The Magic Kingdom

Tim and I swore that we'd never return to Disney's Magic Kingdom.  We have been there when our kids were small and we were glad to get out of its parking lot headed back home.  Long lines, cranky kids and tired parents are not my idea of a fun way to spend a day.  But I've had a change of heart.

Yesterday Tim and I met our son Richard and his girlfriend Montana at--you guessed it!--The Magic Kingdom.  And I must admit, the place sort of worked its magic on me.  The park truly is a magical place of pixie dust and fairy tales.  It was enchanting to watch the faces of children as they participated in this fantasyland.  It conjured up memories of the spellbound faces of Jillian and Richard when they met the real-life Mickey Mouse and the rest of Disney's extraordinary characters on that long ago day.

The lines for the rides were still long, even on Leap Day in February, but this time we took advantage of our wait, conversing with Richard and Montana about their memories of the park from their first visit when they were 5 and 4 respectively.  Did they retain much about that visit?  Not a lot!  But what they did remember was the excitement of being in a magical kingdom that was presumably created just for them.

We talked about the mundane in life as well as the deeper questions.  While waiting to drive the motor cars at Tomorrowland's Speedway, I asked who had been the driver in a fender bender.  The answer was never for Montana; once for Richard and I; and Tim refused to answer.  That must mean he had the highest record.

In line for the Jungle Cruise, the topic was where have you traveled.  We Jacobsons concluded that we have a long way to go to top Montana's list of the countries she's visited in her lifetime.  She's Canadian and has visited several places in Central America as well as a large percentage of European countries.

At the Haunted Mansion, our conversation turned to religion, perhaps because all those tombstones with their funny epitaphs made us think about the afterlife. We had a provocative conversation about Christanity and its various denominations.

The one question we didn't pose was where do you see yourself five years from now.  Sometimes it's best for parents to tiptoe around that topic.  Perhaps, for an answer to that question, I should have consulted Madame Leota's crystal ball while we were inside the Haunted Mansion, but it was too late.  I wasn't going back there.  The line was too long!