Not every family vacation goes according to plan — and Dylan Dreyer’s trip to Disney proved that in dramatic fashion.
The NBC meteorologist and podcast host recently shared a cringe-worthy parenting moment that will resonate with anyone who has ever tried to wrangle young kids on a family getaway.
What started as a fun Disney trip quickly turned into a scene she compared to something out of a horror movie.
During the April 9 episode of The Parenting Chat, guest Dave Ogleton — known online as “FitDad” — was talking about his family’s successful trip to Disney.
“We managed to get through our vacation and only had one major argument amongst all of us,” Ogleton said on the podcast. “And usually there’s bickering constantly.”
It was a feel-good story. But Dreyer had a very different Disney experience to share. “Since you did a win for Disney, I’ll do the fail,” she said of her own trip.
Dylan Dreyer’s Vacation Takes a Chaotic Turn
Dreyer, who shares three kids — Calvin, 9, Oliver, 6 and Rusty, 5 — with her estranged husband, Brian Fichera, explained that she took her three children and her mom to Disney when things went sideways.
The trouble started brewing with a familiar scenario for any parent who has spent a long, hot day at a theme park with young kids.
“We’re all in the hotel, like it’s been a day. We’re all hot. Everybody’s just irritated with each other. The other two want to go in the pool,” she recalled.
Dreyer, in search of a moment to herself, decided to take a shower before dinner so she could calm down. Any parent knows that feeling — the desperate need for just five quiet minutes to reset.
But she never quite got that moment.
“Calvin starts banging on the door. ‘Mom, you have to come out. You have to come out,’” Dreyer said. “I’m like, ‘Why?’ He’s like, ‘There’s blood.’”
Dylan Dreyer Walked Out to a ‘Murder Scene’
Dreyer initially thought someone had a bloody nose. But it turned out to be much worse than that.
“So I get out. It was like a murder scene,” she joked.
Dreyer wasn’t sure exactly how it happened, but was told that one of her kids jumped from one bed to the other, crashed into her mother’s shoulder and knocked his two front teeth backwards.
It’s the kind of accident that can send any parent into panic mode — especially while away from home and far from their usual doctor’s office.
Dreyer proceeded to contact her emergency dentist, who told her to push her child’s teeth back into their rightful position before they got settled in the wrong position.
With two more days left in the trip, Dreyer was unsure if they should continue the vacation or not.
Dylan Dreyer’s Trip Ended on a High Note
Dreyer decided to push through — and her son’s teeth ended up being fine.
“Somehow his teeth ended up growing back in place. I don’t understand how,” she said.
And in a moment that every exhausted parent can relate to, Dreyer admitted her mind went to a very practical place amid the chaos.
“I remember thinking, ‘Do I have to scrub the blood out of the carpet before I leave? Or can I just shut the door and be (done)?’” she added.
Dreyer’s willingness to share the messy, unscripted side of parenting is part of what makes her story so relatable. Family vacations rarely look like the picture-perfect versions people post on social media.
Between the heat, the exhaustion and the close quarters of a hotel room, even the best-planned trips can take an unexpected turn.
For Dreyer, the Disney trip ultimately ended well despite the bloody scare. Her son recovered, the family finished their vacation and she walked away with a story that perfectly captures the unpredictable reality of traveling with young kids.
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