All Aboard the Tragical Express...
A surprise trip to Disney with my child backfired spectacularly.
No matter how your heart is grieving
If you keep on believing
The dream that you wish will come true.
“A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes” from Cinderella, The Walt Disney Company.
I was brimming with anticipation.
After weeks of planning in secret, I could soon drop all the subterfuge. My goal to make a once-in-a-lifetime memory for my child was within minutes of being reached, as we traveled the final miles to our destination. I’d envisioned the moment playing out in my head for days, and now that I was about to pull it off, I allowed myself a self-congratulatory smile.
My smile was abruptly wiped away with the sound of tiny sniffles coming from the back of the car. I glanced in the rearview mirror to see my five-year-old son Brendan sitting in his car seat with his head slightly bowed, crying quietly to himself. Small tears slowly rolled down both cheeks, glistening in the bright Florida sunshine.
Of all the reactions I may have dreamed of as we neared the entrance to Walt Disney World, making my child cry was definitely not one I wished would ever come true.
