Has anyone ever complained about your kids at the parks?

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aristocatz

DIS Veteran
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Feb 22, 2009
Let's all be up front and admit it-our kids are not perfect, especially in an overstimulating place like WDW. At one point in time they have tantrummed, misbehaved, gotten a bit too hyper, unintentionally insulted someone, fought with their sibling loudly and in public, swung a chain at someone unintentionally..... they are kids and it happens.;)

I just wondered how you dealt with it in the parks? Did you punish them? Leave the line you were in? Leave the parks? Put them in time out? Make them apologize to the stranger they upset? Apologize for them?

Or did you just ignore it and let it go & hope the guest they just upset will let it go too because you are on vacation and don't want to ruin your trip or your kids' memories?

Also, does anyone on here set up incentive systems for your kids? (i.e. "If you behave, you will get ____at the end of the day")

Be honest and please keep it civil :)
 
DH and I discussed this before ever going to WDW. We decided that a direct apology to the guest "we" might have inconvenienced would be best, along with having words with the child to make sure she understood whatever might have happened was NOT acceptable. This is pretty much status quo at home, although at home it might be followed by a time out. We decided not to go the time out route in WDW, as it is our vacation also and we didn't want to ruin our time. It is pointless to threaten, "One more whine and we will leave the park," if you really aren't willing to stick to your ultimatums. Of course, it was easy to make these decisions as 99% of the time DD is very, very well behaved, so it was hard to imagine that we'd ever be in this situation. Honestly, I don't think any of the situations OP mentioned were ever an issue with DD... lucky for us, I guess, but also because DD knows some things just aren't acceptable (swinging the queue chains, for example). I personally wouldn't use an incentive system; to me, that's bribing a kid to behave in the manner in which she is expected to behave regularly. I wouldn't do it at home, wouldn't do it at Disney.

None of this is much of an issue at WDW anymore, as DD is almost 17... at least I don't think it'll be a problem!
 
We have had one major meltdown. It was about midnight and my 4 year old decided he wanted a huge monorail to take home. There was no way we could get it home. He wailed from the back of the park all the way to the monorail. We just kept walking, smiled and said sorry to the people we passed.

You would be amazed how many people understand and how far a simple apology can go. We have never had anyone be rude to us because of his behavior.
 
Just don't do what we once saw.... a mom having a total meltdown in front of everyone. Yelling and screaming and not calming herself down. She just kept going on and on like a lunatic!!! I was scared for the kids! I'm not saying I'm an angel but she went overboard!

I have 2 boys aged 2 and 4 and they can get along really well and then there are times when they are horrible little monsters I'd like to dis-own!!! I take away toys if they misbehave which usually makes them realize they made a mistake. But then sometimes they have a fit I took something away and carry-on about that. But like the previus poster they are mostly good at Disney. They can get cranky due to being overtired in which we realize its our cue to retire for the day or at least for a few hours of down time.

We really have to go along with their schedules. i may have an itinerary I'd like to follow but sometimes it goes completly out the window.

Good luck and just remember your on vacation! And most people around you have little monsters of their own :) and will be understanding
 


My DS just turned 5 last month. He has been to WDW 5 times now (1st trip was when he was 2) We have run into this a few times, usally when leaving a park DS will cry and carry on:scared1: I have had a few people make commets, my response is I guess your kids never cried:confused3, Usally shuts them down;) We are ussally going to a ADR and at a young age they don'y realize they will be coming back:scared1: I have actually stood up for others in the same situation that were embaressed and were tickeled pink that someone understood. After all WDW is all about the kids, the rest of us are just really big kids:goodvibes
 
DS decided to throw a tantrum while we were getting lunch at Pecos Bill's once. I had already ordered and paid, and he just went to pieces. The trouble was that I was there alone with him so I held him and had to let him rant since we were waiting for an order. I got some nasty looks but luckily it was over with fast.

I don't know what brought that one on. He had very few tantrums and I made sure that he was well rested during our trips.
 
I keep a supply of stickers or glow sticks in my bag for this very situation. (I used to keep suckers handy.. but people are wierd about giving thier kids candy from stangers) I always give mom or dad a big "I know what you are going through smile" and then give them a sticker or two. Its USUALLY enough of a distraction for the kid to quit crying. at least long enough for mom or dad to get a handle on the situation. we have ALL been there. (if you are saying your havent been.. your kids are WIERD!) Its amazing how far a little understanding can go!
 


Just don't do what we once saw.... a mom having a total meltdown in front of everyone. Yelling and screaming and not calming herself down. She just kept going on and on like a lunatic!!! I was scared for the kids! I'm not saying I'm an angel but she went overboard!

OMG! :scared1: I can't believe you saw ME! :rotfl:

The worst thing I have ever had happen involving my kids was at Mickey's PHilharmagic and my aunt was hold DD(8months old) and the lady behind her said "I could see if she wasn't holding that f' ing baby" though she said the whole word. I grabbed the baby from my aunt and held her in my lap. When it was over I confronted her and told her I would appreciate it if she talk about my child that way. She acted all innocent and said "why what did I say" so I repeated it and her adult daughter I thought was going to melt into the floor. The mother tried to say she didn't say it but the daughter told her she should apologize.

Okay so that was the worst thing anyone has ever "complained" about my kids. And really it was the complainer who was misbehaving.

Tantrums result in leaving if a quick "peace time" doesn't work. It sucks for everyone but one parent and child or all of us leave and go back to the hotel for a nap.
 
On our first trip to the World with DS (3) just turned) and DD 14 mo. my DS had a rough morning and while waiting for Turtle Talk had a huge meltdown - can't even recall about what - it didn't matter. First we pulled him to the side while still waiting. Then we had to leave the waiting area and headed to a quiet spot inside The Seas (his howls reverberated through that place like it should have been in Haunter Mansion). Finally we retreated outside with me carrying him football style under my arm to an out of the way grassy area. As We were walking out of the Seas (he's still wailing and I'm in near tears) some crabby woman side to her friend (looking directly at me) "That little MONSTER must be at least 4 or 5". I turned and said "No- his third birthday was last week and he's tired and hungry-Thanks for being so helpful."
It was September and like 300 degrees out... and he's 3!!!! He just needed a break and guess what - we gave him one! We left the park, went back to resort had pool time and a nap. Everyone was happy when we returned for our do=inner at Biergarten and that was the best meal of that entire trip!

Ok- rant over - I guess thinking about that cruel woman still get to me.

So, yes - we've had a meltdown - knock on wood, that's the only one so far. The poor little guy was just on overload and we did the best we could for him.
 
coming from being an "adult" family-youngest is now 20-I can count on 1 hand how many times we were upset or disgusted with kids. and we go a lot-usually 6 times a year. Everyone going to WDW knows that there are going to be kids there. Hot, tired, over stimulated kids. A melt down and whining? no big deal-we've all been there! if an apology is great and most of the time will be met with a smile. As long as you don't let your 7-8 year olds have a spitting contest onto a public walkway-and peoples shoes-while the parents cheer them on, you won't see me getting upset by the kids! (and yes that really happened, i have never been more disgusted in my entire life!)
 
Let me preface this by saying that I neither have nor want children (this in no way invalidates anyones choice to have any:rolleyes:) so my bf and I definetly notice when children are misbehaving. We notice even more when parents are ignoring it. I'm sorry, but just because you are on your vacay doesn't mean you get to take a vacation from parenting :confused3 Please don't tell yourself that most people have kids, most people sympathise, most people don't mind, or whatever if your kid melts down. The polite thing to do is to remove them from any enclosed area (if you are in a line, leave the line, if you are in a theatre, leave the theatre, if you are in a restaurant, leave the restaurant) to calm your little one down and deal with them.
Also please, please, please discipline them the same way you would at home! To not do that lets them know you are a push over on vacation and they can do as they please with no consequences. Just because it may inconvenence you doesn't mean you should skip it. If you usually do a time out - do it! It gives your child much needed structure and lets them know that you expect good behavior, even at a theme park. We can't tell you how many times we were annoyed by people letting their kids run wild at the expense of others. The one family that stood out to us the most as the best parents ever were the ones that actually gave their kids a time out for their tantrum at having to leave Dinoland. The kids were wailing and slapping and kicking at their dad and they sat them down and made them sit for a time out. It worked and the kids left sniffling and parents seemed calm. Kudos to them!:goodvibes
 
Sorry I just had to comment on this thread, even though my kids are too old for me to worry about misbehavior of that sort. We were at WDW for a little over a week and I expected to see tantrums and misbehavior of all sorts, however, for the most part it was the opposite. On several occasions i saw young boys holding the doors open for people, I saw kids apologizing for accidently stepping on you in line, it was great. I don't know if Disney brings out the best in kids or what... There were only 2 instance I can remember of crying, one was quite hilarious and i nicknamed the kid the Wailer, I swear this child could be heard from one end of World Showcase to the other, lol. The other was while we were waiting to be seated at 50's PT, the child was young maybe 3 or 4 and she was screaming to beat the band that she wanted her own tv and was stomping on other people's things, and slamming her hands into the tv her brother was watching. However, for the most part it was great, like I said most of the kids we ran into were polite, and courteous. Maybe it's something in the water there.
 
Of course my kids are angels, so this doesn't affect me.




YEAH RIGHT! Oh course my children have misbehaved at disney world. But i have never had anyone say anything directly to me. Maybe the people see me trying to desperately gain control of the situation or help my kids recover or apologize for them. Or maybe because my kids have never had a full out temper tantrum (the kicking and blood curdling screaming kind). Or i'm just very lucky. Whenever i feel like my kids have bothered someone i always tell them to stop doing what they were doing and i usually apologize to the person that might have been bothered. Usually people are more than understanding.
 
OMG! :scared1: I can't believe you saw ME! :rotfl:

The worst thing I have ever had happen involving my kids was at Mickey's PHilharmagic and my aunt was hold DD(8months old) and the lady behind her said "I could see if she wasn't holding that f' ing baby" though she said the whole word. I grabbed the baby from my aunt and held her in my lap. When it was over I confronted her and told her I would appreciate it if she talk about my child that way. She acted all innocent and said "why what did I say" so I repeated it and her adult daughter I thought was going to melt into the floor. The mother tried to say she didn't say it but the daughter told her she should apologize.

Okay so that was the worst thing anyone has ever "complained" about my kids. And really it was the complainer who was misbehaving.

Tantrums result in leaving if a quick "peace time" doesn't work. It sucks for everyone but one parent and child or all of us leave and go back to the hotel for a nap.

Those people are lucky you had respect for other guest and didnt want to to get loud in front of your kid she should of said it in a different way that didnt have the f word in it. Some other people would of started a fight right there you handled it right :thumbsup2. It sad when kids have to aplogize for their parents.
 
Let me preface this by saying that I neither have nor want children (this in no way invalidates anyones choice to have any:rolleyes:) so my bf and I definetly notice when children are misbehaving. We notice even more when parents are ignoring it. I'm sorry, but just because you are on your vacay doesn't mean you get to take a vacation from parenting :confused3 Please don't tell yourself that most people have kids, most people sympathise, most people don't mind, or whatever if your kid melts down. The polite thing to do is to remove them from any enclosed area (if you are in a line, leave the line, if you are in a theatre, leave the theatre, if you are in a restaurant, leave the restaurant) to calm your little one down and deal with them.
Also please, please, please discipline them the same way you would at home! To not do that lets them know you are a push over on vacation and they can do as they please with no consequences. Just because it may inconvenence you doesn't mean you should skip it. If you usually do a time out - do it! It gives your child much needed structure and lets them know that you expect good behavior, even at a theme park. We can't tell you how many times we were annoyed by people letting their kids run wild at the expense of others. The one family that stood out to us the most as the best parents ever were the ones that actually gave their kids a time out for their tantrum at having to leave Dinoland. The kids were wailing and slapping and kicking at their dad and they sat them down and made them sit for a time out. It worked and the kids left sniffling and parents seemed calm. Kudos to them!:goodvibes


You hit the nail on the head! I think i've never run into any direct comments from people because they can see that i'm trying my best to handle it. My kids have the same rules EVERYWHERE we go and they know we mean what we say. It doesn't matter if we are at home, on the playground, or at disney world. With that said we also try to prevent these things by making sure they slept enough, ate enough, drank enough, and took needed breaks.
 
My son is three and he's been to disney twice. most of the time apologies work, and if they don't who cares. It's disney, it's made for kids of all ages, and if people don't understand that kids breakdown sometimes then they must be in the wrong place.

However my advice is: don't forget naps if they need them, feed them often, and take breaks, esp swimming breaks. Give them some input (even if it not in the schedule). Most of all, when they get tired at the end of the night, remember you still have to get back to your resort, so factor in some time.
 
Let's all be up front and admit it-our kids are not perfect, especially in an overstimulating place like WDW. At one point in time they have tantrummed, misbehaved, gotten a bit too hyper, unintentionally insulted someone, fought with their sibling loudly and in public, swung a chain at someone unintentionally..... they are kids and it happens.;)

nope. my daughter was 6 at wdw and 8 at disneyland. no problem whatsoever. sorry, OP. she was happy, cheerful and cooperative because she was enjoying herself. and because proper behavior was the norm at home. she was old enough to understand the concept of standing in line and waiting her turn for something fun. toddlers are too young for long lines. that's one reason i waited until she was older, cute pictures or otherwise. that way, you don't have to blow bubbles on people.
 
that happened in public because it is tolerated at home. how very sad.

That's really unfair. Kids can act completely different, or not know how to react at all, when they're overcome with the stimulation, heat, etc.. of Disney World. Since a time out quickly solved the problem in that case, I don't think those children are usually allowed to beat up their parents.

My boys have had their meltdowns now and then. We just remove them from the situation or leave the parks. I've never had a comment about them from another guest and unless a child directly does something to you, I don't think anyone really has the right to comment on them. I've seen adults acting FAR worse than any child we've ever noticed needing a nap.
 
I keep a supply of stickers or glow sticks in my bag for this very situation. (I used to keep suckers handy.. but people are wierd about giving thier kids candy from stangers) I always give mom or dad a big "I know what you are going through smile" and then give them a sticker or two. Its USUALLY enough of a distraction for the kid to quit crying. at least long enough for mom or dad to get a handle on the situation. we have ALL been there. (if you are saying your havent been.. your kids are WIERD!) Its amazing how far a little understanding can go!

That is a fantastic idea! I will be doing that, as well!
 
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