My family at Walt Disney World last May.

Disney Parks and Resorts are so much than Mickey Mouse. They are about family and experiencing life together in a different way. It’s easy to focus on the “magic” of it all while planning a vacation, but have you ever stopped to think about the long-term impact of that trip on your family?

It’s easy to think of Disney as a large corporation who is only focused on their lines of business, but while attending the recent Discover Together Symposium held at the Disneyland Resort and sponsored by the Walt Disney Company’s Corporate Citizenship Division, it became abundantly clear that the folks at Disney, especially those in Disney Parks and Resorts get that it’s not just about helping families have great vacations; they understand that great vacations build stronger families. In fact, Disney is so committed to not only providing families with quality time with one another but to understanding the importance of that quality time and how it impacts children and their development, that they fund major research studies across the United States with incredible organizations like the Search Institute, the Center for Childhood Creativity and the Child Life Council, just to name a few.

What many of my readers may not know is that in my “real life,” I am a freelance writer and marketing strategist. On the marketing side of things, I focus on the nonprofit world and healthcare and as a writer, a bulk of my writing focuses on pediatric health and development, childhood education and parenting. I am absolutely fascinated by child development and the fact that Disney is funding research that is so near and dear to my heart is one more reason I feel so proud to cover the Walt Disney Company and the Disneyland Resort here on this blog and for other publications like the Orange County Register and OC Family magazine.

In the coming weeks and months, I will write more on the research studies Disney has funded and about how quality family time impacts the growth and development of children. Until then, I applaud all of you who take the time to research your family’s vacations and plan your Disney trips. I also say if you’ve survived a long Disney trip with your family (I’ve done a week at Walt Disney World with my three small children), you deserve a standing ovation. It’s not easy and between meltdowns (both adult ones and kid ones), the cost and the sheer exhaustion of being on the move, sharing those cherished moments with your children does more than create wonderful memories for the scrapbook; it creates a stronger family unit.

So… stay tuned for more on how quality time creates a stronger family unit and stronger kids! I think all of you will find the research fascinating.

In the meantime, I know I’ve shared this before, but my family went to Walt Disney World last year and afterward, I created this video of our trip. I set it to this song so that every time we watch the video (or listen to the song) we are reminded of the quality time we shared with one another on our trip and the importance to sharing each day with one another as a family unit.