I'm a 'Disney adult' and I'm not ashamed of it. Really, I don't get why people hate us so much.
- My love of the Walt Disney Company began at a young age and it still persists at 35 years old.
- I've been labeled a "Disney adult" for many years, but I don't think it's a bad thing.
As someone who has been labeled many things over the years, being a "Disney adult" is not one I'm not ashamed of.
"Disney adult" is a name used (often negatively) to describe grown-up fans of the company. We older fans have seen our fair share of animosity and scrutiny over the years, often being called "weird" or too old to love Disney.
But why? Being passionate about something is part of the human experience.
At 35 years old, the thing I'm passionate about just happens to be Disney.
My love of Disney began as a child
My father's military service gave me the opportunity to see the world, and one of my first childhood memories revolves around the Walt Disney Company.
Growing up, I consumed a lot of Disney's animated content — "The Little Mermaid" is still my favorite movie — but when I was around 6 years old, I had my first experience with its theme parks.
I'll never forget my first visit to Disneyland Paris, which was called Euro Disney at the time.
I was enamored by the larger-than-life architecture and colorful sights. I loved seeing real-life versions of my favorite animated characters in person.
The joy of being part of a collective, social experience was life-altering for me.
Fast-forward to my middle- and high-school years when my school made the requisite choir and band trips to the US parks — I was hooked.
I was fortunate enough to continue visiting Walt Disney World in college through my participation in my university's marching band.
Even now, my one regret during my college years was not participating in the Disney College Program, where students can work at the parks and live nearby.
A mutual love of Disney also helped bring me closer to my husband and kids
After college, when I made the decision to marry, my husband and I inadvertently discovered each other's love for Disney.
Before we got engaged, we talked about important things, like where we wanted to live and if we both wanted kids. But our mutual love of Disney never came up until our first year of marriage when we planned a trip.
We'd had no idea the other enjoyed the parks so much.
In years since, we've made several trips to the parks, both with and without our three kids. We've also cruised on three of the five Disney Cruise Line ships.
We are, for all intents and purposes, a Disney family, too.
There's no need to judge my passion for Disney
My "Disney adult" label is one I wear with pride.
I have learned not to take life too seriously because of it. And it's a wonderful reminder to my kids to savor the fun stuff, and that life is too short to grow up too fast.
You don't have to understand my love of Disney. After all, it's OK to be passionate and excited about something that other people may not understand.
But I could do without the harsh judgments.
This fundamental need to justify something we love is an unnecessary burden. We should be OK with our differences and support one another in the enjoyment of those different aspects of life.
After all, you never know when that zany "Disney adult" in your life might come in handy to help you plan your next Disney vacation.