I am well aware that many parents break out into hives at the thought of taking their small children to Disneyland. They think about dealing with their kids in the crowds and heat, and cringe at the seemingly unlimited potential for meltdowns. They quickly make the decision to wait until their kids are "old enough to remember it"... could that phrase actually be code for "old enough to not have at least one temper tantrum per day"?
But here's the thing, I am here to tell you that if you wait until your children are "older", you may be missing out on a golden opportunity to start teaching your youngens some very valuable life lessons that can be learned navigating noisy, busy, super stimulating places like Disneyland!
I should preface this post by confessing that if it was possible to buy a Mickey shaped condo on Main Street, U.S.A. I would be living there year round. I would ride Space Mountain every morning before I left for work and I would eat churros for dinner every evening. Goofy would be my best friend and he would blow kisses up to my patio twice a day as the parade passed by. So having admitted my extreme love for D-Land the following is a list of the life lessons I believe your children could be exposed to at the "happiest place on earth":
1. Patience: Nothing like racing out the door of your hotel, weaving through the crowds, getting through the gates in a flash, and arriving at that ride you've been waiting to ride just to find an hour and a half long line-up, in order to learn that sometimes you have to wait for what you want.
2. Money Management: Even small children understand, "if you buy that now, you won't be able to buy anything else today". That's not to say that saying no later in the day won't result in a meltdown but if you stand your ground your child will learn pretty quickly that they aren't going to get something in every store they see. They will also catch on to the fact that the rides and other activities are actually way more fun then shopping. And trust me, your kid will not be the only pouty face you'll see leaving a store.
3. The World is Made Up of Different Moral Compasses: You will probably find yourself saying something like this at least once during your time in Disneyland, and saying it very loudly in the hopes that the Messed Up Moral Compass hears you..."Johnny, I know we would never arrive at a parade 5 minutes before it starts and stand in front of families who have been waiting for an hour, but maybe she didn't see us or maybe she is just lost. I am sure she will move before the parade starts because that would be plain rude if she didn't". I'd love to insert a certain photo here but Johnny is watching. Haha!
4. You Don't Have All The Information, So Be Cool: You will likely see things that don't look right but these are the perfect opportunity to explain to your child that we can't judge because we don't have all the information. For example, you may see people who look perfectly healthy hopping in and out of their wheelchairs with no problem. You may be skeptical about their need for a wheelchair but when it comes down to it, you have no idea why they may need that wheelchair, so just get on with your day.
5. Fairness and Equality Are Not The Same Thing: Seeing a family being invited to the front of the long line-up could be a great opportunity to talk about the concept of fairness being about everyone getting what they need, rather than everyone getting the same thing. Perhaps there is a child with autism in that family, who appears typical but for whom waiting in noisy line ups is a trigger. Why shouldn't that child get a chance to go on this awesome ride with his or her entire family? This example also applies to #4.
6. You Can Have Fun At Any Age: How wonderful for children to see their parents and grandparents as excited as they are about somewhere fun!
7. Sometimes It's Best To Call It A Day and Try Again Tomorrow: Kind of speaks for itself, this one.
8. Use The Force: This one is taught for you! All you have to do is attend the Jedi Training in Tomorrowland. They explicitly discuss that if you believe in yourself you can do anything. It actually made me teary watching my son watching this performance completely engaged by the idea of accomplishing anything he wants.
2. Money Management: Even small children understand, "if you buy that now, you won't be able to buy anything else today". That's not to say that saying no later in the day won't result in a meltdown but if you stand your ground your child will learn pretty quickly that they aren't going to get something in every store they see. They will also catch on to the fact that the rides and other activities are actually way more fun then shopping. And trust me, your kid will not be the only pouty face you'll see leaving a store.
3. The World is Made Up of Different Moral Compasses: You will probably find yourself saying something like this at least once during your time in Disneyland, and saying it very loudly in the hopes that the Messed Up Moral Compass hears you..."Johnny, I know we would never arrive at a parade 5 minutes before it starts and stand in front of families who have been waiting for an hour, but maybe she didn't see us or maybe she is just lost. I am sure she will move before the parade starts because that would be plain rude if she didn't". I'd love to insert a certain photo here but Johnny is watching. Haha!
4. You Don't Have All The Information, So Be Cool: You will likely see things that don't look right but these are the perfect opportunity to explain to your child that we can't judge because we don't have all the information. For example, you may see people who look perfectly healthy hopping in and out of their wheelchairs with no problem. You may be skeptical about their need for a wheelchair but when it comes down to it, you have no idea why they may need that wheelchair, so just get on with your day.
5. Fairness and Equality Are Not The Same Thing: Seeing a family being invited to the front of the long line-up could be a great opportunity to talk about the concept of fairness being about everyone getting what they need, rather than everyone getting the same thing. Perhaps there is a child with autism in that family, who appears typical but for whom waiting in noisy line ups is a trigger. Why shouldn't that child get a chance to go on this awesome ride with his or her entire family? This example also applies to #4.
6. You Can Have Fun At Any Age: How wonderful for children to see their parents and grandparents as excited as they are about somewhere fun!
7. Sometimes It's Best To Call It A Day and Try Again Tomorrow: Kind of speaks for itself, this one.
8. Use The Force: This one is taught for you! All you have to do is attend the Jedi Training in Tomorrowland. They explicitly discuss that if you believe in yourself you can do anything. It actually made me teary watching my son watching this performance completely engaged by the idea of accomplishing anything he wants.
You may thing I am stretching it here with the life lessons, but that's ok because in my opinion, Disneyland is truly a magical place! I will continue to take my son there whenever I can for no other reason other than that we both love it and have an amazing time together when we are there...even with a meltdown here and there! No other justification necessary!
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