Yesterday, I asked my youngest today (now 16) what would make Fort Wilderness and Disney more fun for teens. His response – “stay home.” Come on – other than that. “Take the PlayStation,” he said.
Geez.
Where did that sweet little child go?
I’m going through it for the third time in 17 years. That little four-year-old who couldn’t wait to hug Chip and Dale is now a sullen teenager. And I remember the first time. My oldest wanted to stay home when her friend ended up not being able to go with us. She was 15 at the time. Oh the heartbreak. But we have Ohana breakfast, and you love that so much! Dead silence.
There’s a smorgasbord of reasons that this Disney disdain happens in the teen years. I think the primary cause is general loathing of all things parent. They just don’t want to be with us. Anywhere. Not at Disney, not at a campground, and certainly not at a Disney campground. We are utterly uncool and annoying. I felt the same way about my out-of-touch family back in my day, but just knew it would be different when I had kids. What went wrong?
You know, it’s okay – it’s an intuitive step to upcoming independence. But hey, you’re not going to ruin it for the rest of us, and I am keeping you with me as long as I can. In other words . .
I will force you to have fun, whether you like it or not.
Seriously, here are a few things that have kinda, sorta worked for me.
- If there’s any way possible for them to bring a friend, make it happen. The math on this is really incredible, because it cuts their misery by more than half. Yep, misery loves company.
- Make sure they every opportunity to make new friends at Fort Wilderness. And back to number one – it is easier if there are two of them. Let them off on their on – to the pool, to the arcade. Go a step further and scout out another family on your loop with teens. Take the parents some of your Crock Pot pulled pork, and manipulate a seemingly-natural introduction among the teens.
- The PlayStation is a toss up. Maybe bring it for limited hours. But I would opt for fishing poles as well. Have them loaded and ready for your teen to grab and get their zen on and the frown off.
- Take either a zillion pictures or no pictures at all. Depends on the kid. My sons do not want any of these Mickey Mouse moments on record. My daughter was happily occupied for two days when we took 250 pictures of her in every hat in every Disney shop that we could find.
- Let them do something they have never done before. This could be a horseback ride, a segway tour (at the Fort), archery, or even Disney’s Keys to the Kingdom Tour – the one with the undergraound utilidor tour in the Magic Kindgom. $$$$
- Plan an active family evening. Even if they don’t want to be around you most of the time, they secretly do sometimes. We’ve rented a pontoon for a evening cruise and had competitive game triathlons (shuffleboard, checkers, tennis).
- If they have a friend, let them do whatever extra late night in the park is available. My daughter says some of her best memories are of her and her friend staying in the Magic Kingdom until 2 am, and riding rides over and over again.
- Let them pick where to go out to eat on nights that you’re not cooking in. And try your best to make this part of the pre-trip planning. My daughter’s pick was Boma, while my youngest always wants Nine Dragons. But we do have a family tradition of having a Kona meal upon arrival.
- Reserve a few hours for clothes shopping off property. Almost all teens want new attire, and there’s not a better place to find them than at the many outlet malls and other shops in Orlando. Oh, and Ray Bans are always an answer. Every time.
- If they are 16 or older (and have a driver’s license), rent a golf cart for them to use for at least one day. You’re never too old or young to love looping.
The good news is that it all turns around at age 19 and 20, and the magic returns. After a year at college, my middle child asked the other day, “Mom, when are we going back to Fort Wilderness?”
