A Disney Vacation: Magic or Not?
Monday, February 13, 2012 They say Disney World is the happiest place on earth. For children, it certainly holds that promise. When I was a kid, I always wanted to go to Disney World. I finally got to go when I was fourteen years old and had a great time. But it wasn't really magical at that point. We figured Disney was something we wanted to do with our kids at some point, possibly only once, and we wanted to do it when they were still at an age where it would be magical to them.
So this year, for Christmas, I bought Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse puzzles, encoded a secret message on them, took them apart, wrapped them up and put them under the tree.
They were thrilled. Emma said: "Wishing on a star works. I wished upon a star that we would go to Disney and it came true." A little bit of magic before we even got there (of course she has now wished on a star for some plastic junk that she saw on a TV commercial that she wants for her birthday).
Finally, on February 2, it was time to go. Some of the details of our vacation (as context, because it affects what I have to say about what we liked and didn't like) included:
- Our kids are 7 years old and almost 5 years old.
- We bought a 5 day pass (that would allow us to go to each park once, and then have a second day at one park).
- We flew to Orlando with WestJet and rented a van for our stay.
- We stayed off-site (i.e. not at a Disney hotel) in a 3 bedroom condo about a 10 minute drive from Walt Disney World.
- My mom was with us for the whole stay and my dad joined us for a couple of days (he was there for a conference).
I had mixed feelings about going to Disney. I like some of the stories and movies and I love seeing my kids get lost in a fantasy world, but I also really dislike the over-commercialization of it all and the princess culture. My kids, however, love it all (which bothers me, but also creates opportunities for conversations and teaching them to be critical of media and consumerism). This vacation, however, was about them having fun, so I went along and participated with gusto. The lessons can come another day.
What I Liked at Disney
The Fun: The rides were great, the parks are nicely laid out, the staff is friendly and we had an absolute blast. The little details they thought of, like a mini-playground in the waiting line for the Winnie the Pooh ride or the Mickey Mouse videos that they show when you are waiting in line to get into a Mickey Mouse show, ensured that we didn't get frustrated or bored with the lines.
- Responsive Staff: I lost a kid at Disney. I was alone with Emma at the "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" playground while the others were off at a stunt show. The playground has climbing structures and tunnels that make it impossible to keep an eye on your child at all times (unless you're crawling through with them). I positioned myself in the middle of the playground and Emma would come by every few minutes as she went from one place to the next. Until she didn't come back for more than 10 minutes and I went to look for her. I spent 10 minutes looking for her and couldn't find her anywhere. I went to the exit of the playground to ask the person usually posted there if he had seen a kid fitting her description leave, but there was no one at the exit. That's when I panicked. She could have been gone for a full 20 minutes. I found a staff member and asked her if there was someone who could help me look for her. Right away, she said "I can". She asked me a few questions (what does she look like, where did you last see her) and jumped into action. She found her playing with some other kids in a cave. Big relief.
- The Muppets! We love the Muppets and it was great timing being able to see the Muppet show and all things Muppet-related after having seen the new movie, as well as several of the older movies, recently.
- Surprisingly, the Food: I was pleasantly surprised with both the quality and the price of the food. On the first day, we got an adult-size veggie pizza with caesar salad, two kid-sized pizzas with cheese, two side orders of apple sauce and carrots with the kids meals, juices for the kids and a large unsweet iced tea, all for around $20. Most of the food that we ate was very good, with reasonable prices, and fruits and vegetable served with both child and adult meals instead of fries.
The Characters: I didn't expect a lot from the characters, but I was impressed. Our kids loved being able to meet them, they always gave the kids hugs, posed with them for pictures, talked to them a bit, and generally were really great sports. They were incredibly good at staying "in character", asking questions and doing things that fit with who they were. Cinderella complimented Emma on her dress and asked if her mice made it for her. Belle danced with her. Rafiki, the monkey from the Lion King, took Emma's stuffed animal and held it up in the air like he did with the baby lion in the movie. That said, Emma remarked that Tiana (from Princess and the Frog) and Alice (from Alice in Wonderland) had the "wrong voice", but apparently the rest of the princesses had the "right voice".
- Staying Off Site: I liked that we didn't stay at a Disney hotel. It was nice being close by, but having more space to ourselves and having a full kitchen and private pool that we could use. That meant that we only bought one meal each day at Disney, which saved us a lot of money and stress. It also meant that we didn't have to cram into a tiny hotel room.
What I Disliked at Disney World
- "Princess": Everywhere we went, Emma was called "princess". When they did it at the breakfast with the princesses, I didn't mind that much. It fit the scene. But the rest of the week, every time a Disney staff member spoke to her, they called her "princess". Interestingly, they didn't seem to have a standard name to call boys. Julian didn't get called "pirate" or "prince" or anything like that.
- Abusive Parents: I don't know if it is the stress of a family vacation, a cultural difference between Canada and the United States, or the sense of entitlement of parents who have spent a lot of money on a vacation for their kids, but I saw more parents physically abuse their children in one week at Disney World than do in years at home. Two of the children were slapped across the face (one by a father, one by a mother) while strapped into a double stroller. I will admit that the vacation was stressful at times, but if the price of a Disney vacation is abuse, I don't think it is worth it.
- Waste: In Canada, if I say "I don't need a bag" or "I don't need a box" it is usually respected without question. At Disney, I went into a little bakery at Hollywood Studios with Emma and she picked out a cupcake to eat. The woman behind the counter took out a big plastic cup, which she turned upside down (i.e. lid on the counter) and was about the place the cupcake in. I said, "That's okay, we don't need that, we're going to eat it right here," as they had tables in the store. She said something along the lines of "I'll give it to you anyway" and then passed it down to the cashier. As the cashier was ringing it through, I took the cupcake out of the plastic cup and left it on the counter. She said "oh, you don't need this?", holding up the cup. I said, "no thank you, we're going to eat it here" and she took it and tossed it into the garbage bin behind her. I've since learned that there is possibly separation of recycling away from the guests at Disney (not confirmed, but heard), but I didn't appreciate having my request ignored and the appearance that they didn't care about excessive unnecessary waste.
- Not Enough Coffee: I'm a caffeine addict. I'll admit it. Most of North American and European society is set up to accommodate that. At Disney, however, I had to go out of my way to find coffee most days and some of it was not that great. I had a wonderful latte that I bought outside the gates at the Animal Kingdom, but the rest of the time, I either couldn't find the coffee or it wasn't that great.
- Only Nestle Ice Cream: I love ice cream. I don't buy Nestle ice cream, even if it has Mickey ears. Enough said.
- Things to Buy Everywhere: It seems like almost every single ride we got off of had a store outside of it that we were forced to walk through while leaving. It felt like I spent half of every day saying "no, we're not getting anything now, you can buy something on the last day of our trip" or "look around if you like and remember what you like and then see if you still like that the best on the last day".
Am I happy that we went?
Ultimately, yes. I am happy that we went. I loved seeing my kids that happy (when they weren't whining about yet another balloon or souvenir that I wouldn't buy) and am thrilled that they had a good time. This vacation was all about them and this was the right age to do it at.
Will we go back? I'm not sure. I would say that we probably won't. Not because we had a horrible time, but because there is so much more to see on this earth and most of the true magic is found outside of those 47 square miles in Florida.
So long, Mickey Mouse. Maybe I'll be back with my grandchildren one day.
Reader Comments (85)
I have a love/hate relationship with Disney. You pretty much summed it all up. There's a lot to like. and I think a vacation there can be relatively benign, and quite fun (I went twice-once at age 11, once at age 18), but I am concerned with what kind of impression would be left on my daughter. She is a princess...but she's also a (lovely) ordinary child. She lives in this world, not that one, and she needs to have realistic expectations. While I don't want to deprive her of a "magical" experience, I also hope she will find magic in other places, like the Grand Canyon, the Smokey Mountains, Niagra Falls, the beach, her backyard...
The trash waste and the child abuse are not typical American, though they are definitely a side of us.
I was going to say the same thing about waste - and it varies from store to store or employee to employee in my area! Some people are all, "Awesome! Great!" while others INSIST I take a bag I won't use. :)
We go to Florida every year, so we have never done the 5 days, 5 parks thing. I feel like it would kill me dead. But we have been to Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, and we all liked Animal Kingdom way better. Newer, nicer, more appropriate for children of all ages. Magic Kingdom was a pretty big letdown for us - there was enjoyment, of course - the shows were all great and my 5 year old loved every minute of the day, but my 3 year old was traumatized from the first moment - when the doors on the monorail malfunctioned and slammed shut pretty much on her face, trapping the two of us inside. We found many of the rides old and boring, and I was totally turned off by many of the other guests. Kids running to hug a character, I get. But getting pushed over by a middle aged woman in Mickey ears because Cinderella is walking by? Oy. We're on our way back to Florida tonight, actually, but we'll be checking out Legoland this time.
We had a lot of fun at Lego Land in Germany. I haven't been to the one in Florida, but I bet you'll have a great time. The only thing that disappointed me was that there weren't a lot of opportunities to actually play with Lego. You could look at elaborate Lego constructions and go on rides, but not much Lego interactivity for kids.
Ive been waiting to read about your family's trip to Disney. Theme parks are my guilty pleasure and I love the Disney parks (Anaheim, Orlando, & Paris). I'm good at ignoring all the stuff they shove at you to buy, but that's probably going to be a harder thing to do once Klaw is old enough to take.
As for the abuse you saw, I'm sorry. I hope your children didn't witness it, too. It's bad enough that it exists but when I see a child strapped in a stroller getting smacked in the face, a part of me dies inside. I cannot understand what compels people to do that to their precious children.
Also, this comment, "the lessons can come another day" is perfect. I'm glad you enjoyed yourselves, overall, and I am sure you will find the right time & words to address the bigger issues you have with Disney. There is always a balance.
I get it varying by person and by store, but in general we found recycling to be scarce and waste to be high in Florida. Here you have to pay for plastic bags in stores and in Florida they looked at us strange if we didn't want them or if we re-used them. Here everyone recycles, in Florida there wasn't anywhere to recycle anything in the condo village we were staying in. We expected some difference, but were shocked at how big a difference it was.
Yeah, it sucks that it's not the norm! As a result, the vast majority of people create a ton of waste without thinking twice about where it goes or what it means.
Universal health care AND recycling? When can I move to Canada?
Yeah, it sucks that it's not the norm! As a result, the vast majority of people create a ton of waste without thinking twice about where it goes or what it means.
Universal health care AND recylcing? When can I move to Canada?
Ok, I know no one here _really_ feels this way, but several commenters have mentioned their "surprise" that Annie took her children to Disney, despite their poor reputation, princess-problems, etc etc. I just have to say - Annie is a real person (never met her, but I'm assuming). She has a real family. And they really went to Florida on vacation. Not every place we go, food we eat, waste we produce is perfect and what we *should* do. I compost, I cloth diapered, I breastfed for three years - and I vaccinate, send my kid to public schools, work outside the home, and tonight - well we had fried eggs and lemon cookies for dinner. What I appreciate about this blogger and her blog is the thoughtfulness surrounding the *realness* of it all. Mothering is (as we all know) not pretty, not easy, and not simple. Judgment seems like something best left to entities greater than us.
No, I'm genuinely surprised. I was also surprised when she said that we aren't defined by our choices, or our vacation choices. But Annie doesn't need your defense. She owns her vacation, so you know what? Good for her.
She's really smart and has done a lot of research about Nestle. She educates people in an attempt to help them not support Nestle.
I feel the same way about Disney as she does about Nestle. It's something to be boycotted--something to be stopped. I can only aspire to do as good a job educating people gracefully as she does.
ScholasticMama, I don't agree with your choices. I don't choose some of those things for my children. But I'm sure that you've made educated decisions, and that's all I want for people. That's why I passed along in the comments some resources about Disney and its impact. Because, as my mother always says, When you know better, you do better.
There will always be people who know that Disney is evil and still support it. There will always be people who know about Nestle's issues and are still too lazy to make their own pumpkin puree.
Defining people by their choices is something that comes pretty naturally. It's what commenters are doing when they try to decide what kind of people hit their kid in a theme park (Floridians? Southerners? Just NOT Canadians? People who would go to Disney are the same kind that would hit their kids?) or what kind of people would sit back and let things that could be recycled get tossed in a landfill. If we don't pass judgment, if we don't talk about these things, if we don't say what's on our minds, this stuff isn't going to change. Florida will continue to waste, people will continue to leave their kids to cry in a crib, we'll keep allowing BPA in baby food jars.
That's the "realness" of it all.
Sorry, maybe I wasn't clear with my message.
I didn't mean to say that we are not defined by our choices. I was trying to say that my decision to go to Disney once doesn't define our overall vacation style. That was one vacation of many, and I do own the choice to go there, but when you say that there are many other wonderful places to take a family, I absolutely agree and that is why for every other vacation we've been on and probably every other vacation we will go on, we are exploring those places.
I appreciate your efforts to educate people about Disney too. I think the conversation is important.
Annie - I apologize for defending you. I shan't do it again. I consider myself chastened.
I'm all for educating people about our choices, the ones we believe passionately about, and the ones we feel need to change to make our world a better place. If you feel you need to pass judgment on others in order to make that happen -- feel free. I'm all for incensed action. I'm just going to do my best to educate, and not to judge. I am curious, however, at which of my choices you'd take to task? Vaccinations maybe? It's about the only one I've been tsk'd for at my mothering groups. I did, however, go into that action with my eyes wide open. Perhaps my upcoming visit to Florida? Carbon footprint of long-distance travel? I own an SUV and live in the 'burbs?
And, I do wish that "when we know better, we do better" were true. Today, I gave a 22 year old a permanent F and a possible expulsion from university for plagiarism - after his third warning. All my education and all my teaching could not save him from that. Perhaps he'll know better now? I hope so...
No need to apologize. You're welcome to defend me anytime you like. I completely agree with what you wrote. I just wanted to clarify what I meant.
I wouldn't take any of your choices "to task"! Like I said, I'm sure they are educated decisions (I like to think that if you're reading this blog you're probably a thinker).
When you know better you do better is not a reality-- it is a hope for the world, that education will help people make informed choices.
I don't think the child abuse thing is an "American" or "southern" or any labeled thing. Unfortunately I think that some parents don't handle the stress of vacation well, and they loose their cool with their kids. I used to live in Socal and we visited Disneyland fairly frequently, and I observed the same thing and was equally disturbed by it, but on both sides of the spectrum. I saw parents behave inappropriately towards their children and I saw children (mostly teen and pre-teen, I guess when a younger child does it it isn't as noticable to me, because I'm sure it happened) screaming at their parents. I think it's unfortunate both on the level you mention and because they are simply ruining their vacation because they can't handle the stress and don't recognize how to remove themselves from the situation and take a break. I'm probably particularly sensitive to the later because, while we went on vacations nearly every summer growing up, my dad was a parent who couldn't handle the stress of those kinds of situations- crowds, traffic, lines, expensive stuff. It all made him cranky, which in turn made everyone miserable. I resolved early in parenthood to NEVER do that. I do think there is something behind what you said about entitlement- the parents feel like they're spending all this money on this kid-centered vacation, the kids better darn well enjoy it and be greatful! Well, they're kids, they're not built that way. And the parents make it worse by making empty threats ("if you don't stop we'll leave"- I've never known a parent that would do this after paying for tickets... I would, though, and when I say it my kids know I mean it).
On a lighter note, I thought it might be helpful for me to link this post that I wrote (like three years ago) about taking small children to Disneyland. I know the odds aren't terribly high that someone looking for Disneyland tips is going to stick around and read a post AND the comments on Disney World, but just in case they might find it helpful... Plus I'm sure a lot of the tips apply to both parks. http://crunchythriftycool.blogspot.com/2009/05/surviving-disneyland-with-small.html" rel="nofollow">Surviving Disney with Small Children
Yes! The lack of coffee almost did me in on my last trip.I'm an unabashed Disney fan, and I will say there is way more of the toy-traps-at-the-end-of-the-ride thing then I remember when my oldest were of Disney age.
The princess observation is very interesting, i wonder if that is new. i have two princess-besotted granddaughters and one 7-yo son who identifies with almost nothing Disney (and nothing at all if you decide Pixar isn't really Disney.) Interesting.
Very helpful! We would be going to Disneyland instead, but we're weighing whether it's a good fit for us this summer while we're at a family wedding in California. I know Mikko thinks so, but it's nice to hear an adult perspective! He'll be 5 at the time, and my husband's thinking he might be too young, whereas I was thinking that's just about right to like Disney. Granted, my husband's other comment that it will likely be more boring for us than it was the time we went to Disneyland pre-kids (roller coasters all day, baby) rings true.
Julian is 7 and it was still very "magical" for him, but he was also tall enough/brave enough for at least half of the roller coasters.
Perfect timing of the post. We are planning to go next holiday season towards the end of December and my kids will be 9 and 5 at the time.
I am really distressed to hear about the abuse that you witnessed. My friend recently went and I heard about it from her and I'm sad to hear that it wasn't an isolated incident (not that that's ok either). :(
The several mentions of child abuse in the comments (and in the post itself) as being unusual or surprising is really confusing to me.
Child abuse isn't an American thing, a Florida thing, or a Disney thing. It's a human thing. When you get so many humans together in one place, you're bound to see far more instances of child abuse out in the open, like you would at any gathering of thousands of people and their children.
Abusing children an epidemic that's gone on, likely for as long as there have been children. It's why there aren't laws against spanking. It's why cry it out is not only tolerated, but encouraged and even suggested - by PEDIATRICIANS no less. It's why capital punishment still exists in some schools. Children are seen as property. Spanking/hitting/slapping/shaming children is considered discipline.
I'm honestly surprised that so many readers here are so fortunate to be shocked by seeing child abuse out in the open. How priviliged to never have been exposed to child abuse, such that you might believe it's only isolated to certain areas, or that parents who typically abuse their children would stop abusing them while on vacation.
It's a sad fact that corporal punishment exists in some schools, yes. If there's a school system out there exercising capital punishment, I trust you'll alert the press/police/concerned readers of this blog!
Kelly:
The abuse was surprising to me. Or at least unusual and upsetting.
I know that abuse exists to some extent everywhere. However, societal norms (and sometimes laws) make abuse unacceptable in some places. At Disney, these parents didn't seem to think anything of slapping their children across the face while in a stroller or spanking them repeatedly when they wouldn't quiet down for a show that was starting. In Canada (and previously in Berlin), I've spent a lot of time places where lots of people and their children gather and I cannot remember the last time I saw someone physically abuse their child.
I don't have any concrete statistics to back this up, but my guess (based on this experience and other online and offline observations) is that spanking and other physical abuse of children is less acceptable and less frequently used in Canada than in (at least some parts of) the United States.
I would further hazard that physical punishment of children is more likely in the Southern US than in other parts, though of course people travel to Disney from all over the country.
I'm not sure that this comment is helpful, and I'm afraid it reinforces stereotypes about the South. In general, I'm uncomfortable with the path these comments have taken. There seems to be some finger-pointing and I'm not sure why the readers of this blog are concerned with what part of the world does things better. I see this as a community of people generally trying to find a path towards better parenting, and I see this as a space where we can think critically and have collective analytical discussions about important cultural issues that affect all of us. I just don't see the relevance of comparing regions, particularly in a post about Disney World, which is an international destination and is not representative of any region.
Well, I'd call the comment perhaps "uncomfortable" but not "unhelpful." Certainly the way we parent is strongly shaped by the cultural norms around us -- and certainly those cultural norms vary from group to group, area to area, country to country. I'm not saying that how you act as a parent is dictated by where you live, but if someone sees spanking happening around them all the time, I'd guess that they're more likely to spank. Someone who sees breastfeeding around all the time is probably more likely to breastfeed, etc etc etc. How well you fit or don't fit into those norms probably also plays a big role in the way you see yourself as a parent.
Corporal punishment in schools isn't allowed in many Northern states, but it is allowed (and is sometimes frequent) accross the South: http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0934191.html
And what one parent calls "child abuse" another parent calls "discipline" -- If an adult man hit my daughter across the backside with a wooden paddle, believe me, I'd more than raise hell -- but that happened to my female cousin two years ago at a Southern American middle school, and it was "a paddling" which is accepted as a method of discipline in that community. At a different school close to the same area, I was threatened with a paddling as a 10-year-old, and the routine of falling deathly silent in order to hear the swats take place in the hallway wasn't a daily or even a weekly occurence, but it was familiar. Do any Canadian readers of this blog have that memory?
I do think it's fair to hazard a guess (though you are free to disagree) that communities that accept physical punishment in schools are also more likely to use physical discipline at home.
That was all rather roundabout, but I really don't think pointing out differences between Canada and the US is "pointing fingers." And no matter what the "It's a Small World" ride would lead you to believe, I think Disney is more representative of a particular brand of American consumerism than it is of "all regions."
And finally, despite my underpriviledged background and experience with paddling in schools, the way many parents treated children at Disney gave me pause as a 17-year old who didn't have any vested interest in any kind of parenting issue -- as I said in my earlier post, that kind of thing wasn't even on my radar, and yet it stood out to me at the time (and is in fact one of the things I still remember about the trip).
Well, I meant that visitors to Disney do not represent any particular region. I agree that Disney is, to a large extent, quintessentially American. I am very sorry to hear about your experiences with corporal punishment. I grew up in the South and never saw this, although I am fortunate to have always gone to very good public schools. I have also been to Disney many, many times, and never really noticed this, and was very surprised to see so many comments about it. And crystal_b, my comment was not only directed at you, it was about many of the other comments to this post as well, although yours was the one that triggered a reaction.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, and especially that photo of your daughter in front of the mosaic. The delight conveyed in that image is irresistible!
In defense of the employees who were giving you "wasteful" packaging, my first thought was that Disney is a brand. And all of the best, biggest brands have carefully crafted images that are tightly controlled. Disney employees are not given much leeway in how they present the goods and services they purvey to clients; I would wager that they gave you that extra stuff because they were afraid that if they were seen not doing it, they would get a lecture on how important it is to do things the "Disney way". The fact that it seems like such a small thing is irrelevant. Megaliths like Disney work smoothly by choosing the way they want something to work, and then making everyone do it the same way, every time. Disney micromanages every aspect of their employees. I've read one of their employee handbooks, and if you want to come to work with your hair in a ponytail, they tell you what kind of ponytail you can have. With a diagram, and everything.
I am ambivalent about part of the Package but still find so much of the story magical. We also prefer more "real" vacations but Disney was lots of fun for my kids last year and they really make it easy to take multiple, young children on a vacation.
A thought, my son was kissed and called prince everywhere...except with the fairies who asked if he was a sparrow boy...perhaps because he was 3? I wouldn't be surprised if it was partially age at play.
Interesting. I have to say it's never occurred to me to take my children to Disney. I never had an interest in going as a child, and I don't as an adult, either. But everyone in my family has gone, or plans to go. Thanks for an informed perspective!
Thanks for sharing your story and your likes and dislikes. Helpful insight! We went to Tokyo Disney when my older daughter was just 2 1/2 - a bit young but we were there visiting family and our daughter had a blast with her cousins...although she was too young to remember it :-( Not our older daughter will be 6 in June and our younger daughter is 27 months...so before the older one grows out of the Disney magic, we will probably go to Disney World in a couple years :-)
I have been to Disneyworld about 20 times, and if it's out there, you will see it in the parks. I've seen people bathe in the fountains and floss their teeth while walking around. It was at Disney that I learned that how much BO is considered stinky is a purely cultural thing, and other cultures have a much higher threshold than Americans. It was at Disney that I first saw women in saris and habibs. And sadly, I saw plenty of kids get smacked, too. I agree with the posters that say that it's just the fact of having so many people together, combined with the stress of being on vacation, etc. I don't think it's a Southern thing, an American thing, or a Disney-lover thing.
I enjoyed your take on the Disney parks. It's nice to see a fair assessment, and not one that is overly gushing about how great it is and how nothing in the entire world could ever possibly compare.
I have several close friends who are Disney-obsessed freaks. They go 2 - 3 times EVERY year. It's not like we live close, either. They spend hours planning and making matching t-shirts for the whole family. They spend more hours creating "envelopes" for the staff. The envelopes are some type of scrapbooking/paper craft item which they apparently leave tips in for the housekeeping staff. They talk for hours and hours about their favorite foods, drinks, and restaurants. They don't seem to understand that there is a whole world out there to explore because it's all Disney all the time. It gets really old really fast!
I do like Disney, but I just think it's sad when adults get so caught up on the whole experience that they can't get past it and realize that there's more to vacations than just all Disney all the time.
Thanks so much for sharing the link Annie..Great info to keep in mind for my trip..Sounds like you dislike most of the things I do...Cheers
My kid asked to go to Jamaica, the other day. I told him Jamaica doesn't exist. Good save by me!!! #Best Mom