Guest Blogger: Disney Differences Part 2

Gentle reasers, I'm pleased to share part two of my hubby's first guest post for the blog. Get your tissues ready, this one's gonna make you sniffle a little. Click here to read Part 1.

Did any of you reading this have families that took week-long vacations to Disney back when it was just the Magic Kingdom? If so, what were those vacations like? Did you really spend all your time at Disney? And if so, did it always hold your interest, or did you actually get bored when you were on It’s a Small World for the eighth day in a row? Or was Disney the main attraction of a trip that also included stops at Sea World or Wet N Wild or something? I’d love to know! We would only go for a couple days at a time, but even then I remember trips into Orlando itself, especially since there were few dinner options at Disney at the time (I remember us frequenting a place called Rosie O’Grady’s – anyone else been there?).

Here’s the thing about the baby/toddler parent fun box – there’s a lot more rules. You have to observe requisite nap times, or there will be NO FUN. You have to have easy access back to the hotel room, or there will be NO FUN. You have to make sure there are adequate sleeping arrangements, or there will be NO FUN. You have to make sure you have a stroller, and diapers, and wipes, and a sippy cup, and snacks, and maybe emergency baby clothes just in case, or there will be NO FUN. You have to stick (at least initially) to only the most vanilla of the slow-moving rides, or there will be NO FUN. You have to return to the room at a good time, probably right after your early-bird dinner, put your child to sleep, and stay in the room the rest of the night, even if you’re staying in the Contemporary and Wishes is happening RIGHT OUTSIDE YOUR WINDOW, or there will be NO FUN.

But, like nesting dolls, inside the parent fun box is another box – that is your child’s fun box. And you can spend years watching your child open and explore that gift.

As a baby, our son didn’t know what to do with his fun box. In fact, he probably didn’t know he had one. We strolled him around the park, pointed out the castle and Spaceship Earth, picked him up so we can take pictures with characters he didn’t recognize, took him on Dumbo and the carousel. Unless he was showing his joy through pooping or sleeping, I don’t think he knew what was happening.

As a new toddler, he eventually grasped that there was a fun box in front of him, but had to learn how to open it. He spent the next few trips to Disney with his “work” face on, his brow furrowed, his lips pressed together, his mind taking it all in. We took a stone-faced lap on the Tomorrowland Speedway. We took a stone-faced tour through Kilimanjaro Safari. We had a stone-faced viewing of the Pixar parade. In fact, if little man showed any emotion, it was his overwhelming fear of big-headed characters.

Some would look at him and think he was scared or bored. But toddler parents know what the “work” face means – it means he was learning how to open the box.

I remember when my son finally took his fun box and pulled the bow apart. We were in line for another stone-faced ride on the Barnstormer. Just past our queue, the Walt Disney Railroad was chugging past, and gave a quick “Toot, toot”.

“Choo…choo” a tiny voice behind me said.

I turned around to see who said it, but couldn’t place it. Then I looked down. My son was captivated by the train.

I kneeled down to him. “What did you say?” I asked him.

In the same tiny voice he replied “Choo…choo”. I hugged him tightly.

This is how we found out that little man loved trains.

As soon as our Barnstormer ride was over, we hopped on the next train. Our son’s giggles, smiles, and “choo-choo”s confirmed that this was the first toy taken from the fun box. The love of trains expanded to include the Monorail (“mon-mon”) and just about any ride on tracks. He subsequently pulled out more toys from his fun box, such as boats (ferry boat, Friendship boats, Pirates) and cars (Tomorrowland Speedway, safari ride, even the buses). Each trip we watched him pull more and more out of his fun box, with smiles and giggles for attractions as disparate as the Haunted Mansion or a meet-and-greet with Tinkerbell (he’s even made his wary peace with the big-head characters).

Over time the baby/toddler parent fun box restrictions will ease. We’ll be able to introduce him to Thunder Mountain, the Electrical Water Pageant, the Hallowishes fireworks. He’ll have more smiles, giggles, laughter. And we’ll add to our fun box through his eyes.