I just returned from a week at Disney World with my family. It was a wonderful experience that everyone enjoyed very much. However, it was very exhausting and overstimulating, even for the adults. I can honestly say that my wife and I spent a decent portion of the trip hauling things, pushing a double stroller, folding it and squeezing onto the bus and other work-like activities, all the while joking about it. We determined that there could be a whole set of Disney workouts based on how many times you lifted your children or how far you pushed the double stroller, calling it the Disney Dad Workout (Disney Mom Workout would be fine too). Ultimately we came home feeling great because it was such a special trip, but also that we survived what definitely felt like a parenting rite of passage. Every parent should experience a full week of Disney World so they can tell the tale.

If there were two things this trip reminded us, they would be:

1. Our kids are tougher, more resilient and more willing to try new things than we give them credit for.

2. They are worth every bit of the effort and sacrifice.