Wish Types

Wish to meet: When a child talks about wishing to meet someone, it doesn’t always have to be a person of high social status. That wish could be as exciting as meeting the Rockettes, like Scarlett in the photo shown here, or meeting a public figure such as WWE superstar and actor John Cena, singer Bad Bunny, or YouTuber MrBeast.

But these wish types don’t have to be about celebrities at all. Sometimes, the most meaningful wish is simply to meet family—like finally visiting relatives in Florida, meeting a grandmother for the first time, reuniting with a sibling separated by adoption or foster care, or seeing a best friend again.

Wish to be: A wish can also be rooted in a child’s passion or future career path. We have had wish kids who dreamed of being a veterinarian for a day, serving as a police officer—like Christopher Gracious, our inspirational wish kid, or becoming a published author. Others, like Audrey shown here in the photo, wished to be a model for a day.

This is where thoughtful questions during the discovery visit become so important. We want to understand what that wish truly means to the child: What does being a model look like to you? What do you see yourself doing? Who is there with you? What are you wearing? Asking these questions helps us bring their vision to life in the most meaningful way possible.

Wish to have: A wish can be something tangible, like an orange bike, a playset, a laptop, or even a puppy like Dylan’s wish shown here. We never want to minimize a child’s wish, even if it may seem small to us, because it is deeply significant to the child.

That’s why it’s so important to discover the why behind the wish. For example, Dylan wishes for a Pomeranian puppy—but what does that puppy look like? What color is it? Is it fluffy? What would you do together? What would you name your puppy? Asking these thoughtful questions helps us understand the heart behind the wish and create an experience that is truly meaningful for the child.

Wish to go: Some wishes focus on experiences or places, like Disney, the Grammy Awards, a major athletic event, or the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. When a child shares this type of wish, it’s important to explore what that experience truly looks like to them. Why do they want to go to this specific place? Do they want to meet a particular character, ride a certain attraction, see a favorite performer, or be part of the excitement?

For more imaginative wishes like Zayden, who wishes to go to Saturn—we may not be able to send a child to outer space in real life, but we can send them to “outer space” in a meaningful way. The key is understanding their vision. What does that space experience look like? Will they be seeing stars and other planets? Do they want to feel weightless in zero gravity? Do they imagine meeting new friends while in space? By asking these thoughtful questions, we can create an experience that feels real, personal, and magical for the child.