Parents, were you sad when..(kinda long)

[Mickeyhugger]

your child(ren) started 'outgrowing' the Disney characters and 'make-believe?' (I'll try not to be too long.) Our 9-yo daughter is an only child, and DH and I are mid-40's (can't have anymore children.)
We returned from our annual WDW trip yesterday, and it's the 2nd year in a row I've felt a little blue. I remember when DD was 4 yo during first WDW visit, and her squealing excitement at all the characters, and the way she wanted to wear her Cinderella dress 24/7. Now, (she's a wonderful child, very loving, sweet, etc, don't get me wrong I'm not complaining about her.) even though she had a good time, I find myself reminiscing about her preschool exuberance in previous years. I know the problem is me, not her. It's just typical w/this age, and is expected as normal development. I know, I know, I'll miss things about this age now, when she's a teenager. She's a great kid. I guess I'm not really even looking for advice, (our trip this year was great, can't wait to go again next year!) just wanting to know if any parents out there feel a little melancholy when you remember the preschool years at WDW? (I really love now though, the way she loves Epcot (we couldn't do it when she was a preschooler, and we love not having to use a stroller anymore, and having to take the afternoon nap.)

Eager to hear everyone elses experiences and stories!

 

[BevS97]

we aren't there yet, but I am not looking forward to it. I was a little worried last week when my 6 year old told me that Pooh Bear was a man in a suit, in a very 'Duh, isn't it obvious' kind of voice- I played it dumb and asked her why she said that, and she said 'Everyone knows Pooh Bear doesn't live at Disney, he lives in the 100 acre wood' - I breathed a sigh of relief that at least some magic will survive for another trip, but I know it is inevitable that she will grow out of it sooner than I like.

We are fortunate in that we have just had our 2nd baby, so will be starting again with her, and I am hoping that my elder dd will help me to keep the magic alive for the baby even after she has outgrown it.

Bev

 

[jenfur]

My DS (4) was REALLY into the characters this year. He believes that all the Disney characters are real and live in Disneyworld. He tried to find Zurg so he could tell Buzz where he was and whenever "Mickey" woke him up in the morning, we had to see Mickey that day because Mickey wanted to see him soon. DH actually called him on our departure day and used his Mickey voice to tell him bye and see you next year. He is really in love with Disney now, he keeps asking how long until we go back. I will absolutely cry when he changes, but I know that the characters are just that and I still feel the magic so I am just happy that he probably always will to regardless of what he knows to be true.

 

[Jordan's MOM]

Mickeyhugger,

I know exactly what you mean. It's not just Disney either but all those little things they have to outgrow. DS is also an only child and we would love to do it all again but are not sure that is going to happen. I miss the magic of that child like belief that Mickey is really at home at toontown and that Cinderella really lives in the castle. I also miss those little things like footed PJ's and Johnson's Baby Shampoo hair and being able to scoop them up in great big hugs!! There are however lots of advantages of an 11 year old at WDW. This year he will be able to hang as late as we can, he is mature and well behaved enough for any resturant (he requested Califoria Grill) , he is willing to spend more time in the WS and is looking forward to the CP. I don't have to pack two outfits for everyday in case of an accident and he can entertain himself on the trip down. No baby swaps either!
I have truly loved every stage of motherhood (ok not the 3 mo of terrible colic), and I try to remind myself that there is even more wonderful things to come.

We are seriously looking at adoption and DS said the other day. Wow, how great it would be to get to take a 1 year old to wdw. I agree, but taking a 11 year old is awsome too. Everyone remember to enjoy every minute of those short short magical years.



jordan's mom

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Our youngest ds has been going to disney since he was 18 months old and now he just turned 12. I thought it was traumatic when he told me one day that he decided to quit barney. But at disney even our older ds 15 and 13 will have a character meal and with my insistence get a picture - the bribe well 2 teens and all you can eat food of course! But they honestly enjoy looking at all the other little kids and seeing the wonder and amazement in their eyes and actions and words etc. My oldest ds is a kids bowling coach so he really has lots of patience with the little ones and our other 2 ds help me in a toddler nursery sometimes as volunteers. We don't have any younger relatives and they dont have any 1st cousins and grandparents are deceased so our circle is quite small but we always enjoy our trips no matter how old they are, but they do like the thrill rides more and definetely cant get them out of disney quest now. So they do grow and change but you will always have your memories. My favorite picture is of ds when he first rubbed alladins lamp. And the other is my mom in wheelchair having little ds on her lap with brer fox. You can always make magical memories each time you go.

 

[crisi]

I'm always both delighted and sad as my kids grow up.

Taking their first steps was a joy to watch - but sad as I immediately realized I had a toddler and not a baby anymore.

The only developmental milestone I was thrilled about with no reservations was potty training. All the rest have been bittersweet.

Yes, its sad when the magic leaves, but the alternative, that they never develop the critical thinking skills needed to seperate fantasy from reality, isn't something most people wish for their children.

Mine are still preschoolers at Disney - although my kids (who are five and four) have always known Mickey was a guy in a suit. Or rather, my son spent his entire trip when he was 3 1/2 putting that information together so that he could announce it before the trip ended (which was sort of a relief - he was so scared of characters that realizing they were just costumes went a long way to him warming to them). So do I - doesn't make Mickey less magical.

 

[Kevs mom]

Oh! Reading these posts has brought tears to my eyes Just this morning I sat in the parking lot of my children's school and watched my youngest son walk into the school and thought to myself this is the last day that I will have a 5 year old (his b-day is tommorow) my other 2 children are DD 9 and DS 12. It is sad to think back to all those times when they were younger and know that they are gone but like so many of you said it is fun to have them at the age they are now. My DH laughs at me because I already get upset just thinking about how my older son only has 5 more years until he leaves us for college - but look how fast the first 12 years flew by! I do miss the excitement in the older 2 when they used to believe that the characters were "real" but they still try to help encourage it in their younger brother.

 

[maggiew]

On our last trip while we were having breakfast in Norway with the princesses, my DD12 turned to me and said, "I wish we had come when I was younger so I could have thought the princesses were real." It about tore my heart out and I felt so sorry that we didn't go to Disney earlier! That is why I encourage people to take their kids NOW, not when they are "old enough".

But, there are so many more things to look forward to. We went on Space mountain 3 times in a row! They can go on Rock n Roller coaster . They actually like to watch Illuminations for its true meaning. They will sit through the movies at EPCOT (like France, China and Canada) and learn something about the places. Now they want to go to France!

Maggie

 

[Jacksmom99]

I cuddle and snuggle my 4 yo DS as much as possible knowing that the HORRIBLE day will come when he says "ugh, mom, get off me and DON'T kiss me in front of people!!!" And, he has officially stopped watching Barney, moving on to Scooby Doo and announcing that "Mom, I Loooove Daphne, she has pretty pink legs." In that one sentence, not only did I notice the ditching of the annoying purple dinosaur for his first "other woman", but that he also said "love" and "legs" instead of "wuv" and "wegs". I miss the "baby talk" too!!!! When he decides that he can't sleep with the stuffed Barney anymore I think I will need therapy!!!

 

[lindaso]

That's what gets me so frustrated about people saying you should wait until your kids are older to do WDW. No way, there is nothing like seeing the characters when your child believes it's the real deal.

I got the best of both worlds this past trip. My oldest is 6 and still believes in characters. But she was also tall enough and brave enough for RnR and Space Mountain...it was a beautiful thing!!

Last year I was reading her a Junie B. Jones book and Junie B. talks about how Mickey is just some guy in a costume. I literally skipped over the entire paragraph and was relieved that she wasn't following me word for word so she never noticed.

We decided we would do Disney every 2 years to catch our kids at each stage of development. I often wonder what the trip will be like when they're 14, 12 & 10. It will be here soon enough.

 

[goofy4tink]

My dd celebrated her 6th birthday on her first trip to WDW. We have been down several times since then. She is not just turned 10. Yes, it is bittersweet. But, on the other hand, she does like the more adult type things that she just would not have done before. She actually like CoP this past August. She dragged her feet about seeing it. But, then, after the show said how much she actually liked it and wanted to do it again sometime. Things change, times at WDW aren't the same, not better, not worse...just different.
So, take a deep breath, love her everyday for what she is at that very moment. Because, believe me.....the bumpy part of the ride is coming!!!! I already did that ride...have a 30 y/o and a 27 y/o!!!!! I sure do appreciate my 10 y/o.

 

[Julia M]

I think my favorite trip to Disneyland (where we go on most of our trips) was the year my oldest ds was 2 1/2 and my dd 8 weeks. It was at Xmas time, the park was absolutely empty, and our family had a wonderful trip. We even have a picture of Snow White holding my dd (which I know they're not supposed to do), because she wanted to (we were the only people around her, that's how empty the parks were)

This trip is closely followed by the one where my oldest ds was 5, dd was just 3 and youngest ds was 9 months.

Don't get me wrong, we had a great time in July at DL with big kids (now 11, 9 and 6), but I have very fond memories of my babies at Disneyland.

 

[pnelson]

It's not just Disney, unfortunately. I notice with my 10 year old that there are less toys on his Christmas list this year. I find myself walking down the preschool aisle at Target and looking at all the stuff I used to buy. It's very sad, and I think it is worse for those of us who have only children. My friend who has 4 kids just rolls her eyes when I say I am sad. We leave in less than a week, and I feel that this will be our last trip when he is really a "child". When we go again, he will be a teenager. He does have some ADHD emotional issues that make him very immature for his age and I've realized that this has been a blessing as well as a curse because it has kept him "younger" longer.

 

[antmaril]

It only gets worse. My only child (DS) will be 17 in less than two weeks. I can't believe it. We took our first trip to WDW when he was four (we did the Big Red Boat and then three days at WDW). It was the best vacation of my life. We just had the greatest time and the memories of that trip are priceless. He LOVED everything about it. The next time we went, he was seven. It was still a good trip, but a little different, obviously. Every time we've gone, it's been a little different (not in a good way). We have to coax him now. We are going to Orlando in February (during his winter break) and he is going against his will. He would rather stay home, but that's not going to happen.

I miss going into Toys R Us to buy Christmas and birthday gifts for him. He's a great kid and I love him to pieces, but there are times I miss my little boy!!!

 

[marcyinPA]

*Sigh*.....what makes me sad is the 2nd one grows up even faster than the first one! Mine are 8 and 4 (both boys) and the 4 year old does everything in his power to be 8! He has very little interest in the Playhouse Disney and Nick Jr. shows that my 8 y/o watched when he was 4. I'm trying to keep him little just a little bit longer, but it's hard when they have a big brother they are trying to keep up with!

On a positive note, my 8 year old still believes in Santa, which I am just thrilled about. A couple of my friends actually broke "the news" about Santa to their daughters (ages 8 and 9) and one of my friends is considering doing the same with her son (9). I just can't see doing that....they only stay young for a short time! Why ruin it for them?

As for Disney characters, I think both of my kids know that the costumed characters are "guys in suits", but for my 4 y/o, Peter Pan, Cinderella and the "real" characters are "real people" to him.
I guess I'll see come May what he is believing then?!

 

[Winston112]

I was getting sad last night after watching a Disney movie (a Christmas movie about a little girl named Eloise) with DS 7. I thought to myself there won't be many more years when he'll get so excited that he claps at the end and really enjoys watching these kinds of movies. But I hope he'll always enjoy the time that we spend together.