My 5yo does NOT want to go to WDW

[amybowles9]

First, let me say, I absolutely LOVE WDW, would rather go there than anywhere else in the world. That explains why I have planned a trip for 6 days which is coming up in less than 2 weeks. Well, my DH and DS5 don't want to go. DH doesn't like to fly, and says he doesn't really want to go, but doesn't care. DS5 cries when I mention Florida. You can tell he gets nervous. We went last year and we drove, it rained all the way there but when we got to WDW weather was okay.

Anyone else ever even heard of such bizarre behavior??? 5 years old and does not want to go to WDW! I have considered cancelling.

 

[umbluegray]

That's very puzzling.

Do you know why your child doesn't want to go? Is it the flight? Is it characters? Could it be a specific character? Could it be your child has overheard your husband talk about not liking to fly?

I bet once you get to WDW your DS5 will enjoy it.

 

[Ahrizel]

My guess? Dh doesn't like to fly because he is scared of it, Ds picked up on this. To him, if Dad is scared of it, it's really scary-so he doesn't want to go. Has Dh flown before? Most people who try do fine, the anticipation is what does it to them. Unless the ride down scared him(afraid of rainstorms/thunderstorms?) or there a scary experience there,that's the best idea I can come up with. Hope you can figure it out.

 

[AndRu]

29 days until we go back to WDW and my kids (9, 7 & 6) are really looking forward to Disney except ... they're are petrified that terrorists are going to hijack the plane and crash it into building ala 9/11. My wife and I have tried to calm them down, explain that 9/11 won't happen again, that millions of people fly every year, that security has been beefed up to catch 'bad guys' but still they're worried.

My 9yr old is the biggest worry and I think her concerns are being transmitted to her younger brothers. We're making sure they don't watch the news channels and try to keep things up-beat about all the nice things we can do when in Florida. We've sat them down and made a plan of what each of them wants to do, rides, characters, water parks etc and this is helping as they're concentrating on the positive aspects of being there and thinking less about flying.

Maybe you could try the same with your child, if you have a Disney guide book or even the 'net you could show him all the magical things you can do in WDW.

Fingers crossed - Good luck.

 

[kmtca]

My six year doesn't want to go either - but has agreed as long as he gets to go to one of the waterparks (these days he likes to make choices different than his 9 year old brother and 4 year old sister).

 

[MissionMouse]

I would consider your 5 yo had a great time during his last trip and had no bad encounters with rides or characters.

Kids at this age learn most of their behaviors from their parents. I believe your child reaction is a behavior deriving from observations and hearing comments made by his dad. He might be emulating his father and now feels part of the daddy alliance.

You might want to talk to him alone, face to face, over a bowl of ice cream.

 

[marciemi]

AndRu - I'm surprised your kids remember 9/11. My youngest is also 9, and when we flew last year to California we hadn't flown since 2000. We were talking about the flight and I was surprised he wasn't excited about it (his older brother is a HUGE plane fan and is working towards his pilot's license). I asked him (privately) if he was afraid to fly, and he admitted he was a little. I then asked if he was afraid the plane might crash or if he was scared because of the 9/11 stuff. He then asked, "What's the 9/11 stuff?" I quickly changed the topic and talked about how safe planes were, etc. But both he and my 11 year old really have no recollection of it. Maybe because we're from Michigan and tried to downplay it (my oldest - now 12 - avidly followed it all then and remembers it still now).

To the OP - I'm also agreeing that it's DH's attitude that's affecting your 5 year old. I read in one of the unofficial guides a bit about not expecting your kids to be as excited about WDW as you are. It basically said they react to your excitement, and especially with younger kids (2-5), they'd react the same way, whether you said "Do you want to go to WDW?" or "Do you want to go to the garbage dump?" as long as you said it in the same tone of voice. Guess you have to get your enthusiasm to counter your husband's lack of it!

 

[gingermommy94]

My guess? Dh doesn't like to fly because he is scared of it, Ds picked up on this. To him, if Dad is scared of it, it's really scary-so he doesn't want to go. Has Dh flown before? Most people who try do fine, the anticipation is what does it to them. Unless the ride down scared him(afraid of rainstorms/thunderstorms?) or there a scary experience there,that's the best idea I can come up with. Hope you can figure it out.

This is what I was thinking also. I also agree with the heart to heart over a bowl of ice cream

Disney is such a magical place...even for me at 31. I truly hope that your sweet boy can come to love it as much as you do.

 

[paigevz]

despite the fact that we tried to shield him as much as we could. It was talked about at school, so of course he heard about it, and we didn't try to keep him from that, but he's always had a hyper social conscience, and we've shielded him from the news as long as he's been alive. At first because he was too young, and then because of his hyperanxiety about the state of the world.......asking about what are we going to do about global warming? How on earth can we help those kids on TV? Why are the Chinese abandoning and worse their baby daughters adn what are we doing about it? AT AGE 5! These are just tail ends of news stories he caught when the news was on at grandparents' house, or before I turned it off........or even in the news "previews".....they show quite a bit there. We had to open our mail after he went to bed for a time because of the chemical scares in the mail. He definitely remembers 9/11..............and worries every time he hears someone forecast some possibility as "worse than 9/11".

Anyway, I used to be afraid to fly...........if it's not a true phobia, the cure is simply to do it more often, and I'm okay now, but I didn't know I was over it until this last trip. He kept looking at me, and saying, are you okay? Are you scared? Do you think we're going to crash? And I had to really brighten up my voice and say, "Isn't this fun? Don't scare your brother........(because the 2 year old had started to whimper, again, I think just picking up on brother's anxiety).........we're having a great time." And then, sitting there smiling to beat sixty because he was watching me, I realized I really WAS having a great time. He did relax after that, and when he relaxed the younger one calmed down too.

I do think your son is picking up on his dad's anxieties. I think once you get there, he will love it.

 

[amybowles9]

Thanks everyone.

My DS5 has his moments, I bought new suitcases and he was thrilled, but said---I AM NOT GOING TO FLORIDA!!!

Then today, he said---we are not going to Florida and I am not arguing about it anymore.

But, he wants to see his cousins house from above the clouds.

I guess I will deal with it and just hope he gets on the plane okay.

 

[marciemi]

AndRu - maybe it's just an oldest child thing? My oldest is avidly interested in all current events and has been since he could read. Frequently I'd be reading the newspaper and he'd be reading over my shoulder asking "What's a slumlord? How did that person die?", etc. My younger two don't notice anything unless I specifically point it out to them, which there doesn't seem to be a reason to do usually.

amybowles9 - Good luck! Do you have some of the Disney videos, you know the singalong song ones that show parts of Disneyland (similar to the MK) and/or Blizzard Beach & the water parks (I think they're called like Disneyland Fun, Disney Beach Party, Campout at WDW, etc.). These might psych him up some since they're presented in such a fun format. If nothing else use the planning video, or the official site which has much of the planning video that you can download to show clips of specific parks, hotels, etc. Have fun!

 

[paigevz]

I know you know this, but your ds may need to be reminded of it:

He's the child, you're the adult, and you aren't "arguing" with him or asking his permission, you're simply telling him what will happen. So, regardless of whether he likes it or not, he will be going to Florida, and YOU'RE not going to argue about it anymore!

Then, just tell him he can choose to have fun or not have fun..............and you know he'll make the right choice...........my ds9 gets these attitudes from time to time, he usually pouts until he figures out I'm serious, and then "chooses" to have fun after that! Good luck!

(by the way, don't take my post wrong, I'm not suggesting your child has any problems with that sort of thing, I'm just offering some suggestions on how to handle this problem, if it won't work for him, you'll know)

 

[Mom to Jordan]

I would bet that your son not wanting to go has a lot to do with his dad's fears of flying. If dad gets his fear under control, you son should be fine. Not going would confirm to him that his fear is truly something to worry about. I say plan on and just not over do the excitment right now.
My son went through a period of fear of being seperated from us when he was just a little older that your child. We had a trip planned during that time and he did not want to go because he was afaid he would get lost. We talked at great legnth about staying together and what we would do if we were seperated. We went and it was fine. The fears however lasted about 6 months and were really hard to deal with.

OT but so interesting is the way children have reacted to 911. Our DS was in 3rd grade and while there was no way we could prevent his being aware of it, we tried to limit his exposure. He however, felt an urge to see and hear more of what was going on. He would beg us to let him watch for hours at a time. It was like he had to see it over and over to process and deal with the infomation. We never let him watch alone and kept talking and he delt ok.
I am a preschool director and will never forget how out 3 year old children delt with 911. For WEEKS, they would build tower after tower of blocks and fly their little airplanes into those towers. They too were dealing the way they could. Those child will never forget 911 and I think it truly changed the way a whole generation thinks. So sad.

I am sure that your child will have a blast once you are there. Take fun activities for the plane to divert his attention!!

Good luck.

jordans' mom

 

[Lebjwb]

First, let me say, I absolutely LOVE WDW, would rather go there than anywhere else in the world. That explains why I have planned a trip for 6 days which is coming up in less than 2 weeks. Well, my DH and DS5 don't want to go. DH doesn't like to fly, and says he doesn't really want to go, but doesn't care. DS5 cries when I mention Florida. You can tell he gets nervous. We went last year and we drove, it rained all the way there but when we got to WDW weather was okay.

Anyone else ever even heard of such bizarre behavior??? 5 years old and does not want to go to WDW! I have considered cancelling.

It may not be the flight that he's worried about. Some kids are scared of the characters. My DD, just 8 years old, is terrified of Mickey Mouse...any character in a full costume. However she loves the "face characters" Ariel, Belle, anyone that doesn't have their head covered. She's been to WDW 3 times. Strange. Ask your child if maybe he's afraid of the characters.

 

[dopeyone]

I'll Go!