Childfree (by choice) Disney Lovers!

[zima-cheryl]

Recently mentioned that I was on my way to Disneyland, and was asked, "So, how many kids are you taking?"

I replied that I don't have kids, it was just me and the hubby. I got a weird look, but laughed it off! Had a blast at the park, and as always, felt that having kids tag along would ruin the experience!

Disneyland has some great restaurants from what I'm told.
I totally agree, how can you sit & really enjoy a nice meal & a good bottle of wine with kids there?

Our next trip will be to WDW and Victoria & Albert's is top on the 'to-do' list. I'd love to go all out & do the Chef's table with the wine pairing. But the pocketbook may have a bit to say about going that far over the top.

 

[CallieMar]

Recently mentioned that I was on my way to Disneyland, and was asked, "So, how many kids are you taking?"

I replied that I don't have kids, it was just me and the hubby. I got a weird look, but laughed it off! Had a blast at the park, and as always, felt that having kids tag along would ruin the experience!

I've gotten that weird look too since we had APs last year and went so many times. The great thing about going to DL without kids is that you can set your own schedule and not worry about nap times or meal times or whatever. Also, much easier to get through the madness after fireworks on your way to Fantasmic! if you don't have a stroller or little one to worry about

Glad you had a great time!

 

[annieb727]

While I do have children and love taking them to Disney...I am planning a solo trip in March and I love going with my girlfriends. Disney is such a fun place to be -- people think I am nuts, but I know they just don't understand Disney like I do. So while I am not child-free...I do go to Disney some child-free (I did take them in December)

 

[Stefecatzz]

While I do have children and love taking them to Disney...I am planning a solo trip in March and I love going with my girlfriends. Disney is such a fun place to be -- people think I am nuts, but I know they just don't understand Disney like I do. So while I am not child-free...I do go to Disney some child-free (I did take them in December)

That's funny you mention this b/c one of my coworkers just called me crazy today b/c of my love for Disney & how often I go. I don't understand his lifestyle either & so it is.

I do have children. One Amazon Parrot, 2 Budgies & a Terrier mix I adopted. I think that's great that you go on solo trips sometimes. It seems to feed & refuel my soul when I'm in the parks. I do really enjoy seeing children's reactions on rides or when they see characters.

 

[franandaj]

Disneyland has some great restaurants from what I'm told.
I totally agree, how can you sit & really enjoy a nice meal & a good bottle of wine with kids there?

Our next trip will be to WDW and Victoria & Albert's is top on the 'to-do' list. I'd love to go all out & do the Chef's table with the wine pairing. But the pocketbook may have a bit to say about going that far over the top.

Have a great time there! We ate in the main dining room on our last trip and I totally loved it!

 

[karen4546]

My first trip to WDW was in July 2012 with my daughters then ages 16, 19, and 20. It was great! And in February 2013 my daughter turned 21 and we had a wonderful time again. In September 2013 my DH and I went back to WDW and he really enjoyed it. He loved that we only had to bring money for tips, cabs and a couple of souvenirs. He loved trying the different restaurants. DH thought the bus system was convenient and reliable. We took a couple of cabs, and the cost was very reasonable. We loved spending our 25th wedding anniversary in WDW. We had a river view at POFQ. It was beautiful. We had an ADR at 50s PT. DH is a "country boy" and he loved the fried chicken and fresh veggies. He also liked the Tusker House breakfast (he drank too much Jamba Juice)- I warned him about the sweetness. We had dinner at the Garden Grill (he likes Chip and Dale) and the food was quite good. We had dinner at the Hoop Dee Doo- I didn't love it but DH enjoyed it. We had dinner at the Wave and we both enjoyed it. We went to la Nouba and DH was amazed! It is truly a wonderful show. This was my second time seeing it and it was just as amazing as the first time! We loved holding hands strolling through Epcot. We shopped, ate, drank and just sat and watched the ducks . DD (22 now) and I are going back to WDW in March 2014 to celebrate her graduating college (she is an elementary special education major with a minor in Psychology- I am so proud of her). And DH and I are going back in September 2014. So, I have not yet done Disney with small children- and it is a Magical Experience every single time! From the fireworks to the parades and everything in between - adults can be kids again or enjoy the night life at Downtown Disney- for those who choose to be CF, enjoy your lives and enjoy Disney ! P.S. I love this site!!!

 

[beatlesblonde]

I am glad to have found this thread! We too made the decision to be child free pretty early in our relationship. I'm an only child so it was a little rough on my parents when they started hounding us on marriage and kids (been together over a decade and feel married). But one day my mom tried to give me a guilt trip by comparing our decision to be CF to my gay cousin (?!?!) and I put my foot down and said, look. You're not the one that would have to take care of the kid, we are. And we don't want that. So you can't really try to tell us what to do. Harsh, yes, but she realized we were serious and hasn't brought it up since.

We fully admit that our personalities are a bit too selfish to lend itself to having kids. We like being able to set our own schedules (like going to DL in the offseason!) Sure some people just have that parental switch click on when their kids are born, but others don't. It's not like you can give them back if you realize it's a mistake, and it would be terrible to harbor resentment towards a helpless child for the rest of their lives. Frankly I've known some women that treat their babies more like a trendy accessory than anything else. And the only reason they had them is because "that's what you're supposed to do". No, actually you're supposed to do what is right for you. I have a good friend who's about to give birth, and I think she'll be a great mom. But we know that it wouldn't be the right decision for us.

I want to 'like' this post

I'm an only child too, and I feel a little guilty about the prospect of never giving my parents grandchildren. Fortunately they are very supportive and want only the best for me and what is going to make me happy. Plus, they're not really big on kids and babies either.

I have a lot of friends having babies at the moment, and am feeling the pressure from society, but I know what's right for me

I second that, I want to give to both of you. You took the words right out of my mouth. I've known since before I met DH that I didn't want children, and if I was ever get married that my DH would have to feel the same way. Thankfully I found one who does! We've been married almost 5 years and look forward to many many many more that don't involve diaper changes, 3am feedings, not being able to sleep in on the weekends, not going on random road trips, strollers, worrying about preschools, etc. Just the idea of having a kid makes me freak out, it's obviously not in my DNA to be a mom. Heck we barely want a dog, maybe some goldfish instead, but maybe we should graduate to real houseplants instead of plastic first

 

[zima-cheryl]

Ibut maybe we should graduate to real houseplants instead of plastic first

It is good to have goals
Could I recommend a Peace Lily. If there is a way to kill one, I've yet to find it.

Seriously though, It is funny how difficult it is to find like-minded folks.
We were at supper with two other CF couples & were talking about how all the couples had met, and even when someone says they are CF others always assume 'you'll change your mind'.

 

[glaserjm]

It is good to have goals
Could I recommend a Peace Lily. If there is a way to kill one, I've yet to find it.

Seriously though, It is funny how difficult it is to find like-minded folks.
We were at supper with two other CF couples & were talking about how all the couples had met, and even when someone says they are CF others always assume 'you'll change your mind'.

I despise the "change your mind" comments. If one of my friends said to me, "I've decided I never want to travel to Africa." (which has always been something I have wanted to do), I wouldn't say, "Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll change your mind."...because why would I care if they changed their mind?! Just because it's something I want to do does not mean it is something I assume everyone wants to do!

All of my friends who have children love them dearly and are great parents, but I've had more than one of them say, "I think you'd be just as happy without them." or more flatly, "Don't do it." This is the bit of honesty you rarely receive, but I am grateful to have been bolstered by some that are on the other side who aren't clinging to the old "change your mind" (i.e. join the club so we aren't the only ones) mantra.

 

[beatlesblonde]

I despise the "change your mind" comments. If one of my friends said to me, "I've decided I never want to travel to Africa." (which has always been something I have wanted to do), I wouldn't say, "Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll change your mind."...because why would I care if they changed their mind?! Just because it's something I want to do does not mean it is something I assume everyone wants to do!

All of my friends who have children love them dearly and are great parents, but I've had more than one of them say, "I think you'd be just as happy without them." or more flatly, "Don't do it." This is the bit of honesty you rarely receive, but I am grateful to have been bolstered by some that are on the other side who aren't clinging to the old "change your mind" (i.e. join the club so we aren't the only ones) mantra.

Thankfully I've never had anyone tell me that we'll change our mind, but I think my MIL (not so) secretly harbors hope that we will. She's never flat out said it, but some other things she's said make me think that even though we've told her outright that kids aren't for us.

Whenever being CF comes up, even if it's a news article and is in no way directly connected to me it gets my hackles up. You would think in this day and age that people deciding to be CF wouldn't be such a big deal. Why is procreation or the lack thereof have to be such a public issue?

 

[Aeryn76]

I'm a single 37 year old kid. Don't have kids of my own & don't plan on it happening in the future too. My family on both sides have a long history of mental illness, alcoholism, & bad hearts. My grandpa & uncle both died of heart attacks. So I decided not to have kids. I help take care of my mom who is bipolar so that is enough for me. I love Disney! I blame my grandma cause she used to buy me Mickey stuff all the time when I was little.
I got the weird looks too when I said I was going to wdw & I when I went on a cruise too. I am a kid at heart & had a blast on both trips! Got my picture taken with Mickey & also Dug and Russell. Rode star tours 3 times cause that ride is awesome & I'm a nerd.
To me there are 2 types of people.. those who get it & those who don't. I'm glad I get it.

 

[CallieMar]

It is good to have goals
Could I recommend a Peace Lily. If there is a way to kill one, I've yet to find it.

Seriously though, It is funny how difficult it is to find like-minded folks.
We were at supper with two other CF couples & were talking about how all the couples had met, and even when someone says they are CF others always assume 'you'll change your mind'.

I despise the "change your mind" comments. If one of my friends said to me, "I've decided I never want to travel to Africa." (which has always been something I have wanted to do), I wouldn't say, "Oh don't worry, I'm sure you'll change your mind."...because why would I care if they changed their mind?! Just because it's something I want to do does not mean it is something I assume everyone wants to do!

All of my friends who have children love them dearly and are great parents, but I've had more than one of them say, "I think you'd be just as happy without them." or more flatly, "Don't do it." This is the bit of honesty you rarely receive, but I am grateful to have been bolstered by some that are on the other side who aren't clinging to the old "change your mind" (i.e. join the club so we aren't the only ones) mantra.

Ugh, I used to get the "you'll change your mind" comments all the time from my coworkers. My workplace skews younger now so I don't get that as much anymore.

I'm now one of the last of my close circle of cousins that hasn't had kids. They know us well enough to understand we want to remain childfree. My aunties will tease us once in a while asking when we are going to get married but for the most part they stay away from those two subjects. Which when I really think about it, is surprisingly tactful on their part!

 

[franandaj]

I second that, I want to give to both of you. You took the words right out of my mouth. I've known since before I met DH that I didn't want children, and if I was ever get married that my DH would have to feel the same way. Thankfully I found one who does! We've been married almost 5 years and look forward to many many many more that don't involve diaper changes, 3am feedings, not being able to sleep in on the weekends, not going on random road trips, strollers, worrying about preschools, etc. Just the idea of having a kid makes me freak out, it's obviously not in my DNA to be a mom. Heck we barely want a dog, maybe some goldfish instead, but maybe we should graduate to real houseplants instead of plastic first

Yeah, I get this. I never wanted to have kids, changing diapers was something that always appalled me. I can't even deal with cat boxes, that's my SO's responsibility. That said, we love having cats, they don't need tuition, they give you love, but do require care when you go on vacation. If you're having a hard time with houseplants, maybe pets are a bit down the road! But good luck with it!

It is good to have goals
Could I recommend a Peace Lily. If there is a way to kill one, I've yet to find it.

Seriously though, It is funny how difficult it is to find like-minded folks.
We were at supper with two other CF couples & were talking about how all the couples had met, and even when someone says they are CF others always assume 'you'll change your mind'.

That's one nice thing about the LGBT community is that they don't assume you want kids. While many folks now have kids and really enjoy it, no one seems to "expect" it from you. But even when I was with men, I still never wanted to have kids, I kept thinking, "he better take over the 'mom' duties cause I'm certainly NOT doing any of that stuff!" I'm glad it worked out I'm not in that situation any more!

 

[mrsclark]

Haven't heard anything from anyone on this thread in awhile!

DH and I just got back from 10 nights in WDW (plus 3 nights in Destin, FL with his mom and maternal grandparents). We had a blast - we went to MNSSHP twice. We tried BOG for the first time and liked it so much we went back a second time. 7DMT was so much fun.

We stayed at the YC for the first time and loved it even more than the BC/BCV where we stayed the last three years.

Hope all of you are still doing well!

 

[mrsclark]

Haven't heard anything from anyone on this thread in awhile!

DH and I just got back from 10 nights in WDW (plus 3 nights in Destin, FL with his mom and maternal grandparents). We had a blast - we went to MNSSHP twice. We tried BOG for the first time and liked it so much we went back a second time. 7DMT was so much fun.

We stayed at the YC for the first time and loved it even more than the BC/BCV where we stayed the last three years.

Hope all of you are still doing well!

 

[BudgieMama]

We got back from our first trip a couple of weeks ago, and had a blast! We did so much, and it was a huge amount of fun... We definitely want to go back (although in a couple of years, as there are so many places we want to visit as well)... and I can't imagine ever wanting to taking kids of WDW.

Is it bad that we're moving from child-free for now, to "maybe we'll just stay child-free"? I mean, we're not 100% decided, but it's looking more and more likely that children just aren't in our future, and we're OK with that...

 

[beatlesblonde]

Haven't heard anything from anyone on this thread in awhile!

DH and I just got back from 10 nights in WDW (plus 3 nights in Destin, FL with his mom and maternal grandparents). We had a blast - we went to MNSSHP twice. We tried BOG for the first time and liked it so much we went back a second time. 7DMT was so much fun.

We stayed at the YC for the first time and loved it even more than the BC/BCV where we stayed the last three years.

Hope all of you are still doing well!

Oh that sounds wonderful! My DH somewhat fell in love with the YC after dining there on our last trip, I'm still a Boardwalk gal myself (although I will take Stormalong Bay over the creepy clown slide )

We're going on our 2nd DCL cruise next month with my MIL and FIL. I just had my gallbladder removed so I'm looking forward to a week of letting Disney cater all my needs.

 

[Bushmills]

Hi all, haven't been on in what seems like forever. Hope everyone is doing well. Does Maddie come around these parts anymore?

 

[CruisingGoddess]

Haven't heard anything from anyone on this thread in awhile!

DH and I just got back from 10 nights in WDW (plus 3 nights in Destin, FL with his mom and maternal grandparents). We had a blast - we went to MNSSHP twice. We tried BOG for the first time and liked it so much we went back a second time. 7DMT was so much fun.

We stayed at the YC for the first time and loved it even more than the BC/BCV where we stayed the last three years.

Hope all of you are still doing well!

Awesome! I'll be staying at YC for the Wine & Dine Half in November. Looking forward to it.

 

[lakelandgal70]

Hey all. Life has been super busy and annoying lol. Hope all you childfree people are doing well and living life!