The Best Way to Visit Theme Parks for Family Togetherness
If you've been in our email group for a while, you know we're huge fans of making a big deal out of birthdays in our house. Some years that means taking the day off from school and work to visit a big movie theater, hiking trail, beach, or shopping mall, and other years, it means a bigger trip - taking several days off to enjoy something the birthday boy or girl has been dreaming of for quite a while. So when our littlest guy started talking about visiting a gigantic theme park for his birthday this year (and wouldn't stop talking about it), we started thinking.
Our first thought was, "We really aren't theme park people," and it's true - 99% of the time, we'd much rather spend time in nature with plenty of peace and quiet, surrounded by natural beauty than plod around manmade attractions and stand in lines all day long. But then we started to wonder,
What if our family could love national parks AND theme parks, nature trails AND roller coasters, beautiful beaches AND waterparks?
What if we found space in our hearts for the things our kids are obsessing over right now too?
So yesterday, we spent our little guy's 12th birthday braving the crowds at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge in Orlando along with a few good friends and a couple of grandparents too, and although it was wild, loud, crazy, and at times, frustrating, to be enjoying something so big with so many other people, that visit was a huge boost in our family togetherness factor. Here's why:
#1 - A break in the routine
As helpful as routines can be, there are definite togetherness perks to setting out for a day with our families schedule-free.
#2 - Loads of time standing in line together
It's amazing how many great conversations happen while standing in line for hours on end. In the moment, it seems like we're talking about nothing at all, but after the fact, we realize that those little conversations are everything.
#3 - Little or no devices in the way
As someone who works online, I appreciate the natural eye contact and attention that happens with no computers around, and if we pay attention and keep our faces off of our phones too, that screen-free togetherness magic happens all day long.
#4 - Working together to figure things out
Where are we going to find some food? Which ride should we try next? How much time do we have before the next show?
When my kids were tiny, I felt like I had to have an answer for all of these things, but now that they're older, it's so fun to let them help decide where and when to go, what to eat, how to get there, etc.
#5 - Getting caught up in the magic
Watching our kids get caught up in the magic of Harry Potter or Star Wars, Peter Pan or Toy Story is probably enough to make any parent's heart leap, but when we let ourselves get caught up in it too, I think it's even better - for us and for them. That's the power of a good story - it gives us so much to talk about and helps us deal with our own worries, fears, and knowledge of heartbreaking things all over the world.
It's probably true that my family will never be theme park people, just like some families will never be national park people and others will never be camper people, and that's okay -
No matter what kind of family yours is or whether you ever visit a theme park, when we find space in our hearts to care about what each one of us loves, break our routine, and pay attention to each other, big togetherness wins happen over and over.
This weekend, I hope you're leaning in close to your family and starting to get a little excited about your next adventure together - whether that's this summer's camping trip, next week's field trip, or today's audiobook or movie night. You'll find us laying low to recover from our big day at Disney and heading up to the mountains for a little R&R while we plan for a summer full of camping.
Let’s go after those family adventures you’ve been dreaming of together.
What about you? Do you have a tip for making theme parks great family togetherness moments?
Hop into the email group and join the discussion!