Walt Disney World With Tweens, Teens, and Grown-up Kids

As a mother of "grown-up" kids, I am frequently confronted with parents of teenagers asking me how I raised my kids to still love Disney when it's like pulling teeth to get theirs to go. The answer to that is actually pretty easy, I've always worked hard to make sure that my kids thought of Disney as "their place," too.


Family Dinner at Hoop-Dee-Doo


Family vacations can be kind of stressful and have a good chunk of cash on the line, so parents can tend to feel under pressure to make every moment the best it can be. This means that vacations become regimented with forced togetherness and a serious plan. Not only does that put pressure on the parents, but it can also be a pretty big drag for the kids. Many times, kids just follow along on the trip without getting to have much input into what they want to do on vacation. Stuck in a trip only doing things that Mom or Dad wants to, young adults never develop the chance to make the Disney Parks their own. To foster that love of Disney and a sense of ownership in their experience, young adults need to spread their wings and adventure a bit on their own. In Disney, they can be the "grown-up" while you're just an Adventureland away.


Katie, Tori, and Kirk Head Off On Their Own


In 2013 Disney established an official policy on youth Guests. The Company line is that children under the age of 14 are not able to enter the parks unless someone aged 14 or older accompanies them. In addition, to board an attraction, children under the age of 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 or older. And while you should still supervise your children when they're at Disney World, these age guidelines offer parents some room for the kids to establish their own sense of adventure and fantasy while exploring the lands.

Tweens and teens can learn great life-skills while on vacation at Disney World. We used vacation travel skills to teach our kids money handling, map reading, punctuality, public transportation use, and so much more. From the time the were about 10 they slowly received more and more freedoms and responsibility in the Parks and as part of the planning. Each opportunity we gave them not only allowed them to explore more of what they loved, but gave them the chance to earn more of our trust by showing us they could do it right.


Jumping In On Katie's Peter Pan Meet


Our family vacations have changed a lot as my kids have grown older, and honestly, I love the trips just as much now that we split up as I did when they were little. Knowing the kids are off enjoying some Park time has allowed me and my husband to try new restaurants, take tours or seminars, and spend time with friends that we would never have done with the kids around them. We all get to have time doing the things that we enjoy the most then, at the end of the day, we always come back together, sit around a table and reconnect. We take time to look at pictures the others took and listen to the stories of what the kids did out on their own. It's a time that we grow stronger as a family because everyone has been having fun.


I Still Make Them Go On Rides With Me


I'll be honest, I still drag the kids on a rides they don't really want to go on (Note my oldest daughter holding on for dear life in the image above), try to marry off my son to a Princess, and I insist on them paying a "mommy tax" on all Dole Whips, Mickey Bars, and churros. I still find it fun to kid around with my kids on vacation, and we have a great time - but it's their vacation too, so we always make sure to have time apart as well.

Do you travel with tweens, teens, or grown-up kids? Leave a comment and share how your family has grown up with Disney.