Between September and February is the best time of the year, in my opinion. The best weather, holidays & memories are curated during this time. My birthday in September. Autumn & Halloween in October. Feasting in November… See things really pick up after that. In December we have our anniversary then Christmas and snow. January brings a new year then my husband’s and son’s birthday’s. Finally, February gives us Valentine’s Day. It’s the best time.
To celebrate most of those momentous occasions, I decided it’ll be more fun to take a trip every January. Years prior, we’ve gone anywhere from Denver to Asheville. This year, we journeyed to Disney World! Before I get into what happened on this trip, I want to thank me for this idea and our travel agent Lindsay for helping us have the smoothest vacation ever!(Her info is at the bottom of this letter)
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America is not family friendly. Period.
I genuinely did not understand how unfriendly it was until I decided I wanted a child. There’s discussion about better family cultures in other countries but you don’t truly understand it until you experience it. Florida is a part of the US I know, but Disney World is a whole new realm.
The biggest difference I can express is not feeling like we’re an inconvenience as a family to anyone. Everywhere we go, we feel that tension. We feel self conscious about having a baby who giggles loudly, throws toys, isn’t aware of stranger’s personal space, that we’re pushing a stroller, need to ask for a highchair etc. Even in baby friendly places like playgrounds or the library, we still feel a little on edge. Culturally, Americans don’t want to be annoyed by the presence of children and want all children to be well-behaved. That’s just unrealistic and oppressive.
At Disney, we felt welcomed as a whole. As a family, a new family, an interracial family.
We could fearlessly ride public transportation with a baby and stroller in tow. Private van had the car seat ready for us. We rode the ferry & saw wildlife. Even the monorail was fun and spacious. People would give up their seat for me to sit with our son. The bus driver would wait patiently for us to fold the stroller. People made eye contact, spoke and even full teeth smiled at us. Even our experiences with TSA & Delta were premier. No issues with all the puree pouches we packed. Got to board first. Emery even got his first flight wings & a trading card! If you’re wondering, he slept the entire flight. Truly an angel. Where we’re from, I honestly can’t imagine bringing our child confidently on any public transportation.
This was the most we’ve ever eaten out at a sit down restaurant since 2020. If you think Chic-fil-a has great customer service, the “cast members” at Disney are superior. We were always seated on time, they would replace the fourth chair at our table with a high chair and actually took our dietary needs seriously. As vegans with a variety of food allergies, restaurant staff make us feel bad for coming out to eat because it’s “complicated”. We never feel 100% confident the food we eat is safe. At Disney, they confirm your allergens, give you a special menu and even offer the chef to come out to chat with you if you’re still worried. They were very friendly with each of us equally and we were never rushed. During our last meal at Jiko, the staff gave Emery a happy birthday button, a handwritten card, stuffie & a candle in our dessert. So thoughtful and yet all E wanted to do was swat the flame & toss the lion cub.
The Baby Care Centers were a nice place to retreat to. They had sanitized, cushioned changing tables. Private nursing rooms. Kitchens for preparing meals. Play areas with Disney movies on tv. We could purchase any baby goods like diapers or medicine as well. I sometimes would breastfeed under a blanket in public and never felt weird doing so. Other times, we could go to one of the centers so I could in calmer conditions. I so wish everywhere had family restrooms, clean changing tables & nursing rooms. It’s hard to always tend to your child in the back of the car.
The energy in Disney World is immaculate. That whole “feel the magic of Disney” thing is real. Admittedly, I almost cried at the fireworks show. (But honestly though, that budget must be insane, it was the best fireworks I’ve ever seen). The only time I felt potential sadness was when I thought we might miss a reservation. It is nice to not worry about everyday life woes like chores, navigating, food, entertainment, family matters. We recently bought a house & are renovating it, which has taken more mental load than expected. Something as simple as never worrying if you’re using too much hot water in the shower is relieving. My husband & I looked younger & happier by the end of it. Only thing we missed was our comforter, I guess because it’s Florida there’s not a lot of bedding???
For once, we could just breathe & be ourselves fully, in the present moment. No fear. No scarcity. No drama. Just peacefully existing as a family. That’s what we deserve. That’s what every family deserves. Not just on vacation but more regularly in our day to day lives.
Now that we’ve had a taste of how joyful life as a family can be, we are looking for that again permanently. Maybe that does exist in some American neighborhood or we might have to leave the country. Feeling sheepish in public is not how we want to experience parenthood. We’re proud to be parents and want our son to feel the love and happiness that we received in Disney as often as possible.
Please let me know where else you’ve felt welcomed as a family or if you’ve ever been to Disney World!
Email me your answers! withcarrington@gmail.com or comment on Substack :)
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Our wonderful travel agent:
Lindsay White
+1 804-338-1023
Lindsay@skyesthelimitvacations.com
This is beautiful! We have a little interracial baby on the way and I love reading your writing. I never thought about how special of an environment a place like Disney could be for parents!
I never believed the hype of Disney (tix are so expensive) but I enjoyed learning about your experience. You’re absolutely right about American culture not valuing the child, and I’d argue more specifically the mother. Disney is a bubble we pay for as parents to experience joy and ease. What if our malls were like that? Or grocery stores? What if there were free play spaces built into the mall?