Question for those who have surprised kids

[esquared221]

I've so enjoyed reading about all the great surprises and your kids' reactions! We've tried twice to surprise our daughter but gave up because she never acts excited. Our first trip (she was 23 months) we woke her up that morning and told her "we were going to see Mickey today!' and she was happy but not excited (it was really early in the morning). It was rather anti-climatic for us. We thought maybe she was just too little so we tried again on our next trip that was right before her 4th birthday so we got her up and sat her on the couch and gave her an "Early birthday present". She opened up a new MobiGo game system and a few games (almost all Disney) which our intention was to entertain her on the plane. Then we told her we were going to go get on a plane and go to Disney. Again, happy but no real excitement. We've learned to tell her early now and let her get excited by the buildup. When DS (almost 3) is bigger I'd like to try the surprise reveal again because I know he'll get excited and that will probably get our daughter excited too

 

[puffkin]

We go to WDW at least 2x a year so it is very "normal" for DS. He doesn't really feel a need to be a part of the planning process since we go so often that he can just tell us something he wants to do next time we go to Disney and I just make note of it. He also is very adaptable and only once did he get over upset that I didn't pack some special toy he wanted to take. We NEVER tell him when we are going anywhere (that includes things at home like baseball games, bday parties, shows, etc). We don't really do it to get the reaction, its more because I don't want him disappointed if we can't go (we have had to cancel a trip last minute due to job loss when he was 4, so thankfully he didn't know!) and I can't stand to hear the pesting. We usually fly out on a Friday evening so I work a half day, go home and pack, drop dog off then we pick him up at school and head to the airport from there. He usually figures it out once we hit the highway. We usually get a cool and then he goes back to babbling about something completely unrelated. My DS22 months is very similar in personality so I have a feeling he will be the same. But I know many people who would never be able to do this with their kids.

 

[luvmy2babies]

We don't really do it to get the reaction, its more because I don't want him disappointed if we can't go (we have had to cancel a trip last minute due to job loss when he was 4, so thankfully he didn't know!) and I can't stand to hear the pesting.

This is another reason I like to do surprise trips. Another benefit is I'm the only one disappointed if something gets in the way. In 2012, the one trip she knew about from the beginning, I had a financial issue 3 weeks before and was stressed about possibly having to either cancel or drastically change the plans within the trip.

So for the 2013 trip I kept everything a secret. Even after I told them about the trip, I kept her BBB appointment a surprise and our TS reservations a secret (was paying OOP). I revealed each thing as we went and they loved it, so I'm doing it again.

 

[AngiTN]

I’m getting them each new backpacks for the trip, so I’m thinking of loading them with what I’ve bought so far (autograph books, plane activities, small Disney toys) and putting them in either gift box or bag. Dd will be completely thrown off receiving a backpack as a gift just after school is over, but once they open them, and figure out what is going on, I’m sure it will be the best gift ever.

I think you may have just given me the info I need to surprise DGD for our trip. It's her 4th trip but the first one that will be a surprise. She reads now and I've been searching, reading surprise ideas. We are going right before school starts back, we get back the day before it starts. So it would make perfect sense for her to get a new backpack just before we leave. I could get her the new one for school, give it to her and let her open it and have a letter inside from Mickey, maps, DVD for the parks, etc. That is definitely doable.

I would still love a scavenger hunt too. I could have the backpack as the reward. I'll have to task DH to write clues. I looked in Pintrest hoping to find some ideas for them but didn't find anything on my initial search.

I've got some time to figure it all out but I like the backpack idea

 

[jcmaro]

We are surprising our kids on Sunday and I can't wait! Their Easter baskets are going to be filled with things for the trip (shirts, nightgowns, light up toys, autograph books, etc) and in the front will be a very large Easter Egg with their magic band inside it. My older two, especially my son, has seen many commercials about the bands and know that's how you get into the parks now. So I'm hoping they figure it out! We leave a few days later so they will be able to help with the packing and we will have time to watch the DVD and look through the Disney books before we leave. I think they will be ecstatic since they are constantly asking when we have enough money to go back!

 

[luvmy2babies]

I think you may have just given me the info I need to surprise DGD for our trip. It's her 4th trip but the first one that will be a surprise. She reads now and I've been searching, reading surprise ideas. We are going right before school starts back, we get back the day before it starts. So it would make perfect sense for her to get a new backpack just before we leave. I could get her the new one for school, give it to her and let her open it and have a letter inside from Mickey, maps, DVD for the parks, etc. That is definitely doable.

I would still love a scavenger hunt too. I could have the backpack as the reward. I'll have to task DH to write clues. I looked in Pintrest hoping to find some ideas for them but didn't find anything on my initial search.

I've got some time to figure it all out but I like the backpack idea

I would love to do a scavenger hunt too, but as soon as the words scavenger hunt came up, my dd would know.

Oh, that reminds me though I had not ordered the DVD or the customized maps I usually get. I should still have enough time to get them before we go if I order them today. I can put those in th bags too. Thanks. Have fun on your trip.

 

[SEA333]

I would not ask the flight attendant to make an announcement, to me that would seem like someone bragging about the fact that you are going; think about any other kids on the flight that may not be going to Disney.

I'm sorry, but if I just spent thousands of dollars on a trip for my kids to go to Disney, I don't give a rat's you-know-what who knows and if other kids' feelings would be hurt on an airplane! Besides, unless the other kid on the plane is travelling to a funeral or going off to live with long-lost relatives for the rest of their lives, there are not many reasons they would be on a plane from Chicago to Orlando for NO REASON!!! They are either coming home from something really fun, or going to somewhere really fun.

Pretty much every other kid we know gets way more than my kids do, so pardon me if I don't feel bad. Some other kid's spoiled I-want-it-because-someone-else-is-getting-it behavior/attitude is NOT my problem!!

 

[puffkin]

I'm sorry, but if I just spent thousands of dollars on a trip for my kids to go to Disney, I don't give a rat's you-know-what who knows and if other kids' feelings would be hurt on an airplane! Besides, unless the other kid on the plane is travelling to a funeral or going off to live with long-lost relatives for the rest of their lives, there are not many reasons they would be on a plane from Chicago to Orlando for NO REASON!!! They are either coming home from something really fun, or going to somewhere really fun.

Pretty much every other kid we know gets way more than my kids do, so pardon me if I don't feel bad. Some other kid's spoiled I-want-it-because-someone-else-is-getting-it behavior/attitude is NOT my problem!!

Wow. I don't even know where to begin

 

[SEA333]

Wow. I don't even know where to begin

Well, you don't *have* to begin anywhere. It is what it is....I completely disagree with the fact that I (or anyone) would have to consider the hurt feelings of complete strangers on an airplane that will likely never be seen again before considering the joy and happiness of my own kids???!! That is completely silly.

I would never leave a kid out or give my kids something in front of other kids in my home or classroom (when I was still teaching) but to say that one shouldn't publically announce a trip to their child in a public place around complete strangers is taking "considering other kids' feelings" a little too far. If my kids were on an airplane and it was announced that some other kid was going to Disney world, my kids would probably say "Cool!". If they felt bad, I would feel it is my duty as their parent to remind them that everyone gets to do fun things sometimes, and they will have their turn, too. It's certainly not a whine or complaint from my kids that I would cater to, nor would I let them think that it's not fair. Should we not announce our wins on Facebook, Twitter, and at family functions too, just in case there is someone there who might feel bad? Or not have my wedding anniversary announced at church because someone might be going through a divorce? Or the birth of a child because it might upset someone with fertility issues?

Just my opinion...I understand that other people will differ. I have one goal - to raise children who turn into adults that can carry themselves with honor, grace, and intergrity in an unfair world. Part of that is getting them to understand that sometimes they get something, and sometimes they do not.

And, FWIW, I would not ask the Flight Attendant to make an announcement on my behalf. But it's not because I am afraid that some 6 year old cannot handle it.

It really is still OK to share joy and happiness in this world. We shouldn't have to worry about insulting people or ruining their day with our good news.

But your eyeroll is really cute

 

[mousekatool]

On our first trip, I waited until the morning of the trip to wake the kids up and tell them we were going to Disney. DD was 4 at the time, and had been wanting to go since one of her preschool friends had gone, so I figured she would be over the moon....nope.. She was really mad that I woke her up so early, made her get dressed and in the car. A few hours later, once she was fully awake, she was bouncing off the wall with excitement, but her initial reaction just broke my heart after all my planning. It still ended up being a great trip, though.

Last year, we told them the truth -Mommy's attending a conference in Florida, and we're all going, but I waited until the day before we left to give them each a Mickey t-shirt that I had made. I told them I had made something they might enjoy wearing on our trip. DD, then 7, figured it out immediately, and started jumping up and down, screaming, "We're going to Disney!" Her brother, 4, soon got in on it, and I finally got the reaction I had been waiting for!

I am planning a trip for September, and am so torn between including them in the process and surprising them again. We often look at our pictures from previous trips, so I have asked a lot of questions about what they would do again if we went back, so I think I may wait until really close to trip time to tell. I love the idea to give them the Magic Bands. It's just hard to keep it a secret!

 

[DisneyPanda17]

Say your going to universal or sea world then go to disney without telling them