Theme Parking: A Disney Princess In The Making

• While driving to her day care last week, my daughter suddenly told me, "It was really great that we got to see Disney Junior." I should not have been as shocked as I was. She is growing up quite fast and constantly surprises me with how much she has learned and how fast. But here I was talking about one of my favorite topics, Disneyland, with my daughter. I decided to prod her a little to see just how much she remembered. I asked, "What was your favorite part?" She answered, "When Stuffy made all the bubbles in the sink." She was right; that was a lot of fun.


• My wife and I have long been fans of Disneyland. We had annual passes for a few years until it was no longer feasible. But we never stopped loving the parks. When we had a child, I knew that I would want to share so much with her. I should have guessed that it would be Disneyland that caught her attention.


• Disney is already a big part of her life. She loves watching Disney Junior in the evenings, especially Miles From Tomorrowland with its catchy theme song. We read Disney books before bed. And, of course, she is in love with the Disney Princesses.


• Prior to her birth, her mother and I talked and planned about how we would encourage our daughter to find some aspiration other than "Princess". We bought books and toys and clothes that cover a variety of tastes. When she was old enough, we enrolled her in soccer and swimming classes. We did everything we could to expand her horizons. In spite all of that, she is a princess.


• But, she is a princess in addition to everything else she is. She's a storyteller. She can climb and run and kick a ball. She loves her books. And she loves dresses and she loves pink. For as much as I worried, being a princess is not some terrible, anti-feminist affliction. It is just another facet of her life. So long as it makes her happy and doesn't cause any harm, she can be a princess for as long as she wants.


• Theme Parking is a new category for posts related to my lifelong obsession with Disneyland.