My son brought tears to my eyes, and Dad's

[Moon Child]

So last Wednesday we were at The Magic Kingdom, all day and night
Got there at Rope Drop, having an amazing day. We had just had our family picture taken in front of the castle, and my ds 11, says "I'm sad"
I ask "How come?" He replies, "Because this is the last time I will be here at Disney World at this age" Wow! He gets it! My Dh had to put his sunglasses on
We usually go every 2-3 years, so next time he will be a teen, this is bittersweet for me. Will it still be the same for him? He was so excited to get hugs from Buzz and Woody that day. I know things will change, but I want him to always "get" the Disney Magic

 

[LCoulter]

How sweet...I'm all teary eyed.

I have a DD4.5 and I hope she still gets the Disney magic at 11.

 

[KatieCollette]

awww

 

[Jabali]

I still get the Disney magic at 26, so hang in there!

 

[lugnut33]

Nice thing about Disney is as he gets older you can all do more "adult" things. Like for us the last time we ate at Bistro De Paris and my teenage daughter loved it. You might hit up the water parks more often. Or, La Noube will be something that fascinates the tween or teen.

 

[Moon Child]

The best thing about this trip was, he rode Rock N Roller Coaster with me for the 1st timne, and LOVED IT!!

 

[DjdBrit]

WOw, love this! My also 11 year old son cried this summer on our last day. We were leaving MK and I stopped to get a last look back and he started crying! I felt it too, "see you next time whenever that is" I just about fell to pieces too

 

[harding0010]

It all depends of the person. My son starting at age 17 did not ever want to go to disney world anymore. (I go without him now)

 

[loganpaulsmom]

There may be a few years where it's like " im not into this"... But, having gone alot as a young girl.. and then some in my 20's.. I loved it all over again when my husband and i got together.. and now that we have our son, we love it even more because we are seeing it again through the eyes of a 2, 5 and this spring a 6 year old.. These trips will set your son up for a lifetime of loving Disney, just like his parents..

 

[Chipndalenut]

WOw, love this! My also 11 year old son cried this summer on our last day. We were leaving MK and I stopped to get a last look back and he started crying! I felt it too, "see you next time whenever that is" I just about fell to pieces too

You just made my heart melt. I know we always feel the same sadness when it's time to leave. I am in such a slump for about a week after we get home. It's hard to have such a major Disney addiction !!

 

[disneybass]

Priceless!

 

[mesaboy2]

We had a hectic 2-day/1-night stay at WDW for the 9/30 MNSSHP and 10/1 40th anniversary MK thing. It was crazy and we were tired and left DHS about 6pm. When we saw the WDW welcome sign in the rearview mirror, DD7 teared up but good. Ten minutes later she was asleep for the rest of the 2.5-hour drive home. As Dad, I thought: "Mission accomplished."

 

[Feralpeg]

Op, I won't lie to you. Things will change as he grows up.

As my daughter grew up, her fascination with the characters faded. Instead, she became enthralled with other aspects of Disney. She became much more attuned to the details in the parks. I can remember slowly walking down Main Street one day as she read ever window. She'd seen a show about the making of the Magic Kingdom and wanted to find all the details for herself.

Now, she's 23. She is fascinated with the cultures represented. Her favorite park is Epcot. She has made friends with many of the CMs working there just to find out more about their homes and cultures. She is very aware of other guests. She listens to them speak and guesses where they are from based on their dialect. She's very good at that!

She still lets me take pictures of her with characters occasionally, but I know that she is just humoring me. She likes them, but that aspect of the parks just isn't important to her anymore.

OP, don't fret. If you son really loves WDW, that won't change. It may morph into a different type of love, but once something finds a special place in one's heart, it never really leaves.

 

[DisneyInDel]

Well....My wife, 3 daughters and I went for the 1st time in '94..

The girls were 13, 11 and 7...we loved it!!!

Many Cheerleading competitions followed at MGM, EPCOT and WW of Sports...feeding our love for WDW

In '08 we all went back..accompanied by son in laws and our 4 month old grandson...We loved it more!!

Next year..we will add another son in law and 2 more grandsons to the trip..

My kids have grown to love WDW more every single time we have gone..

And now with the grandkids we can see the joy that we have felt through all these years in new, very young eyes...

The magic of Disney has no age limitations and no expiration date..

 

[Moon Child]

Op, I won't lie to you. Things will change as he grows up.

As my daughter grew up, her fascination with the characters faded. Instead, she became enthralled with other aspects of Disney. She became much more attuned to the details in the parks. I can remember slowly walking down Main Street one day as she read ever window. She'd seen a show about the making of the Magic Kingdom and wanted to find all the details for herself.

Now, she's 23. She is fascinated with the cultures represented. Her favorite park is Epcot. She has made friends with many of the CMs working there just to find out more about their homes and cultures. She is very aware of other guests. She listens to them speak and guesses where they are from based on their dialect. She's very good at that!


She still lets me take pictures of her with characters occasionally, but I know that she is just humoring me. She likes them, but that aspect of the parks just isn't important to her anymore.

OP, don't fret. If you son really loves WDW, that won't change. It may morph into a different type of love, but once something finds a special place in one's heart, it never really leaves.

Love this! Thank You! You guys are right, it will just turn into a different kind of love. We kept telling both of our boys during this trip, one year, when you are here with your own families, you will have tons of memories of your family vacations with us, and you will tell your children, "I remember when I did this with my Mom and Dad" And God willing, we can all sometimes take a Disney trip together in the future, with grandbabies

 

[michsig]

The last time I went with my family, my brother was 14 and he was so not into the Disney Magic. That's just how he is. However, my boyfriend is 25 and has been to Disney a TON of times .. he still gets it and loves it we can't wait for our trip in July!

 

[picktails]

My son is in his first year of college, and went to Disney with his friends as his high school graduation trip. The love doesn't leave, it only changes...
He has talked about getting married at Disney for a while now; I only hope he meets someone with the same desire!

 

[stlouisdisneyguy]

so sweet ... brought tears to my eyes. I am sure he will always get it. I remember when I was a little kid going to Disney, and the magic is still the same for me

 

[TDluvsDaisy]

The magic of Disney has no age limitations and no expiration date..

 

[hebbynan]

Awww that was so sweet!! AND it speaks volumes....good job raising him! You know what..he'll probably keep that magic alive. It sounds like he's a young man that appreciates things in life (even the little things). I bet the next time you come back, he'll make even more special memories for your family!!