Surprising Disney Announcement Reaction

[andiraye]

Well, that was shocking. We broke the news to my kids about our upcoming Disney trip and DS7 got upset! He said he was afraid to fly (all those awful plane crash stories on the news!) and had already been on all the rides at the Magic Kingdom, so there was nothing new to do. And this, after begging me at least once a week to go back!

We of course talked through it all, but you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw his reaction!

 

[Imaginique]

I'm actually anticipating to have a similar negative reaction when I tell my DD5. She's never been, but she's a brooder and she will be upset I'm sure since it is a new thing. I always remind myself that they have nervous feelings just like grownups, so I'm hoping that if she does get upset that she will come around after having some time to think about it. The flying part will be what will make her nervous too.

 

[nalajms]

When I told DS about our May trip, his response was "mom, I'll get back to you". DS is 5. Granted we've gone 2x a year since before he was born, but he's never turned down a trip. Such an ungrateful kid! This fall, I'll be going with my younger one. We'll see if he's ok with being left at home.

 

[Thing 1]

Reactions like these are exactly why Im not a fan of surprise trips. Can you imagine how much harder this would have been if you told her this on the way to the airport or even when you get there? At least you have time to help her adjust to the idea and work through any fears. good luck!

 

[Ava]

My DD6 doesn't like surprises, so if we surprised her or even waited until close to the trip to tell her, she'd probably have a similar reaction. She likes to know what's going to happen each day, and going to Disneyworld is a lot to process for a kid. For our trip last year I booked breakfast at CRT on our first day, originally planning to surprise her with it when we walked into the park. But she hounded me so much wanting to know what was going to happen at Disneyworld that I ended up telling her. I've just had to accept the fact that surprises are not fun for my kid, and that's okay.

 

[Gracie09]

We let our kids know they are going and they help plan the trip. Our last trip we didn't tell them until we were on the way to the airport and dd1 started crying because she was missing kindergarten and did her teacher know. So when we got there is showed her the email I sent to her teacher and read her the response. She was ok then. This time we don't leave until the afternoon so we will let them know when they wake up so they can process before we get going.

 

[buzznina]

We have been lucky enough to go 2x a year for a while, so we no longer try to do a surprise. They are always wanting to go to WDW, so that is never a problem They now like being in on the decision making, like helping to pick the resort, etc.

 

[BLAZEY]

I think you really need to know your kid. Mine would be fine with being surprised with a trip, I am also not surprising her for the reaction. If I get then great! It's a bonus. I am surprising her as she would be constantly asking if we are going today (even with a countdown calendar) every single day. I want her to focus on school up until we leave. We still have 6 months so we have plenty of time to change our minds if we wish to and tell her in advance.

 

[Pesky]

Yeah, they don't always go the way you hope. Poor guy. It's funny how some of that stuff sticks in their heads. When he was 3, my DS was petrified a tornado was coming because of what happened in OK. It's just something you talk through. It works out. Hope the excitement sets in soon!

 

[Mommyof2Boos]

I told my DD6 on Sunday about our upcoming trip. DH wanted to wait until we were on the plane, that would have been bad. She needs to feel like she helped plan, even if only for 10 days before. Just this morning she squealed and said "I'm so excited, we are going to Disney World!" But it took her two days to even process what was going to happen. We would have been halfway through our short vacation if we had waited until we were on the plane/DME to tell her. She was not excited at all when we told her and just wanted to "write in (her) new journal" which is actually an autograph book and she wanted to use her suitcase "Only for the beach, no where else." I told her she could play in the pool and she was upset. Every kid needs a different amount of time to process things.

 

[andiraye]

Reactions like these are exactly why Im not a fan of surprise trips. Can you imagine how much harder this would have been if you told her this on the way to the airport or even when you get there? At least you have time to help her adjust to the idea and work through any fears. good luck!

I can't even fathom. After this reaction, closest I can imagine is crying and yelling about getting in the car to the airport. What a way to start a trip that would be!

 

[waffles77]

I am sorry that it was such a disappointing reaction. I know how it feels. I once 'surprised' the kids and my daughter cried (not tears of joy).

We get so excited for a fun reveal, and when it's anything but its pretty stinky.

I hope you have a wonderful trip!