Tara Lynn: Reluctant first-time Disney mom

We are taking our 7 and 5-year-old daughters to Walt Disney World in less than a week and I’ve been dreading it.

This is supposed to be the magical age for them to go right? The time they believe in pixie dust and play make-believe.

It’s also that magical age of little legs that can run all day with friends but can’t walk to the other room to put away their shoes. It’s the magical age of demanding snacks every 30 minutes and refusing full meals. It’s the magical age of meltdowns because you packed the wrong water bottle.

These are the things that have clouded my mind whenever I think about this trip. I’ve been so focused on preparing for it to be a (very expensive) disaster that I haven’t allowed myself to get excited about this truly incredible time we will have together.

I went to Magic Kingdom for less than a day when I was 15 years old. So I really have no idea what to expect. My husband went several times as a kid. He has been excited about taking our kids for years. He planned the schedule, bought all the park passes, and felt like a kid on Christmas morning getting up early to make the coveted dining reservations when our day came. I keep telling him we should spend the money on a trip to Europe instead. Epcot will have to do.

Our 2-year-old son and the dog will be staying home with the grandparents. While my husband has been planning out the ride strategy for each day, I’ve been busying myself writing out schedules, getting medical forms, restocking poop bags, dog food and diapers. I’ve been reading blogs on what to pack and tracking the weather in Orlando. I’ve been chatting with other parents who recently visited the happiest place on earth to see if it really was all that it is cracked up to be. My girls and I have been watching “Secrets of the Zoo: Animal Kingdom” and even reading some books about WDW. We have filtered water bottles, ponchos, band-aids, Minnie Mouse ears, and extra phone chargers.

I think deep down I’m just trying not to set myself up for disappointment. I don’t want to go into this with rose-colored glasses thinking the girls will be jumping up and down laughing all day, thanking us repeatedly, and appreciating all of the work my husband did in planning to make this a memorable experience. Will their eyes glow with excitement when meeting Elsa and Minnie Mouse? Will they marvel at the fireworks? I have no doubt. But it’s impossible for everything to go perfectly as planned and for a seven and five-year-old to suddenly not get tired and emotional like any typical kid does on any given day in any given place.

Just as I don’t want to put unrealistic positive expectations on the trip, I don’t want to go into it assuming the worst.

So as we head out in a few days, I’m shedding my dread and finally getting excited. I’m committing myself to pack a go-with-the-flow attitude and a lot of grace for all of us.

Stay tuned for my recap in a few weeks!