Every little boy's dream

A few years before we left the US, Zahava and I took Ariella and Gilad (Yonah was still a few years in the future) to Disney World. 

At the time Ariella was 4, the perfect age to experience Disney... but I have clear recollection that at 2 years old it was probably a year too early to have brought Gilad.  Everywhere we went in the park Gilad was confronted by these giant Disney characters... and nearly peed himself in terror every single time.  Every picture we have of the kids in close proximity to one of these jolly, roving characters shows Gilad...

a) ... in tears (i.e. screaming in terror)
b) ... trying to run away (and being restrained by his shirt collar)
c) ... trying to climb back into his mother's womb

Like most parents on their first family trip to Disney, we assumed that Gilad would eventually warm up to the jovial giants and blissfully made reservations for one of those 'theme breakfasts'... you know, the ones where you get to eat a so-so breakfast (cold cereal and hard boiled eggs for us kosher folks) with a bunch of rollicking Disney folk for roughly the price of a mortgage payment.

For the record:  Bad idea.  I think Gilad's screams may have even emotionally scarred the other children present.

Once we'd weathered that particular storm, Zahava and I resigned ourselves to taking the kids on rides and giving the characters a wide berth. 

While this strategy was fine in theory, it was terribly unfair to Ariella who was at the perfect age to accept everything she saw as magically real.  For example, one evening we were seated outside the castle waiting for the fireworks to begin when Ariella pointed excitedly up at the highest window of the castle's tower.  A small light had appeared there, and as a hush fell over the crowd, Tinkerbell 'flew' from the window and descended gracefully... right over our heads. 

The reverent silence was broken by Ariella yelling, "See, I told you she was real!"

This sort of convinced us that despite Gilad's terror of the characters, we'd have to find some way to let Ariella enjoy the Disney experience as much as possible.  The perfect opportunity finally presented itself the next afternoon in the form of a scheduled 'character photo op' with Princess Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White... three of the least threatening members of the Disney pantheon.

We arrived rather late and were among the last to be allowed into the crowded room before they closed and locked the doors.  We weren't in any particular hurry, but it was a tad disheartening to see the long lines leading up to the front of the hall where each of the characters was patiently posing for pictures with the eager children.  But having no choice, we took our place at the end of one of the lines and settled in for a good long wait.

It may be that Gilad was already getting in touch with his inner Israeli ('Line?  What line?'), or simply that the real-life female characters were less threatening than their macro-cephalic Disney cohorts ('the ones with people in their bellies'), but whatever the reason, Gilad suddenly broke away from us and took off towards the front of the room... making a beeline directly for Snow White.  To our horror he actually shoved a kid out of the way in order to stand directly in front of her.

Needless to say, we were mortified and ran up to reclaim our runaway 2 year old before an open revolt erupted among the other parents and kids.  But before we could reach him, Snow white took charge of the situation.  She drew herself up to her full height, placed her hands on her hips, and while fixing Gilad with a stern glare said, "You know, all these other children have been patiently waiting their turn!"

Gilad seemed momentarily taken aback at being gently scolded and stood there in shocked silence.  We were just about to pull the little law-breaker back to his place in line when he looked up into her brown eyes and exclaimed, "But 'no White... I wuv you!"

Immediately Snow White's frosty demeanor thawed and she smiled down at him.  Princess Aurora and Cinderella, having observed the whole exchange, also beamed at our little boy.. and everyone within earshot had a good chuckle.  We wanted to take advantage of the momentary good will to bring Gilad back to the end of the line but Snow White quietly told us simply to stand off to the side and wait for everyone else to finish.

Once all the other families had exited we were left alone with the three beautiful young women playing the Disney Characters.

As if by prearrangement, all three of them gathered around Gilad and began giving him kisses all over his smiling face.  By the time they'd finished he was blushing crimson and was covered from chin to hairline and from ear to ear with lipstick marks.

Lest anyone think that Ariella got short shrift, the characters also spent considerable time fussing over her and making her feel like a princess herself. 

But to this day, when I think about that trip to Disney, my most vivid memory (and probably Gilad's as well) is of Aurora, Cinderella and Snow White quite literally covering Gilad's face in warm kisses... every little boy's dream.