Was That Real?

There’s nothing better than a really good time. Whether it’s with your family, friends, or sweetheart, a truly great day lives well beyond 24 hours. My kids and I built our own special history of having fun. When they were little, we did simple things like the local zoo, hiking in Catoctin Mountain Park, dinner out (usually McDonald’s or Burger King) and the movies. As they got older, we still enjoyed the movies and going out to eat (Red Hot & Blue, Miyako, Outback Steakhouse), but the best times were vacations in Florida and theme park days. When your family lives in central Florida, especially during your kids’ formative years, a theme park rivaled Wonder® Bread, which claimed only to build a strong body. A theme park is nourishment for the body, mind and soul!

Lessons in patience, endurance and delayed gratification are delivered with fun, entertainment and ice cream. Kids are most accommodating when they are NOT hungry or thirsty, so one of my first theme park rules was to be an accommodating parent. After all, you’re taking them to Fantasy Land. The day is supposed to be about over-indulgence. The moment anyone said “I’m hungry” or “I’m thirsty”, it would be a quick stop to get lemonade or water or French fries or ice cream. Of course, we’d always take a break for lunch as well. Whether it was Disney or Universal, my kids learned early that going to a theme park means be prepared to stand in line. Fortunately, all of us really like rides and coasters, so the reward for patience was usually pretty colossal.

I think another good rule is to never take your kids to a theme park before they are old enough to walk on their own. An exception might be Sea World. I remember taking Calvin there when he was not quite two. Navigating with a stroller at Sea World was easy and Shamu and his sidekicks really captured the attention of my toddler.

Over the years, we visited most of the parks in central Florida, some more exciting than others. I think our collective favorites are the Universal parks, and I still remember with great clarity Calvin’s first trip to Universal Studios. He was five and we were visiting my brother Kenny and his wife Tammy during Easter vacation. The park was extremely crowded so there were long lines. We only rode two rides before lunch and two after—the wait times were so long. We rode King Kong just before lunch. Calvin was taking it all in during our exciting venture into New York City and subsequent ride on the el, when suddenly we were attacked by this giant ape! Fires raged, newscasters panicked, New York City crumbled around us. King Kong was on a rampage, but miraculously we survived! The ride was very well done.

Sitting at lunch, quietly munching on French fries, Calvin had a far off look in his eyes. You could almost see those wheels turning in his head. He looked at me and asked, “Was that real?” “What do you think?” I asked. My five-year-old son had enough reasoning power to know that gargantuan apes didn’t exist, but there was something there that eliminated the certainty. “I’m not sure, but I don’t think so”, he said. Before going to the park, I had explained to Calvin that we were going to a fun place all about movie making, so we talked about the mechanics of King Kong and the fact that he wasn’t real.

Several years later, when Corey was old enough for his first trip to Universal Studios, we rode Jaws. The attacking shark, hysterical boat captain, guns, fires and explosions were all too real for Corey. By the time we finished the ride there was very little we could do to convince Corey that the shark was a fake. He was screaming. We can only laugh about it today!

A recent family trip to Busch Gardens Williamsburg was so much fun; it reminded me and Corey of our theme park days in Florida. It was a beautiful sunny day. Kenny and Tammy were there too. We rode plenty of wild and crazy rides and ate French fries and ice cream. There were no giant apes or hungry sharks but there was plenty of Wonder® Bread for the mind, body and soul.