Welcome to the first stop aboard Magical Blogorail Yellow. Enjoy the ride as we share with you what makes Disney feel like home to us.
How can Walt Disney World not seem like home to me? Every time a Disney Transport bus drops me at my resort, they tell me, “Thank you for riding with us, and WELCOME HOME!” I mean, my minivan doesn’t do that when I pull into my driveway.
I’ve been asked many times by friends and family who just don’t get the Disney appeal, why our family keeps going back to Disney. In fact, my sister, who used to take her kids to the World every year when they were growing up, recently told me that they prefer to go a differently place each time they travel. They don’t like to go to the same place over and over. I thought, first, that she used to go to Disney over and over, but I let that one slide. Then I thought, you know what, in some ways Walt Disney World is the same each time. Its familiarity, its comforts, its welcoming solace all remain constant each visit. But in many ways, Walt Disney World is an entirely new experience every time we go.
Walt Disney World is ever-growing and changing—plussing, in Disney terms—as most recently evidenced by the new Fantasyland expansion. Rides get revamped, seasons change, we change. Our most recent visit marked a first for our family: It was the first time all five of us were able to ride Big Thunder Mountain together! My younger two kids are getting big enough and brave enough to dare the big rides, and it adds a whole new layer of magic to our trips.
I think what makes Disney feel like home to us is that we just belong there. It’s a place we can be who we are without life’s other concerns interfering. We can embrace a mouse like he’s our bestest best friend in the whole world, and he hugs us back like that’s the truth. We can change and grow and go through seasons—and be plussed—right along with the resort, and no matter what, they always, always welcome us back “home”!
Today’s Takeaway:
What makes a house a home? Share some quality family time together this evening. Eat together at the dinner table and genuinely talk with one another. Ask your kids what makes Disney feel like home to them, and then ask them what makes your house a home. Often, parents get too caught up worrying about their inadequacies. Don’t do that! Listen to what flows from your children’s hearts tonight, and treasure this time together.
SCHOOL SUBJECT: Family Time
SKILL LEVEL: ALL
Thank you for joining me today. Your next stop on the Magical Blogorail Loop is RETURN TO DISNEY.
Here is the map of our Magical Blogorail should you happen to have to make a stop along the way and want to reboard:
1st Stop ~ Magical Mouse Schoolhouse (YOU ARE HERE)
2nd Stop ~ Return to Disney
3rd Stop ~ Magik Mouse
4th Stop ~ DIStherapy
Final Stop ~ Delightfully Disney
Add MAGICAL MOUSE SCHOOLHOUSE to your home library!
