When I was 6 my grandparents drove me from Ontario to Disney World in Florida. I swam in the ocean, visited the Kennedy Space Centre, climbed trees to pick oranges and did all the Disney stuff.
Going back in time, that trip is one of the first things I can remember. It started an annual family tradition of trips to amusement parks when you turned 6.
That trip to Disney World was one of the greatest times of my life.
A video meme that modern parents are loving to do to their kids is surprising them with a trip to the happiest place on earth. The concept is simple, whip out the video camera and start rolling as the kids piece together where they're going on vacation.
Disney encourages the meme by building ad campaigns around "the surprise".
I couldn't do that with my kids. They'd have no clue.
Maybe it's because we're trying to raise character kids without characters, but Zacharie is 4 and has no idea what Disneyland is. He doesn't know who Mickey is. Has no clue about Goofy, Space Mountain or any of it.
My mom is starting to talk about wanting to take her grandchildren to Disneyland (to continue the trend her mother started) and I couldn't be more thrilled - because then I won't have to do it.
I went with my ex-wife and stepdaughter to Disney a number of years ago and it felt like my Grad night in high school - the experience could never live up to the anticipation.
The lines are long, and the rides are lame. (Especially if you're going with the 6 and under set). How many buggies driving past painted characters that pop out can one handle? It's crowded. Expensive. Stressful, and, honestly? Boring.
I took my son to our local amusement park, Calaway Park, this past summer. I didn't have to pay for parking. You can get an annual pass for cheap. The lines are measured in minutes, not hours. They had bumper cars, trains, twirlies, merry-go-rounds, log rides and popcorn - things Disneyland has.
I love re-living life through the eyes of my children. I love the genuine thrills they have at discovering something new. Perhaps if my sons had an inkling as to what Disney is I might be more excited to see that dream come true, but as it stands now - I'm not going.
Are you doing "The Disney Thing" with your kids? 
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