I walk through the big green gates of the park and with those iconic ears on my head I say, “Yes, I’m at Disneyland!”

It is one of the few places where an adult can feel like a child again.

Visitors don’t have to worry about the outside world, their job is put on hold, their worries are put on the back-burner, and all that’s left is to just run around and feel like a kid again.

But do the guests truly remember being a kid at Disneyland?

As a youngster I saw the true magic of Disneyland. The characters came to life, the timeless castle had a princess and I was taken to a place that has never ending happiness.

To a child, can anything go wrong? Well trust me, it can!

The incident all happened when my parents took me when I was five-years-old.

I remember the day like it was yesterday. I wore my adorable Minnie-Mouse dress with my Goldilocks hair bouncing around. As the day went on I finally saw my childhood love… Minnie-Mouse!

I waited in line to meet her and when it was my turn, I slowly walked up to her huge open arms. But suddenly I stopped dead in my tracks. My mother bent down next to me and whispered in my ear, “Veronica what are you doing?” I started feeling a little push of encouragement on my back, then I felt a sudden urge in the pit of my stomach to cry.

Boom!

I burst into tears—it seemed as though buckets of water were pouring down my face.

How could this happen in front of Minnie? She looked at me with that big grin like she was laughing at me. I quickly turned around to my mother and ran straight into her arms. I never looked at Minnie-Mouse the same.

That is one Disneyland moment I would not like to relive.

Now 18-years-old, I sadly see things a little differently than I did as a kid. When I see a Disney character walking around I see a human in a costume and imagine the line I would have to wait in to get my picture taken.

As an adult, the same magic I felt as a child is gone, but is replaced by a new kind of magic.

In my recent trip to “the happiest place on earth,” I notice the little details about the park that I didn’t notice before.

Now Disneyland gives me a new kind of experience, and it still manages to give me this wonderful feeling inside.

As I exited those green gates I couldn’t wait till the next time I go again. It will be just as enchanting as the last trip. I know for me I will always love Disneyland—it will hold a special place in my heart as the place I can and will truly always be a kid.