Is childhood really magical—or a myth we keep selling?
The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando and Kissimmee. From an aerial view of 5000 feet you can see the wondrous Cinderella Castle and the forbidding Space Mountain, as well as many intriguing and colorful rides and attractions, all in delectable candy colors that beguile and enchant. Zoom in to 2000 feet and you will see throngs of folks, big and little, sprinkled with brightly costumed characters, looking much like the Mad Hatter’s tea party gone amuk. As you gaze, you can almost taste the cotton candy and feel that thrill of joy at the promise of a memorable time. From 300 feet, it starts to look like a somewhat confused crowd, all in a great hurry, most going nowhere fast, and yet, the attractions are closer and bigger and look all the more exciting!
At ground level, a different sort of picture begins to emerge: we start to spot angry and disgruntled children, some frightened by the giant rodents in costume, most bewildered by the sheer magnitude of the spectacle in front of them. Tuning in to the adult faces, we start to see impatience and even frustration, as these guardians struggle to deliver the magical experience that has been touted by them, and by the owners of the park. The lines are long, interminably long; they seem to go on forever. The midday sun is beating down hard and they are stuck, like a bug on a pin, waiting for the requisite ‘good time’ to be served up. Little Billy is starting to panic and complain, and his little sister is hungry and has to pee. One parent asks a neighbor in line to ‘please hold our place’ while she takes her daughter to the bathroom, and that neighbor refuses with a huff. Tempers are high, there is pushing and complaining, and still the line drags on. In that parents eye you see a silent prayer to please end this nightmare soon, so she can get off of her feet and into a quiet air-conditioned room!
Welcome to the Magic of Childhood: the promissory note that will never deliver and always disappoint. But this isn’t a story about the horror of theme parks. I’m sure you have stories of your own that would illustrate that nightmare far better. I know I do. It’s really about what we are taught to expect from childhood and what we teach in return.
