Finally learning... Simple is better with kids!

My wife, daughter and I went to Disneyland this past weekend to enjoy the Holiday spirit and get in what might be out last visit for over a year with a baby on the way.  We were a little hesitant because our last visit a few months ago was a small disaster.  Last time I planned the whole time we would be there, we talked about our "game plan" and prioritized the things we wanted to do.  It seemed logical to be organized but our toddler had the last say and our plan basically imploded from the beginning.


What I realized this time, is that I can't over plan a trip or experience to meet some crazy expectation I hold.  Our previous trip was going to be "perfect" and the "best Disney trip EVER" in my mind.  I set myself up for failure from the beginning.  This more recent time, I made the basic plans like lodging, dinner reservation and left the rest to fate.  We decided to ask our daughter which rides she wanted to do and went from there. 

The free flowing two days of last weekend were infinitely more fun than the one day we attempted with a timeline.  Even rain couldn't stop us from having fun.  While exhausted and wet at the end of the day, we still had fun walking back to our hotel and will look back on the trip with fond memories.  As a result of this trip I am finally realizing that kids don't expect a lot, they just want our undivided attention and the opportunity to explore.  I already knew this on some intuitive level but now I know to fight my extremely type-A, organized traits to just let the kid decide.

Thank you sweetie for teaching Daddy to calm down and go with the flow!  I needed that...