Taking My Boy to Disney World Was Way Down the To-Do List

I need a vacation from that vacation. That's right, I just paid a big chunk of change to fight crowds, get a sunburn, walk many miles with a 40-pound kid on my shoulders, and catch some hideous cold from no telling what country. Toss in some horrible food, several downpours, too many foreign men in small bathing suits, thousands of crying kids, and well, that was my recent vacation. Sounds fun, huh?

Okay, okay, so that's not exactly how it went. That's just how I thought it was gonna go. You see, I had been dreading that Disney vacation since the day Jack was born. It just always sounded overpriced and over-hyped. Of course, I knew the time would come...I could only hide from Orlando for so long. Right around last March, my wife uttered those six dreaded words. "I think Jack's ready for Disney." I attempted to put up a fight, but my position that "he didn't care about Mickey and those other goofy characters" didn't stick. Nope, there wasn't enough pixy-dust to sprinkle on that lame argument.

Even though foreign men do need to rethink their swim-wear and I did catch a horrible cold, Walt Disney World was quite magical. I even got sucked into the excitement. Before long, I was hunting down Disney characters and racing for rides. Words can't describe the look on Jack's face as he jumped  for Mickey, Pluto, or one of the way-too-many princesses. I gotta admit, I was just as bright-eyed behind the camera when he was posing with Cinderella, Ariel, Rapunzel, or Belle. And right after that, "Captain Jack" was stabbing at the air and doing his best pirate impersonation. And right after that, he was chomping on popcorn, guzzling a Coke, and dripping ice-cream all over his shirt. This was his moment, and I was along for the ride.

It was just one of those trips when the rules were bent and the boundaries were broken. We were in Jack's world. Some parents adapted better than others. Those larger families looked a bit more tired, sweaty, and grouchy. I'll never forget hearing a wife lecture her husband because he needed to "learn his princesses." Of course, when you're surrounded by giant teacups and flying elephants, it's hard to take yourself too serious. Not to mention, everyone is do dang nice. It really is a magical place.

While I'm not about to book another Disney trip any time soon, it was definitely a vacation to remember. Kids are in our world every day, so it's only fair we enter theirs from time to time. Even though I needed ibuprofen and hot showers to get through it, I'll never forget my boy's magic with Mickey. With all that said, I do need a vacation from that vacation.