Moutains or Bust!

"I'm not riding any rides with the word Mountain in the name!"


This statement was made last spring by my then "one-month shy of turning 5" year old son on the bus from our resort to the Magic Kingdom our first day at Disney World.  Not exactly music to the ears of this mouse fanatic mom.  Other parents on the bus thought it was cute and started to laugh.  Me, I started to panic.  How could it be that MY child would ban Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and Expedition Everest (I know, I know...but the general "mountain" concept is implied and obvious to my child) before we even put our admission tickets into the scanner!?!  


Our trips are often multi-generational.  My family of four (myself, my husband, our sons age 9 and age 5) are often joined by my Florida resident parents (who are both in their 70's).  On this particular trip, my husband's brother, his wife and their two sons (ages 4 and 2) were also with us.  My brother-in-law and his family were first timers.  This mix of ages, interests, knowledge and of course my "sea level rides only" son made for a challenging tour plan.  Luckily, my brother-in-law and his family weren't too demanding.  Their boys were happy to do and see all the things their cousins got excited over.  The only time we left them on their own was the day their personal plan was "Dumbo or Die!"  My poor sister-in-law couldn't believe she waited for a ride that was over before she knew it.  But it was all worth the smiles from her little guy!  It was fun watching the excitement and awe in the eyes of children at Walt Disney World for the first time.  I have more pictures of my 2 year old nephew on the Kilimanjaro Safari attraction than I do of all the animals we saw...well, that he saw.  I only saw his cute little face, jaw dropped or laughing with happiness when he saw something new. :)  it has been a few years since we toured the parks with a stroller.  And although I do miss the storage space, I do not miss stroller parking or retrieving the stroller after a show or attractions or navigating tight areas with a stroller.  If you can get by without the use of a stroller, it is quite liberating to tour the parks without one.


My parents are also just happy to go along with whatever their grandchildren want to see and do.  Long gone are the days when my father would ride Space Mountain and I think my mom rode Big Thunder Mountain for the last time a few years ago.  They still enjoy the shows, the food, and like me, the expressions of joy and excitement on the faces of their grandchildren as they experience the parks.  We move a little slower when they are with us.  But that's not a problem.  It reminds us to take in the atmosphere and architectural elements throughout the parks.  I also now know where each restroom and sitting area is in each Theme Park.  Something that has come in handy many, many times.  Yes, we may be able to move more quickly and do more things when they aren't with us, but we love having them join us.  It is time with my parents that we all enjoy and grandpa is always up for an icecream treat with the boys...even when mom says no.


As for my youngest son.  He did go on Big Thunder Mountain, after a bribe.  However, he came off it crying.  Apparently he is just at "that height" where, when the train jerks, the back of his head slams into the back of the seat and the hand grip bar above the seat.  Oooops!  I won't bother him to go on that again until he is about 4" taller than he is now.  My husband worked his poker faced magic, and convinced my son that the Splash Mountain they were in line for was the "junior version" and that the big drop was much smaller than the drop he saw outside the ride.  Yep, we lie to our children.  Hey, desperate times call for desperate measures!  And yes, we were guilted into buying him a Mickey Ice Cream bar once he came off the ride and realized that he wasn't on the "junior version".  He still will not go on Space Mountain or Expedition Everest.  That's ok for now. We've scarred him enough with the other two.  The time will come come when he only wants to ride the rides with the word Mountain in the name...and I can't wait!