Disneyland Is Not For Everyone
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If you don’t go to Disneyland, you can still be an awesome parent.
As summer is ramping up, families from all over are heading to Disneyland to enjoy the “magic” of the place. Parents are giving their children an experience that they may or may not forget in the future, but that will make them happy in the moment. You may know families that are heading to the parks this year, and your kids may want to go as well. Whether you go or not doesn’t make you a good or bad parent.
Disneyland is a pretty unique place compared to other theme parks out there simply because of how much influence Disney has in the world. Basically every child has watched multiple Disney movies and is aware of many of the characters. Whether they’re watching the television shows or the movies, they know at least one Disney character and they likely really like that character - there’s not much getting out of it.
As such, many parents feel like the Disney parks are the place that they have to go with their kids. And while it’s true that most kids will enjoy seeing the characters they’re used to watching on TV in real life, that doesn’t mean that you have to take your kids there. There’s nothing that says you’re a bad parent if you don’t take your child to Disneyland. You can still be a great parent if you don’t.
Not all people have the finances to make Disneyland a reality for themselves and their family. Unfortunately, Disneyland is extremely expensive and simply not something that everyone can do. Disney is able to charge the high rates due to the high demand - they’re filling their parks to capacity even with the high prices. Going into debt to go to Disneyland is not something that we’d recommend.
Even if you have the financial ability to make Disneyland happen, that doesn’t mean you have to go to the park either. Disneyland is crowded almost all year round, and going to the park means you’ll be in a hot location with lots of other people around. While Disneyland is generally cleaner than other theme parks, it’s still a theme park with lots of people everywhere, and tons of kids all over the place.
Ultimately, taking your child to Disneyland is about the experience. You can still be an awesome parent by taking your child to other places for experiences. Take your kids national parks and go hiking. Take your kids to the beach. Take your child camping and enjoy the outdoors. Make memories with your child - your child will remember these experiences throughout their life and be grateful for them.
Your child won’t hate you for skipping Disneyland, especially if you never promise it to them. If you’re spending quality time with your child and making experiences with them, then that’s what really matters. Your child wants to spend time with you and have experiences with you. Make that happen as often as you’re able to. Disneyland is a way to do that, but it’s definitely not the only way to do it.
Disneyland can be an awesome experience for everyone. But there are so many other experiences that can be awesome as well - don’t feel like you have to go to Disneyland with your child.
