What to tell a 4.5 yo- Character Related

[MommyMouse143]

We travel to the parks semi-regularly. My son has been interacting with characters his whole life. He met "talking Mickey" once. The other night I was tucking him into bed and he asked why only some characters talk to him (face characters). I kind of brushed it off, because I could not come up with a good explanation on the spot. I suspect it is going to come up again soon, as we have a trip planned for soon,. Does anyone have a go-to explanation for this that preserves the *magic*?

 

[robinb]

I can't help you out. My DD always knew that the characters were not real. We didn't "do" Santa so there was no need to explain how one was real and the other wasn't.

 

[MommyMouse143]

I can't help you out. My DD always knew that the characters were not real. We didn't "do" Santa so there was no need to explain how one was real and the other wasn't.

My boy is 100% a believer. "Disney Magic" is something he talks about on the regular at home.

 

[TheyCallMeStacey]

Sometimes, with my kiddos, I turn the question back to them and ask them why they think something happens/doesn't happen. can open up a larger discussion or you have that option to say, "Huh, that may be"

 

[kboo]

Sometimes, with my kiddos, I turn the question back to them and ask them why they think something happens/doesn't happen. can open up a larger discussion or you have that option to say, "Huh, that may be"

I do this exact thing - "hm, what do you think?" and usually it's a guide to what they want to hear!

 

[lowlight]

It happened to me, and since I can't lie to my kids, I just changed the subject. It was the mall Santa before this.

 

[tinkerjo]

This same question was on here not too long ago. I agree with turning it back to the child and asking what they thought the reason was. Even if they have it figured out that’s ok too. If knowing ruined the magic my 52 year old self wouldn’t be so excited to go to Disney.

 

[Disneytrippin']

My granddaughter asked me the same question. I just said Mickey has to save his voice for singing, If he talked to every person he sees, he would lose his voice.

 

[SleeplessInTO]

When I get stuck I just say “why don’t you ask (insert character name) next time we see them?”

She usually forgets by then. And if she does remember, I’m sure the friend of the character is well trained to answer or deflect these.

 

[lostprincess_danie]

My daughter knows they are people costumes but in the moment where she actually meets a character she completely forgets and the magic is real to her. She's asked questions like yours, OP and I just say "Huh, I never really thought about it. But it makes you very happy to meet them even if they don't talk, right?" She says "yes" and it sort of closes the conversation because now she's focused on how fun character interactions are rather than the not talking part.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

My kids believed in Santa and such but they always knew the characters were not real, they just loved the magic of being able see them and dance with them and hug them etc...
When the Santa thing came up as they questioned it, we told them each the truth and just asked that they respect other kids and younger siblings. We didn't want to make up a convoluted story that would maybe lengthen the magic of Santa but then just disappoint them in the end.

 

[MommyMouse143]

So many good pieces of advice, thank you! My boy definitely isn't questioning whether they are real. He believes, he is just very inquisitive and wants to know how things work/why they are the way they are. I want to preserve the magic, since he's only 4.5 and doesn't seem ready for all that information.

 

[DodgerGirl]

When you take a four or five year old on their very first Disney vacation this is probably one of the most popular questions they ask. Because at that age young children will begin asking questions about the world around them and discovering the difference between make-believe and reality is a common thing to children at four and five. When your son goes to Walt Disney World he will know even though Mickey Mouse and some of the characters don't actually talk like the face characters do it will be just like meeting a celebrity. Like if you have a Marvel loving little boy they realize that the heroes that they see in the parks are not the real life Marvel heroes they know from cartoons but they make them like celebrities. Like when I see Doctor Strange in the movie I think it's really Doctor Strange but when I see pictures of Benedict Cumberbatch I do know that he is still Doctor Strange to me even though he is cute as Benedict Cumberbatch. But I really do wish that Walt Disney World could have talking masked characters with eyes that moved and mouths that moved as they talked to you and they would say hello to you by name because seeing how Talking Mickey was a success I think actual talking characters would be a marvelous idea and make character meet and greets more fun. Because it's really surprising that they never allowed the masked characters to talk and the face characters can talk. But no matter the outcome i'm sure your son will have a wonderful trip and have priceless memories that he can cherish for years to come