shuts them up.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Every family is different, obviously. Some people see Disney as a once or twice in a lifetime vacation. For those people, it certainly makes sense to go when all kids are old enough to remember.

Other arguments include not wanting to have to take a stroller. Not wanting to have to take a diaper bag. Not wanting to have to deal with baby swap, etc.

Personally, it would be hard for someone to convince me to go with a child younger than 2 - 2 1/2.

 

[Becky2005]

Personally, it would be hard for someone to convince me to go with a child younger than 2 - 2 1/2.

I can understand that but it also depends on how many kids you have...usually the younger ones just get to come along for the ride and they get pretty used to it. They don't know any difference.

When we went last time I had an 11, 8, 5 plus 1 1/2 year old. My DH's arguments had also been he didn't want to go until the youngest was around 5 and then here comes baby #4....I put my foot down saying if we waited until the baby was 5, our oldest would be 16 before she ever got to go to Disney for the first time. That wasn't going to happen plus hey, the baby was free!!

 

[bas71873]

My parents took me to WDW 4 times from birth to 6th grade. I remember NOTHING from any of those trips? Why? I have no clue. I honestly just have no recollection at all?

We took DD when she was 4 1/2 and I swear more and more that my kid has an insane amount of memory space in that head of hers. She baffles me with the things she remembers (and not just about WDW. Just the random thoughts and memories that she recalls and talks about). She still talks about that first trip and she's about to be 8. Now we've been 2 more times since, but if she is flipping through photos from her first trip, she can go into great detail about what we did.

 

[bumbershoot]

My DH can't remember half of what we did last time....so apparently he should never go to Disney because "he won't remember it" (then again he doesn't like Disney so...).

So, you can wait 'til your kids are 15 but there's still no guarantee they'll remember any of it.

LOL...I don't remember quite a bit of our honeymoon (or wedding day for that matter)...should we not have had either?

 

[MelanieMichelle]

Don't get caught up in it. You're an adult. Taking your kids to Disney is legal in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. You don't owe anyone an explanation of how and why you choose to spend your money.

(And, for the record: if you wait another 5 or 6 years until your youngest "can appreciate it"-- what of your older kids???They'll be kind of past the whole Pirate/Princess thing then, wont' they??)

They may not remember what they saw or what they did, but they'll grow up remembering the way they felt.

So right! When people give me the same attitude I reply "I guess I should also save all the kisses and hugs I give them now because they'll never remember them when they're older."

 

[Fyrefly]

People still don't understand how memories from a young age influence children. I have sense memories of food I ate as a toddler in England. 20 years later I had some of those foods for the first time since then and it was the strangest happiest thing for me. I have half-disjointed memories of vacations when I was very young, and my parents have so many stories to tell me, it doesn't matter that I don't really remember. But all the stuff is there in my brain somewhere and I know it in part impacted who I have grown up to be.

Kudos to you for wanting to expose your kids to a world outside their own backyard. Regardless of where it is I think travel can never be bad. Those who travel young will benefit from it younger and be better at traveling than people who wait until the kid's childhood is half over to take them anywhere.

Life's too short and its a disservice to both the adults and children to put off traveling, imho. Those who try to convince you otherwise can shove it.

 

[Donaldswife]

Had this discussion with my aunt today and I am tired of trying to explain to certain people that my 2 and 4 year olds will have a lot to enjoy and get out of this Disney World trip we are planning. I know everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but why is the "go when they will remember it" theory always brought up in reference to Disney World and not other family vacation destinations? I can't tell you how many times this has been drummed into my head to the point where it sowed seeds of doubt into both me and DH's minds bringing us to almost cancel this trip on more than one occasion. I know it is a pricey vacation for many and isn't a vacation many people can do often in their lifetime; but no one says don't take a family vacation to the beach or don't go on a camping trip, or don't go on a cruise or where ever because your child "won't remember" or "appreciate" it; or don't take them to the zoo or throw them a nice birthday party until they are a certain age "because they won't remember it". But when you plan a family vacation to Disney World, this theory always comes up. I just don't understand it

WORST mistake I made was waiting until my DD was 4. I wish we would have gone earlier and more often. I don't give one hoot about what she remembers from her toddlerhood, I remember it, DH remembers it, and those are memories I would not trade for the world.

 

[elilala]

I don't know about your 2 year old, but your 4 year old will. I went when I was 4, and I remember some of the silliest details, like when I met Snow White while wearing a dress covered in apples, and how she was "so scared". I loved it so much that I had my mom get the same dress in the next biggest size so I could see the same reaction next time I went Also, about 2 years ago, we took my cousin with her grandparents with us to WDW. Her grandma got the same " take Shyla when she will remember" lecture from her friends. But we took the little girl anyways, and she loved it

 

[Sheepdog23]

I also use the better to go when they are free/cheaper because the older they get, the more money disney wants for the same stuff. My dd was 2,5 the first time we went and she thought the dinner we had at the GF with cinderella was so fantastic that she wanted to do that again instead of a day at the MK. I was thrilled because it was so much cheaper! I also think it is more relaxing to go with younger kids because they are not caught up in the give me more and more and more phase. My dd is now 6 and I know she will hit me up for BBB and tons of souvenirs next time. I also like that everything is taken care of and if there is any problem, Disney usually goes above and beyond what is necessary to fix it. where else can you get that kind of service? Oh and not to mention 6 months 0% financing on vacations? I would go more often if we could.

 

[21hearts]

I have no idea but I've gotten it in the past too. However my 3 year old still remembers our trip from last September & our trip we just took in February. At least once a week he says something about "when we were at Mickey's land". Yeah won't remember it my butt. My 2 year old special needs daughter still remembers meeting the Princesses for the first time and goes crazy when I show her the photos.

So when people tell me now to wait I introduce them to my kids who are huge Disney fans and can't wait to go back.