The Misconception of Disney Parents
You go on Instagram to scroll through your feed due to boredom and you find an adorable Instagram page featuring a child's adventures at Disney world. It's full of fun and magical moments. One photo of them wandering Main street USA with aurora in her matching aurora dress hand in hand. Or of a little boy being escorted by stormtroopers to meet kylo ren while in his kylo ren costume. Or just an extremely cute photo of them in their everyday casual clothes with Tinker bell being loved with pixie dust.
The thing about instagram is that it allows a person to edit their lives and see what they want others to see. So when you see something constantly posting their photos at Disney, one could get envious of their lifestyle, not actually knowing their reality. Sometimes it is not intentional. Most of the time, especially as a Disney parent, for safety reasons you keep your normal life private for the child's sake. It is important for any child to get a sense of normality in their everyday lives. Sure, you see these children enjoying Disney parks but most of the time this is on the weekends or for special family trips to the parks regardless if you are an annual passholder or not. Many of these children still go to school and have extracurricular activities during the weekdays. They have playdates with schoolmates outside of Disney. Non one ever sees how much a parent truly sacrifices for their child to enjoy these things like visit a disney park.
To backtrack for a moment, let me explain why i am even discussing this topic. A week or so ago a young woman on twitter suggested that i should write a blog post about how Disney parents use their children to gain special moments and perks from cast members. She went on to say how disgusting it was that these parents essentially pimped their children out in elaborate Disney costumes just to get special treatment from characters and cast members. Fortunately i could never in good conscience write about that sort of negative topic, especially one i did not agree with. I am friends with many Disney parents and not one of them have ever shown even the slightest sign of manipulating or using their child for an ulterior motive. Every Disney parent i know loves their child more than life itself. Like any parent they want their children to have the best childhood possible and want nothing but the best for them. Their children are not spoiled but they are like any other child. Sometimes they need a timeout or sometimes they act out or cry. But they have good heads on their shoulders and are smart. They get good grades in school and do outside activities besides Disney too.When i spend time with these friends in particular they make me look forward to having my own child someday. And personally it is an honor to be able to be a part of their child's life.
Going back to the story, i shared my encounter on twitter with the young woman on twitter and as you could imagine many of the Disney parents were either confused or in obvious disagreement. Even some cast members made comments about how the young woman was wrong.
To protect the identity of my friends, they have asked that their names not be written here.
Two Disney Parents were just plain confused as to what benefits they reaped from dressing their kids up and taking them to enjoy the parks. E didn't think she reaped or gained any benefits from simply allowing her child to dress up and enjoy the parks. B added that their children created their own magical moments because their personalities draw people to them not because people want to be on their instagram accounts or gain followers from them. She added that with her own child real life has begun to take over as their days at disney have dropped significantly due to school, which is an obvious priority. To put it simply, everyday is not full of faith, trust and pixie dust. Her child gets a healthy dose of reality and time to enjoy the parks and have a good time in her childhood. E added that her and her husband work full time and mostly enjoy Disney on the weekends. Both E and B try to cherish every precious moment with their children at the parks because it is the most important time in their children's lives.
Although sadly, i am sure there are some parents who are the kind who use their child for instagram or disney perks but they are not the majority which is where the misconception lies. Not every disney parent seeks fame or use their child for it. They simply want to share their child's adventures with family and friends. And many have made so many wonderful friends through instagram because of it because some people genuinely love seeing their child enjoy the parks or enjoy the family as a whole. I know i do!
Many cast members and Disney friends of mine made a few comments agreeing with the parents too. C, a cast member, stated that she makes magical moments for everyone equally and that she gives every child the same treatment whether she has a special connection with them or she is meeting them for the first time. She also added that assuming cast members give special treatment to certain children is rude towards her fellow cast members, the family and the child as well. A agreed saying 9/10 times it is not the case but occasionally there is one child who really does not deserve the special attention due to rude or entitled behavior.
R, a Disney fan, pointed out that a big instagram following could make a big difference in someone's lives so to say nothing is to be gained from it makes no sense. However, she agreed that many of these parents don't seek out the fame when starting these accounts but some do just to get attention from popular media celebs.
A, another disney friend of mine, has the same connection with many of these families as i do and she agrees that the children and their families draw them in because they are kind and welcoming to us.
A.M, a friend from overseas and a Disney parent laughed at the notion that she could be accused of using her child for fame on instagram. She went on to say that she does not spend thousands of dollars to cross the atlantic for instagram fame, but to give her an amazing childhood and spend time with parents who are like her and build amazing bonds.
H and G, cast members and Disney friends, commented on the bad side of things they see. H said she was more concerned about the teens and adults who disneybound when visiting the parks and get overly upset when it is not acknowledged by cast members or characters. Basically, it isn't the children that is not the problem here but the entitled teens and adults who know better. G followed up by saying children would get wonderful interactions if they actually interacted with the characters. Although there are some shy children and that's normal, but not when the parent is forcing the shy or scared child to go up to the character thereby ruining the experience. Or when the Child is hitting the character and think its funny or okay because it is not. Any child will get a great experience with any character when they are interacting and being kind to them.
To conclude this, we all should take a step back sometimes and realize how silly we can be sometimes. Why get jealous of a child enjoying her time at a disney park? the disney parks are for everyone to enjoy no matter what age. Social media can warp anyone's lives but in reality none of us truly know what goes on behind closed doors. It is important to let these kids enjoy their childhood because it's a dark world we live in whether we like it or not. It's best to let these kids enjoy their balanced dose of reality and disney while they can before the effects of paying bills and working a 9-5 job come to them. Just know that majority of these families and kids you see on instagram are not just out here for the fame and attention. They really just have wonderful personalities and have great connections with the people they meet and see during their visits.
The thing about instagram is that it allows a person to edit their lives and see what they want others to see. So when you see something constantly posting their photos at Disney, one could get envious of their lifestyle, not actually knowing their reality. Sometimes it is not intentional. Most of the time, especially as a Disney parent, for safety reasons you keep your normal life private for the child's sake. It is important for any child to get a sense of normality in their everyday lives. Sure, you see these children enjoying Disney parks but most of the time this is on the weekends or for special family trips to the parks regardless if you are an annual passholder or not. Many of these children still go to school and have extracurricular activities during the weekdays. They have playdates with schoolmates outside of Disney. Non one ever sees how much a parent truly sacrifices for their child to enjoy these things like visit a disney park.
To backtrack for a moment, let me explain why i am even discussing this topic. A week or so ago a young woman on twitter suggested that i should write a blog post about how Disney parents use their children to gain special moments and perks from cast members. She went on to say how disgusting it was that these parents essentially pimped their children out in elaborate Disney costumes just to get special treatment from characters and cast members. Fortunately i could never in good conscience write about that sort of negative topic, especially one i did not agree with. I am friends with many Disney parents and not one of them have ever shown even the slightest sign of manipulating or using their child for an ulterior motive. Every Disney parent i know loves their child more than life itself. Like any parent they want their children to have the best childhood possible and want nothing but the best for them. Their children are not spoiled but they are like any other child. Sometimes they need a timeout or sometimes they act out or cry. But they have good heads on their shoulders and are smart. They get good grades in school and do outside activities besides Disney too.When i spend time with these friends in particular they make me look forward to having my own child someday. And personally it is an honor to be able to be a part of their child's life.
Going back to the story, i shared my encounter on twitter with the young woman on twitter and as you could imagine many of the Disney parents were either confused or in obvious disagreement. Even some cast members made comments about how the young woman was wrong.
To protect the identity of my friends, they have asked that their names not be written here.
Two Disney Parents were just plain confused as to what benefits they reaped from dressing their kids up and taking them to enjoy the parks. E didn't think she reaped or gained any benefits from simply allowing her child to dress up and enjoy the parks. B added that their children created their own magical moments because their personalities draw people to them not because people want to be on their instagram accounts or gain followers from them. She added that with her own child real life has begun to take over as their days at disney have dropped significantly due to school, which is an obvious priority. To put it simply, everyday is not full of faith, trust and pixie dust. Her child gets a healthy dose of reality and time to enjoy the parks and have a good time in her childhood. E added that her and her husband work full time and mostly enjoy Disney on the weekends. Both E and B try to cherish every precious moment with their children at the parks because it is the most important time in their children's lives.
Although sadly, i am sure there are some parents who are the kind who use their child for instagram or disney perks but they are not the majority which is where the misconception lies. Not every disney parent seeks fame or use their child for it. They simply want to share their child's adventures with family and friends. And many have made so many wonderful friends through instagram because of it because some people genuinely love seeing their child enjoy the parks or enjoy the family as a whole. I know i do!
Many cast members and Disney friends of mine made a few comments agreeing with the parents too. C, a cast member, stated that she makes magical moments for everyone equally and that she gives every child the same treatment whether she has a special connection with them or she is meeting them for the first time. She also added that assuming cast members give special treatment to certain children is rude towards her fellow cast members, the family and the child as well. A agreed saying 9/10 times it is not the case but occasionally there is one child who really does not deserve the special attention due to rude or entitled behavior.
R, a Disney fan, pointed out that a big instagram following could make a big difference in someone's lives so to say nothing is to be gained from it makes no sense. However, she agreed that many of these parents don't seek out the fame when starting these accounts but some do just to get attention from popular media celebs.
A, another disney friend of mine, has the same connection with many of these families as i do and she agrees that the children and their families draw them in because they are kind and welcoming to us.
A.M, a friend from overseas and a Disney parent laughed at the notion that she could be accused of using her child for fame on instagram. She went on to say that she does not spend thousands of dollars to cross the atlantic for instagram fame, but to give her an amazing childhood and spend time with parents who are like her and build amazing bonds.
H and G, cast members and Disney friends, commented on the bad side of things they see. H said she was more concerned about the teens and adults who disneybound when visiting the parks and get overly upset when it is not acknowledged by cast members or characters. Basically, it isn't the children that is not the problem here but the entitled teens and adults who know better. G followed up by saying children would get wonderful interactions if they actually interacted with the characters. Although there are some shy children and that's normal, but not when the parent is forcing the shy or scared child to go up to the character thereby ruining the experience. Or when the Child is hitting the character and think its funny or okay because it is not. Any child will get a great experience with any character when they are interacting and being kind to them.
To conclude this, we all should take a step back sometimes and realize how silly we can be sometimes. Why get jealous of a child enjoying her time at a disney park? the disney parks are for everyone to enjoy no matter what age. Social media can warp anyone's lives but in reality none of us truly know what goes on behind closed doors. It is important to let these kids enjoy their childhood because it's a dark world we live in whether we like it or not. It's best to let these kids enjoy their balanced dose of reality and disney while they can before the effects of paying bills and working a 9-5 job come to them. Just know that majority of these families and kids you see on instagram are not just out here for the fame and attention. They really just have wonderful personalities and have great connections with the people they meet and see during their visits.
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