The Kids Are In Charge

My husband accepted a job that would move us from the Seattle area to Portland, Oregon during Thanksgiving weekend. six days before our flight to Orlando. Forget trying to plan character breakfasts! My hours were now spent packing boxes. How would we enjoy this long planned getaway when we were so stressed out? It was time to give the kids some Disney planning responsibility.

I knew the cruise portion of the trip would be fairly easy. There was little preparation necessary to eat fine meals and lounge in the sun. I was concerned about our Walt Disney World Resort week. When I’m in charge of the planning, it involves a spreadsheet listing times and places to be in precise locations, notated by color. Could I really give this task to two children? And if I did, could I keep my “hyper-planning, I’m-always-right,” opinions to myself? It turns out I could, if I remembered these 5 steps:

3. Kids Are Flexible Day #2 on the kid list was supposed to be spent at Epcot. We arrived and went straight to Test Track and Mission Space before realizing Orlando’s record cold temperatures would make the day really, really chilly. My Type-A personality was ready to power through the cold. After all, this was the agreed upon schedule! Emma and Annika wanted none of that and they were happy to come up with a “Plan B.” We spent the day riding the monorail and viewing all of the Christmas decorations at the resort hotels. Nothing makes a kid happier on a cold day than buying cookies and hot cocoa from the Grand Floridian’s enormous gingerbread house.

4. Kids Need Rest Knowing we’d be up late the night of Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, the girls decided to take it easy during the day (at Mom’s gentle suggestion). We made a leisurely exploration our resort hotel, did some light shopping, and had some quiet time. Upon arriving at the nighttime event, they continued to plan the action. While my schedule would have for sure included Disney’s entertaining shows, their agenda was focused on riding Space Mountain over and over again. They graciously granted my request to watch the parade as long as they could have a cup of hot chocolate in their hands. The morning after the party we carried out another plan dictated by the children; we slept in.

Kids are in charge
Getting the next command from the Kimmunicator.

5. Kids Know How to Relax Toward the middle of our Walt Disney World Resort vacation stay, it became astonishingly easy for me to “let go.” There was no rushing, the girls had the maps, and they could just play while my husband and I followed along. There are benefits to being a repeat Walt Disney World vacation family. Emma and Annika are at home there. They know that if they don’t see something this time, there will most likely be a next time. If they’ve done something before, they don’t necessarily have to do it again.

Shockingly, I was happy to have the kids in charge of our vacation schedule. I didn’t worry about an organized agenda being threatened by unforeseen circumstances. The girls were at ease because they didn’t have a mom trying to rush them off to the next event. I can’t lie; there were things I missed. I didn’t get my Tonga Toast for breakfast at the Kona Cafe. I didn’t get to wander through The Magic of Disney Animation. Heck, I didn’t even get to see IllumiNations! However, my girls taught me lessons that I won’t soon forget. Our vacation is about being together. Our vacation is taking time to explore our surroundings. Our vacation will never again depend on a color-coded Excel spreadsheet.

About the Author: Andee Zomerman lives in the Pacific Northwest and is a wife and mother to a family that loves all things Disney.  They seem to be constantly planning their next Disney vacation – even while experiencing the current one.