The mouse is winning.

Clearly it is his fault that I hear — on an almost daily basis — the urgent plea of, “Daddy, I want to go to Disney World.”

I cannot blame the professional athletes who tout their destination after winning the Super Bowl. The expensive marketing campaigns cannot be held accountable. Even the mountains of pink princess propaganda that fills my house gets a pass.

It is Mickey’s fault.

In fact, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that cry for entertainment from my two daughters we probably would have already made the trip.

Ultimately, I guess that it is exactly what Disney World is designed to do, spark the imagination of children and create the illusion of an almost mythical place where dreams come true.

That’s a lot of pressure for parents!

And so, with that in mind, my wife and I have begun planning an excursion to the House that Walt Built for sometime in 2015. When it comes to travel and vacation I am pretty much a “wing it” type of person. My wife, thankfully, is not.

She has started doing research, talking with experts and planning a trip that is probably more than 365 days away.

I’m sure we aren’t the only parents who have struggled with the juxtaposition of abject commercialism against fulfilling the dreams — manufactured as they may be — of their children.

I don’t have anything against Disney as a company, mind you. I have spent a small fortune on all sorts of merchandise from costumes to movies to dolls to everything in between. We took my oldest daughter, who is now six, to Disney World about three years ago. We certainly want my youngest daughter, who is four, to experience this as well.

None of that changes the fact that it isn’t exactly a parent’s paradise.

It is hot there. I mean like sauna room in H-E-double-hockey-sticks hot. The three-hour lines to enjoy four-minute rides are as excruciating as fingernails on a chalkboard. Food costs like a million bucks and often comes with a side order of buyer’s remorse. The sheer volume of people crammed into the small spaces makes sardine cans seem roomy.

Still, when it is all said and done, this is something my daughters really want to do and we will never be able to recapture this innocence and sense of wonder again.

The price tag maybe hefty, but I know the memories will be priceless.

Okay Mickey, you win. See you next year.

 

Michael Caldwell is the publisher of Leader Publications LLC. He can be reached at (269) 687-7700 or by email at mike.caldwell@leaderpub.com.