Ideas on how to bring back the magic

[disney is my life]

Hello, i am looking for ideas on ways to bring back the magic for dd7. She's so logical about everything that she doesn't believe in anything at disney world. I love reading those posts about little girls who meet cinderella for the first and are totally starstruck and believe that that really is cinderella 100%. I've always wanted my dd to have an experience like that. The closest I've gotten to convincing her of anything was this trip on the first night i put out a display of new things on the table for her to use on the trip and told her they must have been from mickey. One of them was a disposable camera and she LOVED it and talked a lot about how mickey brought it to her. So I'm open to any ideas you may have of how to convince her all the characters are real and that magic kingdom really is magical. Thanks

 

[Hayliesmom]

I'm not sure if this helps but my daughter is 7 and she knows that people go to work at Disney but she believes that once you go and work there that you BECOME that princess. She actually plans on becoming Snow White at Disney World when she grows up. To me its like she has mixed together being logical about it along with the magic.

 

[Aliceacc]

I don't think you can change your daughter's fundamental nature. If she's logical and doesn't believe in the characters, then that's who she is.

But, as a 54 year old mom, I don't believe in the characters, and still have an amazing time! I think you just need to focus on all that's REALLY amazing at Disney... all the things they do like nobody else.

Hit the Fairy Godmailer thread and have someone send her a postcard from Disney, anticipating your arrival.

Get her a book on Hidden Mickeys and challenge her to find 100 of them.

If she's not into Princesses, consider meals at places like the Coral Reef, where the magic is real. Or a place like 1900 Park Fare, where the inteaction between the Stepsisters is utterly hysterical. Or the Hoop De Do Revue, where the jokes are fabulous.

 

[msmama]

My 5 year old, before our trip LAST YEAR (so at 4) told me he knew that everyone was just people in costumes. I tried to convince him that they were "helpers" like Santa's helper at the mall (Which he also figured out on his own).

That said, the longer we spend in WDW, the more he seems to "forget" that he knows that. I find that he does much better with characters at the END of a trip then at the beginning. In fact, he LOVED the characters at our last night Garden Grill dinner. Wouldn't let go of Chip and Dale (where earlier in the week he hid under the table at our princess meal).

I don't think you can convince her of anything, but Disney is still a magical place and you can show her that!

 

[disney is my life]

My 5 year old, before our trip LAST YEAR (so at 4) told me he knew that everyone was just people in costumes. I tried to convince him that they were "helpers" like Santa's helper at the mall (Which he also figured out on his own).

That said, the longer we spend in WDW, the more he seems to "forget" that he knows that. I find that he does much better with characters at the END of a trip then at the beginning. In fact, he LOVED the characters at our last night Garden Grill dinner. Wouldn't let go of Chip and Dale (where earlier in the week he hid under the table at our princess meal).

I don't think you can convince her of anything, but Disney is still a magical place and you can show her that!

That's the strange thing though she still believes in Santa (not the ones at the mall though) the Easter bunny and the tooth fairy but for someone reason she has something against the disney characters

Sent from my iPod touch using DISBoards

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Seven is a little old to believe story tale characters are actually real people (yes I think it's great when kids believe in Santa and other characters, but they eventually grow up!) and I'm not sure why you want to lie to your daughter or try to change her.

 

[Jonathan Swift]

Don't fight it. Maybe she's the kind of child that would love the tour on how Disney works?

 

[lost*in*cyberspace]

Don't fight it. Maybe she's the kind of child that would love the tour on how Disney works?

Find something she would like, not what you want her to like.

 

[BuzznBelle'smom]

I agree with the others--you can't "make" her be a certain way, just go with the child you have. Less time with characters means more time for rides and shows. Fewer character meals means eating at other interesting venues. Her logical mind would find much to love about Epcot, particularly.

 

[lukikam]

She sounds like she might enjoy pin trading or finding hidden mickeys.

However, even though she's not excited about it now, doesn't mean she won't feel the magic once she gets there! And if she sees YOU skipping and dancing to the music (like most of us do! ...she might get into "believing" again!

 

[chris31997]

Like the PP said pin trading and hidden mickey's.

There is also a program where DD can go and learn about the behind the sceneces. They have stuff for engineers, animals and other stuff. Sorry, can't remember the name of the program off the top of my head

Epcot and the fun of learning and seeing new places and people.

Make a game out of trying to trying to find out where everyone(CM) if from.

Have her stop and look at the sceenary of Disney. Have her describe it to you in detail.

Give her a camera and have her take pictures and journal her trip.


DD is 15 and not into princesses, was not even into them that much when she was younger, but she loves going and seeing and doing.


Edit:The program I was talking about is YES

 

[clanmcculloch]

My 15yo has high functioning autism. She's very logic oriented. She's never believed in these kinds of things. She loves the magic of Disney. It's kind of like role playing; you don't actually believe that you're the character you're pretending to be but that doesn't mean it's not fun to do it. Does she play any kind of make-believe with her toys? That's what all the characters and attractions at WDW are all about. You don't have to believe that they're real to let yourself be immersed in the fun of it.

I do think that my DD15 has spent as much time over the years trying to figure out the mechanics of how the attractions work as she has interacting with characters and submersing herself in the attractions but boy does she love WDW. That's just what she chooses to get out of the experience.

Despite what I just said, she's had some great character interactions. She loves getting into the role playing aspect of it and pretending that it's all real.

We never actually discussed whether or not the characters were real until one day she quietly whispered to me that she needed to make sure that we don't let her sister know that they're not real because that would ruin her fun. I think that was probably her way of acknowledging that she finally realized that others do think they're real. I don't think she ever did believe that.

 

[Pesky]

Agree with pps. Instead of trying to make her believe in something that her age alone will not let linger for long, maybe focus on new ways to bring the magic to her. Like pps suggested, tours, pin and/or vinylmation trading, special photo scavenger hunts, etc. Magic isn't just believing the characters are real. FWIW, my 5yo has already announced that they are people in costumes pretending to be characters but she is still excited to meet them.

 

[jadelane1]

I did see that you can order a welcome package from the Disney florists and they leave a tinker bell shadow on the wall in glitter or something like that. Its expensive but I would look into it, maybe that would help? I know how you feel, my son is ten now but has been like that since I can remember. We have pictures of him on the rides trying to look at how the ride works rather then having fun when he was five, lol. It's just the way he is so we just try and roll with it. We look for hidden mickeys and trade pins (He has been trying to collect all chip and dale cast member pins). Like I said he is ten and will be eleven by our next trip and he still finds Disney to be a magical place but just in a different sort of way. There are many little secrets to find in the parks too, we have a list to find in September. Good luck

 

[GoldieLocks5]

My 6yo son is starting to question characters being real - and has decided that any character that can't talk is just a person in a costume, but the ones who can talk (princesses, etc) are really them he's also good about only WHISPERING this info to me- so his 3yo brothers don't hear it.

He is still excited to meet characters he knows are not real. Hell my 18yo niece who came with us last year was SOOOO excited to meet characters. She was happier than the boys!

 

[RedHeadedFairy]

I think Magic comes in all forms at Disney World & it has a special quality that makes it highly contagious. I don't believe the characters are real but I'm a believer when I see the face of an overexcited 3-yr old watching them in a parade for the very first time & trying hard to contain his excitement.

My DD is 8 & hasn't believed in the characters in years, no different than she knows everyone is dressed up on Halloween. She knows that there is a big element of lighting, sound, decoration & atmosphere that help enhance the experience to make thrill rides more thrilling and little surprises more surprising.

She knows PUSH is a robotic toy controlled by an actor but still giggles & laughs & dances around every time we run into him in Tomorrowland. She oohs & ahhhs over the Castle Show & Wishes every.single.time. She loves looking for Hidden Mickeys & taking the parks at a slower pace & enjoying different foods she isn't always adventurous enough to try at home.

When she interacts with the characters, THEY believe in the role they play enough for both of them & for a short time, she forgets the logic & just interacts. For that moment it's utter magic & did I mention it's contagious?

 

[chekhovgirl]

I was hoping my boys would enjoy the characters, etc., too the first time we went, and they did like seeing them, but even my 2 year old pointed out that they were just people in costumes. I think it's possible for kids to enjoy it without actually believing it's real. I would focus on things that will make her really happy rather than ways to get her to "believe".

Boy was I glad that we didn't end up doing a character meal! They really couldn't have cared.

Hello, i am looking for ideas on ways to bring back the magic for dd7. She's so logical about everything that she doesn't believe in anything at disney world. I love reading those posts about little girls who meet cinderella for the first and are totally starstruck and believe that that really is cinderella 100%. I've always wanted my dd to have an experience like that. The closest I've gotten to convincing her of anything was this trip on the first night i put out a display of new things on the table for her to use on the trip and told her they must have been from mickey. One of them was a disposable camera and she LOVED it and talked a lot about how mickey brought it to her. So I'm open to any ideas you may have of how to convince her all the characters are real and that magic kingdom really is magical. Thanks

 

[PWammy]

Accept her nature for who she is and what it is; if she's logical and not so much into fantasy, maybe do some of the behind the scenes activities, or maybe Epcot would be more her thing; or maybe cruise rather than do the parks so she can get out and see the world, keep her mind humming.

I get a kick out of the fact that my 4 yo daughter is really into it right now, but at the same time, I don't expect her to "believe" in fantasy or magic; rather just enjoy it.

 

[Dallas_Lady]

Find something she would like, not what you want her to like.

Agreed. My daughter is getting to that point as well. We were on our cruise last summer and she said, "If Mickey is here, then who is visiting the kids at Disneyworld?" She has also noticed that the princesses don't look the same each time and has figured out that they are people in costumes.

That doesn't mean she can't find enjoyment and "magic" in other aspects of WDW. And frankly, I'm happy to not have to stand in so many long character lines

 

[Jill in Chicago]

I agree with previous posters who suggest going with who she is, versus trying to change her/recapture a stage in her life that has passed.

My boys were never into the fantasy of Disney, but still loved it! We simply go and enjoy. We never did special gifts on arrival.... but they still had a blast. We took our then 8th grade son on a special trip, just him, as his older brother was in Ireland on a college marching band trip.

We made such wonderful memories! Did he have the toddler Disney magic, nope, but he had the teen magic and loved the street shows in Epcot, the food during food and wine festival, our own pool at the house we rented, the terrifying rides at the water park, swimming with the sharks. He even chose to meet Push the talking garbage can.

Did he think Push was real? Of course not, but we laughed long and hard at the interaction.

I know you were simply asking for advice to make this a special trip, but my best friend often looks back missing the ages of her youngest as he grows up. What then happens is she is sad about the past, and missing the current, which then becomes the past, and you get the cycle.

I am NOT saying you are like this, just wanted to give you a quick nudge just on the MINOR chance that you are.