If You Take Your Kids to Disneyland

We just got back from a family vacation to Disneyland. This trip included a fun mix of people. We planned to go with Scotty's mom's family. All were invited, but it only ended up being Scotty's mom and step-dad and one step-brother and his family who could come. That step-brother is married to my best friend from childhood, Michelle, so it makes it extra fun. Then Michelle's sister ended up coming with her daughter, and Scotty's step-sister from his dad's side of the family came with her boyfriend (who was a first timer - which is always exciting but it is especially exciting that his first trip to Disneyland was with his girlfriend's step-dad's ex-wife), and we also met up with our niece who currently works at California Adventure.

 

Did you get all that?

(When you and your husband both come from blended families, there is sometimes a need for diagrams).

It's always interesting to see people's reactions when we tell them we are going to Disneyland. Some people are genuinely happy for us. Others are mean about it. Disneyland can be a touchy subject.

A family vacation to Disneyland is equal parts wonderful and horrible.

If you take your kids to Disneyland, plan for all of the following scenarios to take place:

• You will repeatedly have to take your four-year-old out of line because she says she needs to go poop. She will not go poop. Instead, she will look up at you from the toilet and say, "Hmmm.... I guess I don't need to go poop."
• Your kids will whine and cry about every piece of merchandise and food they see. You will spend the bulk of your time in Disneyland saying, "No."
• They will also be in frequent disagreement about what ride you should be going on and who should sit with whom.
• It will be hot, crowded, smelly, exhausting, loud, and frustrating.
• Your kids will bite, push, argue, and hit each other while you wait in line after line after line...
• People will force their way into your spots for World of Color, the parade, and Haunted Mansion.
• Rides will break down when you are ten people from loading.
• Your kids' legs will stop working, and they will lay on the sidewalk and cry. But when you get back to the hotel after dragging them a mile and a half down Harbor Boulevard, their legs will be magically healed, allowing them to run up and down the corridor all night while you whisper-yell, "Stop running! People are sleeping!"
• Your child will spill yogurt on your clean shirt at breakfast every morning.
• Someone will repeatedly throw up next to you on Mickey's Fun Wheel (a ride that, fortunately, has a complimentary barf bag in the cage). You might have to help this person when the bag starts leaking. This person will be a relative, but out of courtesy, you won't be able to tell the internet who it is.
• Stuff will fall out of your stroller while you are in shoulder to shoulder crowds, and you will have to decide whether to cut the loss or risk being trampled.
• Your feet will hurt so bad that it will feel like something foreign is attached to them.
• You and your spouse will take turns being the orneriest person on earth. 
• Your two-year-old will refuse to wear shoes and/or pants.
• You will have to spend $30-50 on park snacks in hopes that you will be able to keep your kids happy in line for long enough to get to see the stage production of Frozen.
• ...and then someone will need to go potty during "Love is an Open Door," and you will be furious. Not just at the child but at the incompetent theater staff that has to escort you out, give you a return pass, and send you through an elevator because you are not allowed to walk down three steps in the dark.
• You will have moments of pure hatred toward mankind.

But, even with all of that, you might:

• See the pure joy and excitement on your children's faces as they recognize their favorite characters in the parade. 
• Drink the most amazingly chilled Coke of your life. 
• Watch a production of Frozen that is so incredible, even the two-year-old is engaged and attentive for the entire hour.
• See your little girls hold hands all the way through Pirates of the Caribbean.
• Stumble upon a live band and spend an hour dancing with your kids instead of going back to the hotel for the night. 
• Ride Splash Mountain four times in a row without having to get off because it's 8:30 on a Friday morning.
• Stay late with your son and ride Guardians of the Galaxy for the first time together.
• Hear your daughter gasp in awe and excitement at the things she sees in the shows and on the rides.
• Find a bench in the shade while your little one naps and spend some time sitting still and enjoying just being there.
• See your little girls in their matching Minnie Mouse hoodies and die from the cuteness.
• Catch Belle and the Beast riding the carousel.
• Run into someone you know but didn't know was going to be there.
• Experience all the feels when you remember the Disney characters and movies you loved as a child and you see or hear something that brings it all back.
• Cry when you leave.

Going to Disneyland isn't easy. Especially in a large group containing several small children. This was definitely one of our hardest vacations with kid management (I thought it would be easier NOT having a baby, but I forgot about the highly opinionated two and four-year-olds that were coming with us). It's one of those experiences, though, where the greater the horror, the greater the joy. I had moments where I thought, "This is worse than taking kids to church." But then I would swing to, "This is amazing!!!"

In the end, I can say that we worked hard and had a lot of fun!