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Why Type C Parenting Might Be the Secret to Better Family Vacations
One mom explains why embracing the chaos made her family vacation much more enjoyable. I had all the hallmarks of a Type A parent, particularly when it came to vacationing with my family. I spent the morning baking frittatas that conveniently wouldn't require refrigeration on the flight. I created bespoke travel packs for our children, individually wrapped 'lucky dips' to relieve moments of boredom, and, naturally, prepared an iron-clad itinerary. I also insisted the cab driver take us to the airport four hours early. Yes, I had everything a mom could need for a first family trip abroad, along with steadfast determination to keep things on track. The only thing missing was the wriggle room. I'm not talking about legroom in economy (clearly airlines weren't designed with parents' comfort in mind). I mean the type of emotional wriggle room needed to not only facilitate a quick pivot when life doesn't go to plan, but to embrace it. What I needed was to tap into a Type C parenting mentality. A Much-Needed Balance in Parenting Labeling parenting archetypes isn't a new phenomenon. Over the years, we've been introduced to koala moms, helicopter parents, and free-range caregivers. But one of the latest to join the social cohort is the Type C parent, and this might just be the sweet spot we all need—especially on vacation. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Type C follows two already established parenting personalities, Type A and Type B. Where As are rigid in structure and routine, Bs are laid-back, spontaneous, and often disorganized. Cs are somewhere in the middle. Type C parenting has come under the spotlight lately thanks to social media creator Ashleigh Surratt. In her videos, Surratt shows how Type Cs are offering their children clean rooms and learning opportunities, among the chaos they're not bothered by. This type of parenting is having a moment. In a new Skylight survey of over 3,000 parents, 35% of them say they embrace Type C tactics, including loosening up on screen time limits, using shortcuts and bribery, and winging it. On my month-long trip away, it's inadvertently where I ended up—among a mess I'd learned to love, or at least feel less bothered by. How Type C Parenting Saved My Vacation The cracks began to show early. Somewhere about 35,000 feet above the Atlantic, I looked over at my 4-year-old son. He sat cross-legged on his seat with a pair of earphones cushioned against the side of his head, giggling at a tablet we rarely let him hold, let alone operate. Every now and then he would enjoy a peek at the pillowy clouds beside his window and smile. In between toddler marathons up and down the aisle, my 18-month-old daughter would climb across us for her own view. The look on her face was pure joy. Meanwhile, the bespoke backpack I had filled with coloring sheets, stickers, Lego, magnetic tiles, and precut crafts lay neatly under their seat. They weren't exactly untouched, but they weren't—dare I say it—essential. The "lucky dips" had provided a five-minute distraction, while the fridge-free frittatas were licked once, and squashed back inside their snack bag. This was my first aha moment. Sure, it was great to be prepared and know that I had all kinds of backups for every mess, mishap, and meltdown. But even before our plane had landed, I was starting to realize that so much detail wasn't going to be necessary. Working myself up over it was going to ruin the magic. As the vacation progressed, I noticed more of this Type C approach taking hold. A couple of nights in, we managed to get the kids down at a respectably early bedtime considering their lingering jet lag. Both slept solidly until 4 a.m, but after a few drowsy bed snuggles, they were ready to start their day. 'Go back to sleep,' I initially said. But they had other plans. Instead, they asked: 'What's for breakfast mom?' Now a Type A parent would insist that they go back to sleep, or they'd prepare sugar-free blueberry pancakes with a linen apron wrapped around their waist. A Type B might tell the kids to shuffle off to the next room and 'figure it out.' But I wasn't about to do either. It was time to reintroduce Type C parenting. I reached for the local chips I'd bought the night before and poured them into a bowl. We snuggled back in bed having a 'chip party' talking about all the fun things we had planned for the day. A few days later, rain foiled our plans for an outdoor beach walk with friends we hadn't seen in years. After a few sleepless nights, the Type A mom inside me wanted to shed some serious tears. Clothes were strewn across the floor, washing was already overflowing and our cupboards were bare. Nevertheless, we invited everyone to our beachside apartment, popped down to the local shops for some crackers and dips, and decided to focus on people rather than plans. The laundry was shoved in a corner, and the once-carefully rolled clothes were dumped on top of our suitcases. And when the kids were done with Netflix and still up past their bedtimes, they curled up next to us and joined in the final moments of our conversations. Having no plan worked like a charm."It's great to have a schedule but there will always be time for routine back home. Rigid rules don't need to be part of your vacation survival kit if you don't need them to be."What My New Approach Taught Me There's an overwhelm that comes with planning a family vacation. We can get so caught up in the idea of serenity and sunshine that, when we're away, we almost force ourselves to relax the way we imagined we would. Type C parenting welcomes a plan, but it gives us permission to break it, and to mindfully let the story unfold before us. As long as our children are warm, fed, healthy, and happy, we don't need much more. If you're used to a strict routine, or on the flip side, entirely winging it, Type C parenting might feel a bit uncomfortable at first. It's great to have a schedule but there will always be time for routine back home. Rigid rules don't need to be part of your vacation survival kit if you don't need them to be. By the end of my trip, I was grateful for the head start the weeks of planning had given me, but I was glad that I didn't forget it's also fine to throw out the rule book once in a while. I learned traveling with kids requires both preparation and flexibility and that's perfectly OK. In some ways, anything goes if it gets you safely and happily from A to C. Read the original article on Parents Solve the daily Crossword
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Travel + Leisure
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Travel + Leisure
Disney Has Asian American Culture Hidden in Plain Sight—How to Find the Best Eats, Experiences, and More
While some kids grow up hearing fairy tales about faraway lands, I grew up with stories about a magical place that's about a five-hour drive from my California hometown of San José: Disneyland. We had a children's book about the 'It's a Small World" ride and my mom always likes to muse on how the attraction is 'just so peaceful,' like 'heaven on earth.' As the daughter of Taiwanese immigrants, I often felt like I was jumping rope between the two sides of my Asian American identity. But our visits to Disney always felt like the prototypical all-American experience. We may not have been outwardly cognizant of it at the time, but perhaps we felt a connection since it was the one place where we saw characters that looked like us being represented. Decades later, we embarked on a multigenerational family trip to the park in 2017 with my parents and two young nieces. This trip just happened to take place days before Lunar New Year, and I was shocked to see an archway reading 'Lunar New Year' near Disney California Adventure decked out in traditional red-and-gold lanterns and tassels under an Asian-inspired, Mickey-shaped logo. Turns out, it was part of the park's annual Lunar New Year festivities, which initially started in 2012 as a week-long event, but has since expanded into a nearly month-long celebration. We saw menu items from Korean, Vietnamese, and Chinese cuisines, and there were even Mickey and Minnie characters dressed in traditional outfits. To see a park that felt so 'American' embrace Asian traditions went beyond just feeling seen, but like really being embraced and understood. It felt especially poignant during my nieces' first visit—knowing they'll grow up in a more inclusive society. The entrance to San Fransokyo Square in Disney's California Adventure Park. Richard Harbaugh/Disneyland Resort It wasn't until last month that I was lured back to a Disney again, visiting Walt Disney World in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, to participate in the Run Disney Springtime Surprise Weekend's 5K run. And I I began spotting Asian American influences all over the park: first a mahjong table in the lobby of The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, and I later saw collectible pins of characters on Asian-style fans and boba drinks. Early this month, I visited Disneyland for its 70th Anniversary Celebration. And instead of hunting for hidden Mickeys, I went on a hunt for Asian American influences at the park. I began my search in Disney California Adventure in San Fransokyo Square, a hybrid of San Francisco and Tokyo inspired by the movie "Big Hero 6." This section used to be known as Pacific Wharf, and I was immediately blown away by the redressing. There were signs written with Japanese and Chinese characters, and tons of traditional Asian motifs, like gold coins, dragons, lucky cats, and lanterns. It was all definitive proof that Disneyland is making a meaningful investment in diversity. It especially makes sense in California, where 7.1 million people (that's about 18 percent) identify as Asian, according to data from the Pew Research Center . But nothing impressed me more than the menus. Lucky Fortune Cookery served up honey walnut shrimp wraps, potstickers, karaage-inspired chicken sandwiches, yaki udon, and its buzzed-about beef birria ramen. Aunt Cass Café had soba noodle salad, California roll sandwich, and—my obsession—San Fransokyo Clam Chowder in a sourdough bread bowl. Flavored with white miso, it was all a far cry from the burgers and hot dogs I had expected as theme park fare. But the Asian American-inspired offerings weren't limited to San Fransokyo Square. While watching the Better Together: A Pixar Pals Celebration parade (which is returning to Disney California Adventure through next summer), I was surprised that the opening float featured Red Panda Mei, along with other characters from "Turning Red." Later, I stood with a honey lemonade with popping bubbles from Aunt Cass' at the Disneyland Celebrate Happy Cavalcade, bemused by the fact I was watching a Disney parade with a boba drink in hand, something I never could have imagined during my childhood visits. Wandering down Disneyland's Main Street U.S.A., I noticed that one of the window displays at Emporium, was dedicated to Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month. But that wasn't the only homage to AAPI month. I also saw signs for special menu items around the park, including passion fruit-orange-guava punch and green tea lager at Lucky Fortune Cookery. During May, the park's Disney PhotoPass featured themed MagicShots, with images superimposed with Asian Disney characters including Russell from "Up," Panda Mei from "Turning Red," and the rings from "Shang-Chi and the Ten Rings." There was even a sketch pad prop option showcasing work by Tyrus Wong, a Chinese American animator who was the lead artist behind "Bambi." There were also special events in May including autograph signings with Asian Disney artists Stacy Aoyama and Eric Tan, drawing lessons with Russell and Mei, movie nights showings of "Moana" and "Turning Red," and dance lessons with Tahitian, Polynesian, Japanese, Indian, and Filipino instructors. But perhaps the most significant permanent Asian addition is the new Din Tai Fung, which opened July 2024 at Downtown Disney. Visiting the restaurant's original location in Taipei was always a major part of my trips to Taiwan, and it was absolutely mind-boggling that it was now the anchor restaurant at a major American theme park. As I enjoyed my favorite spicy wontons and sesame xiao long baos, I was tickled to learn the restaurant even had a limited pin set to celebrate the park's 70th anniversary. Mural in San Fransokyo Square in Disney California Adventure. Christian Thompson/Disneyland Resort Stumbling upon all these meaningful Asian American elements sprinkled throughout the part was no accident, but the work of Compass, the park's Asian American Pacific Islander employee group. Compass 'strives to educate our Cast with a greater understanding and appreciation of our AAPI culture' and 'helps advise on culture awareness for Disneyland Resort offerings,' the group's co-chair Allie Kawamoto, hotel experience integration manager at Disneyland Resort, tells Travel + Leisure . Kawamoto was born in Anaheim and has always loved Disney. But now she's paying it forward to the next generation, and was behind the Emporium's AAPI display. 'Seeing this window come to life and being able to share the window with my son was a moment I was very proud of," she says. Like my own family, she adds that she's always been a fan of 'It's a Small World,' which has been updated through the years to include "Lilo and Stitch" in its Pacific Islands section, and most recently, "Coco'"s Miguel and Dante in the Mexico portion. 'I just feel happy as I ride through and see countless cultures represented,' Kawamoto says. 'We have guests that visit from around the world, and I think just about everyone can see a reflection of their culture."
