On our return to our hotel, we pass a mother who’s lecturing loudly to her two young boys about how each of their toys are identical. What is implied by her speech is that they should each be grateful and perhaps not test Mama anymore.
What I see are two little children trying to stand attentive while their small frames shake with exhaustion, little lips quivering and dark, tired eyes welled with tears. Their eyes don’t meet their mother’s glare but seek out the strangers walking past. And how I feel for them.
What’s apparently not clear to their mother, who’s focused on her rant, is that it’s past 10 p.m. non-Disney time and they are all exhausted.
At Disneyland, time is a concept ordered by parades (twice daily), meal stops, and how long it will take to stand in line for a ride.
Time is also a relation. If that ride means a forty-five-minute wait, then let’s wait in this thirty-minute line—first. Three rides may mean one hour of “real” time passing, the majority of it standing.
Consider also that if you’re a family on a tight budget, you probably also want to get your money’s worth given the pricey entrance fee so the day is spent trying to stretch the experience further.
Everywhere I see little children wilting on their parents shoulders or begging to do so as their parents look baffled at their offspring’s “bad behavior.” Parents hiss, “Knock it off.” Children wail. Others are dragged by raised arms back into the long line they attempted to escape. Whimpers and more wails almost drown out the loud “Be our best!” music blasting from a nearby parade.
These dark memories from our recent trip over a hot holiday weekend compel me to offer the following gentle suggestions on how to actually enjoy Disneyland:
1. Bring a backpack.
Stock it with small, sport-top water bottles, one for each child. Also bring along a small squirt bottle to help beat the heat while waiting in line. (The water bottle fans offered at the park are a whopping $17.) Bring along healthy snacks since the park is loaded with short-energy sugar-drop snacks. Cracker packets, cheese sticks, trail mix are all great energy boosters.
