Hi Kim,
Welcome to the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
All is not lost. I happen to have a daughter who still, in a tiny way, wishes to be a mermaid. When she was younger, we read books about mermaids, watched shows that investigated the real lives of mermaids and she practiced swimming like a mermaid. I said to her that living as a real mermaid required living a lot of time in the ocean. We talked about how she needed to know as much as possible about how mermaids lived before she made a decision. She started taking "research notes" in her journal and finding as many pictures as possible about mermaids.
As she did her research, she started to realize that life as a mermaid would mean that she would not have us, her family. She decided that she would miss us too much. But, we talked about how she could always make the world a better place for mermaids. We sent her (with her sister) to Aquarium camp so that they could learn how to keep the oceans clean and protect marine life. She decorated her room like the ocean so she could sleep like a mermaid. And, every day for a while, her sister reminded her that she would miss her too if she had to spend part of her life in the sea.
Kim, as you plan for your visit to the Walt Disney World Resort, let her draw some inspiration from
Voyage of the Little Mermaid and
Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid to think about how she can be an ambassador for real mermaids in her human life. They need ambassadors like your granddaughter to help protect them. If I were you, I might even create a mermaid ambassador button to make her status official!
Let the magic live on.
Magic, memories and Minnie Mouse hugs,
Donyell