Our day at Disney World last week as a family was epic. Between meeting Mickey and Minnie, riding roller coasters in the rain after the crowds cleared out (turns out rain is Disney’s best-kept secret for shorter lines), and just soaking in the magic, it was an all-around great day.
As you can imagine, the park was packed with families trying to make their kids’ Disney dreams come true. But one thing I noticed repeatedly throughout the day was two very different types of parents.
Those who were stressed by it all… and those who were soaking it all in.
Two families in particular stood out to me.
- One family had just gotten off a ride when the little boy realized he’d left his wallet in the seat, and it was too late to go back for it. His eyes filled with tears. Dad yelled at him for continuing to bring it up after being told to drop it, and then mom and dad got into an argument over how the whole thing was handled. In the middle of the “most magical place on earth,” this family was living out quite the opposite.
- Another family I passed was beaming with excitement and joy as mom and dad watched their daughter enjoy the simplest of Disney magic: bubbles floating by, music filling the air, the Ferris wheel spinning slowly, and one of those rare moments where you can actually see a memory being made in real time.
I have a feeling these two families could describe most of us on any given day, not just at Disney, but at home, at dinner, in the car, and in the mundane moments of everyday parenting.
We’re either stressed by it all, or soaking it all in (and maybe, sometimes just a little bit of both).
If you had to put a label on your parenting today, which family would you find yourself most in? And more importantly, is that the one you actually want to be?
There’s too much wonder in childhood for us to miss it while we’re busy managing it.
This week, let’s remember to soak in the gift of parenting, because we’ve been given a front-row seat to watch what God is doing in the hearts and lives of our kids every single day… trust me, the real magic moment is rarely the one you paid for.
