As much as I’m sure all parents must love their kids, the long summer of having to keep them entertained while the schools are out must be pretty tiring.
It’s no secret that parents far and wide often celebrate the day they can ship their kids back off to school and regain (some) of their freedom.
One woman was determined to mark the occasion her sons went back to school, so she decided to visit Disney World, on her own.
Lisa DiNoto and her husband regularly visit Disney World with their sons, this time the Disney fanatic decided to wear a huge pin, telling everyone why she was there.
The novelty pin, which boasted a picture of Goofy, read ‘I’m celebrating: 1st Day of School.’
DiNoto, who quit her practice as an attorney in Maryland in 2016 in favour of moving just a mile away from the Disney park, shared her adventure on her blog, The Castle Run.
She wrote:
This, my friends. This is what you do after you drop your kids off on the first day of school. You get yourself a pin and you walk it around Magic Kingdom like some garden gnome on a world adventure.
Most the people the mum-of-two met at the park were there visiting with their own children, however many of the parents praised her ‘seize the day’ attitude.
DiNoto continued:
People are going to start stopping you and telling you that you are life goals.
They will often be saddled with strollers and lots of tired children. Be gracious. Comfort them. Wish them a magical day…. and try not to skip away.
The blogger even came across some of Disney’s most iconic characters during a little trip down the path known as Main Street USA in the park.
She decided to ask the Disney characters, like Snow White, to hold her badge while she posed for pictures.
DiNoto told Good Morning America:
They got such a kick out of it that I just kept going.
But, the highlight of the day, DiNoto says, was when she met the Fairy Godmother, who was in stitches when she revealed the reason behind her trip.
DiNoto recalled:
She was laughing so hard she was crying and we just started hugging and laughing together.
She reached into her sleeve and pulled out a bag of pixie dust and handed it to me and said, ‘This is for you and only you. You use it today.’ It was one of those moments of connection that is really what the parks are all about.
Fortunately, DiNoto had no qualms about enjoy her child-free day, because it gave them lots to talk about in the evening:
They were excited for their first day at school and I was excited for some time alone.
Pickup time came soon enough and all of us had lots of fun sharing the details of our day.
I think we can all agree she’s an inspiration to us all.
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Emma Rosemurgey is an NCTJ trained Journalist who started her career by producing The Royal Rosemurgey newspaper in 2004, which kept her family up to date with the goings on of her sleepy north east village. She graduated from the University of Central Lancashire in Preston and started her career in regional newspapers before joining Tyla (formerly Pretty 52) in 2017, and progressing onto UNILAD in 2019.