Anyone else get crazy kids before WDW visit? About This Page:

[Reereef]

Hey there

We leave for WDW in 8 days.

My son age 7 is super excited and it's effecting his behaviour and concentration. He is not usually like this. Generally he is well behaved and calm, but with 8 days to go he's a complete nutcase!

Anyone else get crazy kids before the Disney hol and if so, how do you rein them in a bit.

I don't like or tolerate naughty behaviour, but more than that I don't want him to get hurt whilst he's charging and bouncing about without a thought.

JUST WANTED TO ADD THAT I'VE TRIED TIME OUTS, EARLY BEDTIMES, NO SWEETS, TOYS REMOVED ETC ..... BUT NOTHING. EXAMPLE..... HE'S BEEN IN BED EARLY CALLING "MUM I'M GOOD NOW AREN'T I. I'M IN BED NOW. I'M BEING GOOD YES?. I LIKE MY BED MUM. WILL I HAVE MY OWN BED IN DISNEY? I HAVE A SOFT PILLOW, CAN I TAKE IT WITH ME" AGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!

[dutchdisneyfamily]

I can't really help with ideas, just to say I'm usually just as bad as the kids!

[AzureHaven]

Reereef,

So sorry but I couldn't help but laugh when I read your post. Ya gotta love an excited kid! I think we adults would probably act the same way before a WDW trip if we thought we could get away with it. I know I tend to feel inside the way your son is acting on the outside prior to my time at Disney.

[Reereef]

Haha!
Yes, I suppose I can see the funny side... except when I have to be up for work at 6am!

I'm a teacher so I break up tomorrow for the summer holiday. Maybe I'll be able to cope a bit better then (or maybe the longer days with him will have me mad as a box of frogs by the time we arrive in the world )

[renbugs]

hahaha..We are 30 day's away and your 7 year old son sound's like my 34 year old Dhusband..Yes, you read right my Dkid's are much better at containing their excitement than he is..I'm hoping I'll learn a few way's to calm him by the answer's you receive

[austinsmommie]

I taught preschool for years and it sounds like my classroom the week before Christmas!
My kids have always been excited, but never to the trouble you are having. We have always had a count down calendar and also they earn gems(little glass beads they place in a jar)for good behavior or chores they do. Those gems are each worth 0.05. They can turn them in for real money or a treat(ice cream, mini golf or Disney money). Those gems can also be taken away for not so great behavior. My kids never respond to other punishments, but the jars have worked great for us. Maybe if you let him earn some Disney money for good behavior then he could use it to buy himself something special once he gets there that could help.
Good luck

[EddieCVS]

My kids have 20 days left and they are excited too. The crazy part is a regular for them, they are over energized.

[Fort wilderness Family]

Funny stuff, I was talking to my DD (8) yesterday about our trip and she kinda gazed off into space and shook a little, she said,"it gave me the "frizzles" " I'm not real sure what a "frizzle" is but I think she is getting excited, she went to Youtube and started watching ride videos.

[benjiboo25]

I would love to be able to blame my DD's behavior on Disney Excitement...She has ASD and I am a teacher. When school lets out in June, she always has a really rough transition to the change of pace and structure, but usually adjusts by then end of June. This summer....her "adjustment" has not happened. Her behavior/attitude/mood sets off the rest of the house and I am starting to worry that the stress will continue at WDW!

[JanetCatherineB]

I have 3 DDs and we leave in 11 days. They started the "nutso behavior" at day 14 when they realized it was 2 weeks away. I kinda blame my DH for putting a HUGE countdown on his desktop computer.

Well after the first 2 days of the "NUTSO" act, I was just about fed up. So yesterday we started doing Disney Things together each day. So far so good but then again it is ONLY 2 days in, ha ha ask me in a few more days how we are doing..

Last night: We rode rides on youtube and played restaurant, they pretended that they were Disney servers.

Tonight: I sat outside and watched them play "ride operator" for about an hour as they took turns ridding the scooters and bikes in circles. Then we watched a Disney Movie to wind down a bit more.

Tomorrow night: I am thinking of coloring some disney pics or doing each others hair.

P.S. my DDs are 10,9, and 7.

[benjiboo25]

Originally Posted by JanetCatherineB

I have 3 DDs and we leave in 11 days. They started the "nutso behavior" at day 14 when they realized it was 2 weeks away. I kinda blame my DH for putting a HUGE countdown on his desktop computer.

Well after the first 2 days of the "NUTSO" act, I was just about fed up. So yesterday we started doing Disney Things together each day. So far so good but then again it is ONLY 2 days in, ha ha ask me in a few more days how we are doing..

Last night: We rode rides on youtube and played restaurant, they pretended that they were Disney servers.

Tonight: I sat outside and watched them play "ride operator" for about an hour as they took turns ridding the scooters and bikes in circles. Then we watched a Disney Movie to wind down a bit more.

Tomorrow night: I am thinking of coloring some disney pics or doing each others hair.

P.S. my DDs are 10,9, and 7.

I LOVE the way you play disney! The only thing on your list that we do is ride rides on YouTube!

[CinderAbby]

I wish I could say mine did but sadly Abby doesn't do anything like that. Heck, Abby didn't even show any excitement last year over her first plane ride. The most she does is have more difficulty going to sleep - and when it starts stretching to an hour or an hour and a half that she's still up after bedtime, I start reminding her she needs to go to sleep because otherwise, she'll be too tired for Disney and spend her vacation sleeping in the room instead of riding the rides. That reminder normally helps her to really try hard and relax so she can sleep.

[stillgoofy]

My daughter is quite a bit older, but she has Down syndrome so she is still very much a kid at heart (aren't all of us Disney nuts). She eats, drinks and breathes Disney (can't imagine where she got that from). We have been to Disney manys times together and I have learned over the years that I absolutely can not tell her at all until a few days before we go. Not only would she drive me nuts every day, but everyone else she comes in contact with. She also would have an extremely hard time focusing on anything in school or elsewhere knowing that she is going to WDW. So this last minute "surprising" her has worked well over the years (although it get tough to pack suitcases in secret).

[Reereef]

Hey there!

Great news... thanks for all your help and suggestions.....

I just broke up from work and we have all now got into Disney mode.
We rode the rides on Youtube as suggested and have began watching the Disney movies (so far we watched Hercules, Princess and the Frog and Tangled)
I also went and bought him a travel planner so that he could fill in the pages. There are activities such as 'What will you pack in your case?' and 'Draw all of the ways you will travel' etc
Thankfully I am noticing a big difference by keeping him busy.

He is still super excited, but I think not being in work and knowing I don't have to work now until September has helped me relax and get into the spirit of things rather than letting it irritate me and like I said, keeping him focused has improved the erratic behaviour.

I have also changed his diet a bit and reduced the amount of sweets and sugary drinks etc we have in the house. Usually they don't effect him.... but I thought it was worth a shot and healthier to have more fruit anyway.

I absolutely love the Gem jar idea!!!! absolutely love it. I think it would work for other things too so tomorrow I get a shopping trip (it's my birthday) and I'll be looking out for a jar and some packs of gems!! Thanks for that idea!!!!

Glad I'm not alone on this one and it seems like normal behaviour, that just needs a tweak in the usual management style.

Thanks again - this is certainly the best place to come for advice!!!!!!

[Pretty Kitty]

Glad to hear you have found something to help his excitement. I was going to say, I don't have any advice because it is hard to tell a child to keep calm when you yourself is SO EXCITED!!