Why We Are Not A Theme Park Family

4.05.2018


First of all, ain't no one have time to stand in those lines.

At least The Smiths don't.

Serious question: for those of you that do have time to stand in line over an hour or more just to ride a 45-second mediocre clunker, how do you reconcile that with yourself? I ask with zero judgement, just honestly curious. I get it if I was at the theme park alone, and I had a good book to read and could read in peace and quiet without little humans screaming in my face and ears about having to wait so long in line, but with kids? I just honestly want to know how you do it. Do you do it because you love them? Hate yourself? Have a slight BDSM fetish? 

Look. No parent is ever happy in those lines. Look around next time. They are all scowling, yelling at their children, grabbing them by their shirt collars, stressed to the max, or almost to the very front of the line when their child says they have to go to the bathroom right then or else!

My kids just aren't wired to stand quietly in line for an hour with absolutely nothing to do. More so, neither are their parents.

Everyone honestly just looks a little bit miserable in what those declare "the happiest place on earth."

I've made no secret of the fact that I limit screen time firmly. No gaming devices in this house (besides our kid-friendly Amazon tablet that doesn't see the light of day M-F) and we will go weeks or months without any sort of screen time at all. Do I feel my kids are missing out?

Quite the opposite. I feel my kids are actually having a fulfilling childhood and are enjoying the outdoors, as they should. My boys have been very active in the remodel of our home and when my youngest turned 8 just this past month, his most favorite birthday gift was a loaded tool set. We got chickens about 6 months ago and it's the kids' responsibility to take care of them and clean up the poop. Yes, they bitch and moan about having to stay outside sometimes but if I could care less, I would. 

I just don't. *insert dgaf emoji here

This article says that children these days spend only half as much time playing outside as their parents did. Most of my childhood memories consist of late nights with my sisters in our tree, playing kick the bucket with my cousins and boating on the river until we went to sleep. I refuse, I just flat refuse to give in to the "modern way of parenting" and hand over my child a $700 device. HA.

So yes, we just got back from the dreaded Legoland in San Diego and we won't be making that mistake, or any like it, in the future. (Not even going to start on the subject that the prices to enter are insane — almost $500 for our family of 4 — and they charge a small child for a burger and then once you are in, almost everything "super fun and exciting" costs even more money. I've been played before when I realized Jonathan Taylor Thomas was not getting nor reading my love letters I sent him in the 90's and I refuse to be played like that again.)

It all comes down to time. Time is money, honey. And I prefer to spend my time, and my money, how I please. I couldn't help but feel like a cow getting herded into the gates...everyone schlupps along, blindly following the crowd. (Much like people and the flu shot but let's not even go there...for now.)

Needless to say, we went back to the beach.

Freedom, as I like to call it.

We had plans to visit SeaWorld the following day, however based on our farm animal experience, we went back to what felt like home.

My boys ran free, their hearts were full and their energy was exhausted.

We had dinner that night along the beach, and although my boys weren't making a scene or being unruly, I did have to constantly be on guard and you know, mother my children in order for the night to go smoothly. I noticed a table to my right with three young children...I hadn't heard a peep out of them for quite a while so I looked over and kid you not, every child was on their own cellphone, watching youtube or God knows what, but they were so entranced and glued to their screens that I couldn't get their attention with a snap of my finger if I wanted to.

And I was once again, grateful that Rob and I are on the same page when it comes to those harmful devices on our children.

Just say no to theme parks, crack machines and cow herding.

Yes to the beach.

Always yes to the beach.

55 comments:

  1. In answer to your question, I have no kids, so I go during off season when the wait is 5 minutes... 45 minutes is NOT worth it.

    ReplyDelete
  2. 5 minutes?? I would totally sign up for that! No kids, of course ;)

    ReplyDelete
  3. i feel this. we were recently at a resort down south with my kids (5,4,2) and dinners were not super relaxing - they were generally pretty okay, and we had to parent and actually engage our children in conversation to keep them from being rowdy, but we still didn't ever bring phones or ipads to dinner...whereas lots of other families had all their kids on electronics. i mean, ya that's way easier and would have been relaxing, but that's not what we were there for. it's nice to actually speak to your kids. we always do Peak and Pit - best and worst part of your day etc. and usually they don't have a Pit so we get to just talk about the best parts of our days. and plus, now they actually know how to behave in a restaurant, so we don't have to be terrified of taking them places

    ReplyDelete
  4. my mom always made lines fun for us when growing up- she loved coasters and had a talent for coming up with time-passing games, so we did too. the people watching was also eye-opening and entertaining for us.

    i dont get the families that do that with young kids... standing in line for toddler "roller coasters" or character meet and greets? No. just, no. My MIL was aghast that we didn't take our 2 year old to Disney on Ice. A 2 hr show in the nosebleeds after bedtime? And you want ME to pay for tickets AND snack / drink / new light up toy? Hard pass.

    I hate the cold... but I'm braving it for my kid (until she's old enough to go unattended) who loves the outdoors... because 1) it tires her out 2) it keeps her healthy and 3) prisoners get more time outside than most kids do these days.

    ReplyDelete
  5. i dont get the families that do that with young kids... standing in line for toddler "roller coasters" or character meet and greets? No. just, no. My MIL was aghast that we didn't take our 2 year old to Disney on Ice. A 2 hr show in the nosebleeds after bedtime? And you want ME to pay for tickets AND snack / drink / new light up toy? Hard pass.
    obat ejakulasi dini permanen
    Obat Memanjangkan Penis Paling Ampuh
    Cara Agar Penis Tahan Lama Saat Berhubungan Badan
    Jamu Kuat Tahan Lama Di Ranjang
    Tips Agar Pria Tahan Lama Bersetubuh
    Cara Menyuburkan Sperma Kosong Pada Pria
    Obat Penambah Ukuran Penis Secara Permanen
    Tips Jitu Agar Pria Tidak Mudah Ejakulasi
    Tips Agar Alat Vital Tidak Mudah Ejakulasi Dini
    Cara Memperbesar Alat Vital Pria Dan Kuat Tahan Lama

    ReplyDelete
  6. I absolutely adore your blog posts! They’re so inspirational! I love what you do, and the things you post is exactly the kind of things I’m interested in.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Great blog it’s useful for me, I am enjoy to read this, keep share like this type of helpful information, I am suggest to my all dear friend to read this amazing article, If any one searching shipping company in India please Visit my website.
    Sea Freight Company in Delhi

    ReplyDelete
  8. Thank you so much for share this type of articles keeps the users interest in this article, I really like to read this awesome blog.
    Transformer Manufacturers In Pune | Transformer Manufacturers In Mumbai | Transformer Manufacturers In India

    ReplyDelete
  9. A large bouquet of services is integrated into a single transaction & payment processing platform, including Prepaid, Postpaid & Subscription based services like Mobile Money Transfer, Recharges, Bill Payments, Ticketing and Subscriptions for all leading service providers across industries.

    Apply CSP

    CSP Registration

    CSP Provider

    Bank CSP

    CSP Apply

    CSP Online Application

    Apply for CSP

    Top CSP Provider in India

    Apply Online For Bank CSP

    Online Money Transfer

    Top CSP Provider Company in India

    CSP Provider Company in India

    Apply Online CSP

    ReplyDelete
  10. Thank you for sharing this blog, It is an amazing blog, I am really impressed by your blog, It’s really useful norton.com/setup

    www.norton.com/setup


    ReplyDelete
  11. Thanks for sharing .You have done a fantastic work on this short article. Keep it Up. Rajasthan Budget Tours

    ReplyDelete
  12. Primevideo.com/mytv – Learn how to enroll and initiate another gadget on amazon prime to watch motion pictures and arrangement utilizing amazon myTV code from Primevideo.com/mytv. You are at the correct spot. You simply need to get the amazon prime membership from primevideo.com/mytv and use the Amazon Prime Video application on TV to begin watching films and web shows.
    Read more…

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm so glad and enjoyed your BLOG, It is very informative on the subject or topic, and Thanks For Sharing this post. I have something to share here buy modalert online

    buy artvigil online

    buy waklert online

    buy modvigil online



    ReplyDelete
  14. I found this too much informatics. It is what I was seeking for. I would like to recommend you that please keep sharing such type of info. Hulu provides wide range of personalized content for viewers to watch. It also allows user to create profiles for every member of the family and stream from two screens at the same time. Hulu com/activate - open hulu activation and enter hulu activation code to activatehulu plus for your device. you can sign up for hulu account on website
    www.hulu.com/activate
    hulu.com/activate

    ReplyDelete
  15. HBO Max is a TV broadcasting service offered by American premium cable network HBO. Through either the HBO Maxwebsite, or apps on mobile devices, video game consoles, and digital media players, HBO subscribers can stream video and TV shows, including past and current content.
    hbomax.com/tvsignin
    https://hbomax-maxtvsign.com/
    https://www.espn-comactivate.com
    Espn.com/activate

    ReplyDelete

  16. geeksscan I appreciate you for this article this is such a wonderful blog Thanks for posting this Read our blog It is related to technology It helps you to solve your issues that you are facing. This is our latest article visit here guest post site


    ReplyDelete
  17. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  18. uninstall aol its simple go to control panel and then go to installed programes where you get the list of installed software in your pc and there you see aol tech fortress select right click and uninstall that.

    ReplyDelete
  19. A website (also written as web site) is a collection of web pages and related content that is identified by a common domain name and published on at least one web server. Notable examples are wikipedia.org, google.com, and amazon.com. All publicly accessible websites collectively constitute the World Wide Web. There are also private websites that can only be accessed on a private network, such as a company's internal website for its employees. Websites are typically dedicated to a particular topic or purpose, such as news, education, commerce, entertainment, or social networking. Hyperlinking between web pages guides the navigation of the site, which often starts with a home page. Users can access websites on a range of devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones. The app used on these devices is called a web browser.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Nice post. Thank you for this work. The travelers need to apply visa for Kenya business visa through online visa application. Check the details and read the guidelines before you fill up the application form.

    ReplyDelete
  21. I get your meaning, saved in my bookmarks, very nice post, I certainly love this website, keep on the good work. The system is called ASAN Visa. It's so easy you can apply for an online e visa to Azerbaijan through Azeri visa system.

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hello Author, you have written nice article and shared with great information. Thanks for giving such a wonderful world class information.
    Jobs in Delhi
    Jobs in Ranchi
    Jobs in Nagpur
    Jobs in Indore
    Jobs in Patna
    Jobs in Ludhiana

    ReplyDelete
  23. We are a professional online custom make boxes company,offering different kinds of paper packaging boxes from long time and we are very glad to supply you the high quality boxes all the year round Wholesale Boxes With Logo

    ReplyDelete
  24. I definitely enjoy every little bit of it. This is a great website and good stock.I want to thank you. Apply Online Indian visa, Fill and online Submit Visa Application Form Securely via India visa website.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Camel can survive long times without food or water. They can also tolerate thirst for about a week before experiencing its effects on their performance. Camels are able to withstand temperatures ranging from -40 °F (-40 °C) to 122 °F (50 °C). With their big ears, they are able to hear danger.

    ReplyDelete
  26. system mechanics professional is the best antivirus and real time protection that protect your pc and malware, trojan horse and many kind of latest viruses and give you the best experience of while using your systemmechanic activate.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Nice info.. Thank you.... How to Apply Pakistan Visa Online? You can see here How to apply Pakistan visa online, Pakistan Visa Website You can see here all the information and read all the Visa Guidelines.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Wonderful! I really like your work, thanks for sharing this information.. Now let me tell you that India start issuing tourist visas again, foreign travelers can now apply for a long term visa.

    ReplyDelete
  29. I appreciate you sharing the information.India electronic business visa, you can get an online India business e visa through the India e visa website. India e business visa is more convenient and hassle-free.

    ReplyDelete
  30. AnonymousMay 06, 2022

    Very Interesting Post, thanks for sharing. plex tv code

    ReplyDelete
  31. AnonymousMay 06, 2022

    This is very useful software for you and me. No errors were found during the check.
    You can use it. I hope you like it.
    plex.tv link

    ReplyDelete

  32. I have read it in full and am really impressed.Would love to read more about similar articles. Thanks a lot!! Turkey visa for Iraq citizens are available. Iraqi citizens can apply for e-Visa online in about 3 minutes.

    ReplyDelete
  33. Best Courier Management Software Software Development Company in India

    Best Payroll Management Software Software Development Company in India

    Best Logistics Management Software Software Development Company in India

    Best Transport Management Software Software Development Company in India

    ReplyDelete
  34. As of September 2022, Mike Tyson’s net worth is estimated to be only $10 Million. Mike Tyson is an American former professional boxer, who had a successful 20-year career within the sport. Despite a few ups and downs along the way. Tyson was the undisputed world heavyweight champion, and still holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title at 20 years, 4 months, and 22 days old. Back in the day, he had accrued over $300 million dollars throughout his career but ended up losing it all.

    ReplyDelete
  35. It furnishes you with huge, visual milestones that get you through the park.
    theme park review

    ReplyDelete
  36. Diving into this post felt like embarking on an odyssey through the vast expanse of human intellect. With each paragraph, I found myself navigating through intricate corridors of thought, marveling at the author's profound insights. Amidst the cacophony of digital noise, stumbling upon such genuine reflections was akin to discovering a hidden oasis of wisdom. My sincere gratitude to the writer for sowing seeds of inspiration and nurturing them into flourishing concepts. Here's to eagerly anticipating more thought-provoking content like this.

    ReplyDelete
  37. In the tapestry of discourse, your words shimmer like threads of gold, weaving a narrative that captivates the imagination. Each sentence is a brushstroke on the canvas of thought, painting vivid portraits of human experience. Through your writing, you bridge the gap between worlds, inviting readers to explore the depths of possibility and the heights of creativity.

    ReplyDelete
  38. Your blog is a repository of knowledge! The clear and compelling writing style demystifies intricate topics. The detailed guides and illustrative examples are excellent. The author's dedication is evident in the thorough content. Your blog has quickly become one of my trusted sources for staying up to date. Keep up the fantastic work; I look forward to reading more!

    ReplyDelete
  39. Absolutely captivating! Your writing effortlessly navigates through complex subjects, making them accessible to all. Your ability to distill intricate ideas into easily understandable concepts is truly remarkable. It's evident you've poured your heart into crafting this post. I eagerly await your future endeavors, eager to embark on more enlightening journeys with you.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Your post is akin to a breath of fresh air amidst the cluttered realm of cyberspace. It's as if each word has been carefully curated to ignite a flame of curiosity within the reader. Navigating through your thoughts feels like embarking on a journey of enlightenment, where every twist and turn leads to newfound insights. Your ability to seamlessly blend knowledge with introspection is commendable, and it leaves me eagerly anticipating your next installment. Thank you for sharing your unique perspective with the world.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Facing issues with your Trezor Not Connecting? Ensure the cable is secure, update your firmware, and check browser compatibility. Restart your device or try a different port. Troubleshoot further with Trezor Support for assistance.

    ReplyDelete

Please, tell me what you think! I love reading your thoughts and opinions, and I find some of my favorite blogs through my comments!