A bad situation occurred at MGM...

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Good catch! I totally, totally agree. The man reacted badly, but he did REACT to something and an apology was certainly the MOST appropriate response.

Beth

I don't think so. We had absolutely nothing to apologize for since I have absolutely no idea why he yelled at us. The best guess that I could come up with is that when my husband dropped the bottle, some water squirted on the guy but who knows...

As a side note, I would never apologize to a nutcase that stands up raging with anger without explanation. Had he stayed in his seat, turned around, and spoken to us like a human being, it would've been a different story.

 

[disneyjunkie]

As a side note, I would never apologize to a nutcase that stands up raging with anger without explanation. Had he stayed in his seat, turned around, and spoken to us like a human being, it would've been a different story.

So you'll only apologize if the person reacts in a way you think is correct?

I agree that yelling was wrong, but it's also wrong not apologize.

 

[Pooh Girl 71]

It's also not wise to tell a "nutjob" to calm down. That doesn't usally go over so well.

 

[mommylicious]

One of my sons has been yelled at over a mister bottle as well. We were at MGM on a very hot day during Star Wars weekend last year. We had been sitting in a parade spot for maybe 10 minutes when this woman and her daughter shoved their way into a spot. One of those people were standing right on the curb and they walked up and pretty much sat on people's feet to get the front spot (and then of course stood up when the parade started). My son had been spraying himself and his brother with the mister fan as we had been sitting there. This woman had not sat down more than 30 seconds before when DS sprayed it at himself and a little bit of mist blew onto her. She said, in a very nasty tone, "if that gets on me again you'll regret it." About 5 minutes later DS was spraying his feet and some blew onto her shoe as well and she yelled at him that he was going to ruin her shoes. Highly unlikely given that they were Teva sport sandals. DH ended up speaking up and telling her if she yelled at our child one more time he would ask a CM to call security. I can understand not wanting a kid randomly spraying but in our case DS was spraying himself and she was just hit by a bit of mist blowing around and it wasn't a continuous thing, she had just shoved her way into that seat when she yelled at him the first time.

No matter what the situation, it doesn't sound like the man in question handled himself appropriately at all.

 

[tony609]

Hmmmmm I guess I will weigh in on this as well.

I guess I am nuts with some of the others here! First of all I don't think children should be allowed to play with the mister fans when people are in such a close space. That is just asking for trouble. Yes I know-I know kids will be kids and accidents happen but shouldn't we try to avoid them to begin with. I feel parents no matter where they are should have control of there children. I will never understand the parents I see letting their 3 year old push the stroller with the 2 month old in it at WDW or even the mall. The stroller is going every which way bumping into things and people.

If I step on someones toe, or even bump into them in line or anywhere I apologize. Even if the person yells at me.

I would guess to say since the Op is guessing as well. More than once drop of water hit this man, especially in a 3 minute span. Granted water isn't going to kill him, but it does get annoying and shouldn't have happened in the first place. Most people would let once, twice go..but by the third time or so I would be angry too. Not at the child but at the childs parents for not taking it away and allowing him/her to play with it in a crowd of people in the first place. This was just asking for trouble.

 

[stemikger]

Your husband did the right thing by not going back at him.

A similiar thing happend to me many years ago on my daughter's first trip. She was four. She is 12 now. On the plane she accidentally kicked the chair in front of her, but not that much. All of a sudden the guy in front of her gets up and starts screaming at my wife.

Unforutnately, I didn't handel it as good as your husband and I almost had it out with the guy. He was talking to my wife with such anger and disrespect I lost it. Good for your husband for keeping his cool.

Sorry to hear you had a jerk encounter.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I guess I am nuts with some of the others here! First of all I don't think children should be allowed to play with the mister fans when people are in such a close space. That is just asking for trouble. Yes I know-I know kids will be kids and accidents happen but shouldn't we try to avoid them to begin with. I feel parents no matter where they are should have control of there children. I will never understand the parents I see letting their 3 year old push the stroller with the 2 month old in it at WDW or even the mall. The stroller is going every which way bumping into things and people.

This reminds me of the parents who allow their kids to get on a crowded bus or train eating sticky candy, ice cream, or drinking a soda. Many times, the kids ends up touching someone or spilling/dripping something on someone.:scared

Of course the parent gets upset when someone flips out because they now have a nice chocolate hand print on their white skirt.

I heard one mother tell a woman, "She's just a child. What's the big deal, it'll wash out!"

 

[Merriwind]

Nuts here too and I have kids. I would not have screamed like that because I just wouldn't do that but I can understand his annoyance. I don't care how hot it is I don't think someone else should decide if I need to get spritzed. I would not have liked that at all. We would not have let our kids play with something like that in a place like the mentioned show because you are so close together. If they did however bother someone or whatever we would have apologized.

I agree -- I don't like to be spritzed either. Then you're hot *and* damp.

It definitely sounds like the situation could have been handled better by everyone involved. I wouldn't have yelled, even if I'd been sprayed more than once...but I know I have *felt* like yelling before.

I also noticed that OP's DH said, "Calm down, it was an accident." rather than "I'm sorry, sir. It won't happen again."

Add me to the nut list.

Since the man reacted the way he did ,I think he must have been sprayed more than once.

If it was me, I would not have yelled. I would have glanced toward the parents to see if they would put an end to the spraying. If they didn't, I would have smiled at the child and asked him (nicely) not to spray me again. If that didn't work, I would then ask the parents to make him stop. (I wouldn't smile and I wouldn't say it nicely)

Kids will be kids, but it's the parents responsibility to make sure their kids don’t bother those around them.

Haven't finished reading, but I have to agree with these moms. Screaming is not appropriate, but neither is letting your child mist other people.

 

[csmommy]

Haven't finished reading, but I have to agree with these moms. Screaming is not appropriate, but neither is letting your child mist other people.

Count me in with the nuts! I have 2 children & I remind them where we are at all times & that others do not want the back of their seats kicked, or spray misters around, or want to hear what they have to say when watching a shows/movies before we go in. If they misbehave (yes even 1 drop) I make THEM apologise. Someone in your family should have apologised.

And the thought of punching someone is so not ok & very telling - how would that have helped the situation?

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

When I was little at Busch Gardens once, we were watching a show and I must have been kicking on the seat in front of us. My legs were short, I was bored, not trying to intentionally make anyone mad. The woman in front of us who's seat I was kicking turned around and yelled at both my mom and I about how ill behaved I was and rude. I was probably in about kindergarten or so and not a hyper kid at all. Just hot and tired. My mom apologized and I remember the woman turning around and glaring at me off and on through the whole show, even though I didn't put my feet NEAR her seat again. Let's just say, out of the entire trip, this is what so clearly sticks out in my mind and how embarassed and ashamed I felt for making that woman so angry at my mom and me. It broke my heart. And yes, I should not have been kicking her seat, I knew that. But to turn around and yell like she did was not the way to go about it. If it was bothering her, she needed to ask me not to kick it and I gladly would have realized that I needed to stop. THere was no need to scare the wits out of me or make my mom feel so bad. My mom didn't know I was doing it, she had my brother and sister to look after too.

My point is, no the child should not be inconsiderate of the others around them. But they are the CHILD. The adult needed to be the grown up in the situation. Would you parents yell at your children that way? Or allow someone else too? Everyone's so worried about the little boy apologizing. Maybe the grown up should have "asked nicely for him to stop". Maybe we all need to go back to pre-school and learn our manners!

 

[stemikger]

Originally posted by xoprincessmomxo
My point is, no the child should not be inconsiderate of the others around them. But they are the CHILD. The adult needed to be the grown up in the situation. Would you parents yell at your children that way? Or allow someone else too? Everyone's so worried about the little boy apologizing. Maybe the grown up should have "asked nicely for him to stop". Maybe we all need to go back to pre-school and learn our manners!

Thank you for putting it so much better than I did. I was so angry because I could not believe how many people were siding with the man who was screaming at a child while on vacation. Not appropriate unless the kid was deliberately being bad, which he wasn't. I would never yell at a child in Disney.

There was one time a teenager was taking up the whole back row on the bus and it annoyed me, so I just gave him a look. It didn't phase him, but his father got the hint and told him to let others sit. See I got the job done without even opening my mouth.

 

[disneyjunkie]

I don't agree with a lot of the replies. If I was in a fancy restaurant and I got spritzed that would be one thing, but come on people they were at Disney in a hot park.

It dosen't sound like her kids were out of control, after all they are kids and it is Disney. It didn't sound like it was a constant thing and even if it was, screaming was not nice. Unless a kid is deliberately being disrespectful, then I got mad, but if a kid is just being a kid at the most magical place in the world, so what if I get a little wet. I was a kid once too.

And csmommy you sound very judgmental. When my daughter accidentally kicked the back of the guy's seat, it was once and I told her to be careful, and it wasn't because she was doing it on purpose, it was because her legs were short. She was only four at the time and that is where her feet ended. It was hard for her not to hit the chair. He had his chair all the way back, so that was the real problem. And the way he screamed at my wife was down right scary. I think you should know a little more of your facts before you start acting like a know it all. You definitely don't belong in Disney with that attituted. Go to some yuppie place where they like stuck up people who raise perfect kids. Yes I'm mad and your out of line.

Too many adults forget what it was like to be a kid. And so many adults are very busy being hung up on raising a perfect child and watching what other kids are doing.

You're right, a little water won't kill anyone. But, it's not ok to allow a child to spray someone and then just say hey, he's a kid.

My son is far from perfect. I've tried to teach him that it's possible to have fun without infringing on others. The world does not revolve around my son. (Of course I think it does, but others tend to disagree )

Yes, it's ok to play and be a kid, but you have to be mindful of the people around you.

It's not OK to kick the back of seats. It's not OK to pull the back of the seat in front of you when you stand. It's not OK to spray others.

Of course it's normal for kids to do these things. When it's done, the parent should step in and put an end to it.

 

[stemikger]

Originally posted by Disneyjunkie
It's not OK to kick the back of seats. It's not OK to pull the back of the seat in front of you when you stand. It's not OK to spray others.

My daughter is 12 and I have no other kids. In fact she is a little too serious, I don't have any of these issues. However, as an adult, if a kid accidentally sprayed me while I was on vacation, I would not want to spoil there fun and have them have that as a memory by yelling at them. Give me a break, if the kiid didn't even know he was doing it and it really bothered me then I would say nicely. However, this guy yelled. How can you possible justify that over a little spray of water, or in my daughter's case where she was 4 and accidentally kicked a chair in front of her. Where I come from you don't scare an innocent kid who dosen't even realize they were doing these things. WHO THE HECK IS THE ADULT HERE.

The key word is accident. If the kid didn't mean it, and the adult starts yelling, then I think the adult should learn how to be an adult and realzie what setting they are at.

However, if the kid did it intentionally, that is a whole other ball of wax.

 

[Merriwind]

I don't think I've read one person say that the man was justified in screaming at the child. Instead, people have said that they believe he was justified in being upset about being misted. Two completely different sentiments.

Could both parties have handled the situation better? I absolutely think so.

"Shoulds" that I see here for a happier ending and no DIS thread...(I'm probably missing some)
--the child SHOULD NOT have misted the man (probably SHOULD NOT have been playing with the mister in a crowded show at all)
--the man SHOULD NOT have yelled at the child. A simple, "please stop squirting me" SHOULD have sufficed.
--the parents or child SHOULD have apologized. The mister SHOULD have been removed from the child. (I believe it was.)

Unfortunately, bad behavior begets bad behavior. Let's all try to remember this thread next time somebody annoys us out in public.

 

[buzzmom3]

What happened to asking someone nicely to stop? I have been in many situation at Disney when I too have been sprayed, run over, bumped into etc. Usually, I just nicely ask that they be more careful and it works just fine. I have taken the mister bottle away from my DS when he has sprayed other people, just like the OP said she did. I get angry with the parents that watch their children misbehave, not the children.

 

[Mouse House Mama]

I don't think I've read one person say that the man was justified in screaming at the child. Instead, people have said that they believe he was justified in being upset about being misted. Two completely different sentiments.

Could both parties have handled the situation better? I absolutely think so.

"Shoulds" that I see here for a happier ending and no DIS thread...(I'm probably missing some)
--the child SHOULD NOT have misted the man (probably SHOULD NOT have been playing with the mister in a crowded show at all)
--the man SHOULD NOT have yelled at the child. A simple, "please stop squirting me" SHOULD have sufficed.
--the parents or child SHOULD have apologized. The mister SHOULD have been removed from the child. (I believe it was.)

Unfortunately, bad behavior begets bad behavior. Let's all try to remember this thread next time somebody annoys us out in public.

Exactly!!! Nobody is saying the man should have acted like a maniac, but why were the parents letting their kid play with a mister in a crowd like that? Was it an oversight? Probably as we all get tired on vacation and sometimes don't notice things, but that doesn't mean that just because "it's only water" that it was okay to infringe on someone else. It's not the end of the world, but I do think you should apologize if your child or even you infringe on someone else. I would have been shocked that the man yelled, but the OP mentioned that she wasn't even sure what happened and didn't even know if her son misted anyone etc. So maybe the man did give them a look and nobody even acknowledged him? That still doesn't mean he should have yelled, but I would have been annoyed with the parents for not paying attention to the situation.

 

[disneyjunkie]

My daughter is 12 and I have no other kids. In fact she is a little too serious, I don't have any of these issues. However, as an adult, if a kid accidentally sprayed me while I was on vacation, I would not want to spoil there fun and have them have that as a memory by yelling at them. Give me a break, if the kiid didn't even know he was doing it and it really bothered me then I would say nicely. However, this guy yelled. How can you possible justify that over a little spray of water, or in my daughter's case where she was 4 and accidentally kicked a chair in front of her. Where I come from you don't scare an innocent kid who dosen't even realize they were doing these things. WHO THE HECK IS THE ADULT HERE.

The key word is accident. If the kid didn't mean it, and the adult starts yelling, then I think the adult should learn how to be an adult and realzie what setting they are at.

However, if the kid did it intentionally, that is a whole other ball of wax.

Who said the man was right for yelling? We all agree that he was wrong.

However, some of us aren't ignoring the roll the other family played in causing the man to get upset.

I think the three ADULTS involved could have done things differently.

If the child had not been playing with the bottle, then maybe none of this would have happened.
The man could have spoken to them in a nicer tone of voice.
The OP or her husband could have apologized.

 

[tony609]

I don't think I've read one person say that the man was justified in screaming at the child. Instead, people have said that they believe he was justified in being upset about being misted. Two completely different sentiments.

Could both parties have handled the situation better? I absolutely think so.

"Shoulds" that I see here for a happier ending and no DIS thread...(I'm probably missing some)
--the child SHOULD NOT have misted the man (probably SHOULD NOT have been playing with the mister in a crowded show at all)
--the man SHOULD NOT have yelled at the child. A simple, "please stop squirting me" SHOULD have sufficed.
--the parents or child SHOULD have apologized. The mister SHOULD have been removed from the child. (I believe it was.)

Unfortunately, bad behavior begets bad behavior. Let's all try to remember this thread next time somebody annoys us out in public.

Perfectly said!

 

[xoprincessmomxo]

It would be hard for me to apologize to someone who had just yelled at my child!
I agree, we can all learn something fromt this post. There really are a lot of should haves and should nots, but really, I just feel sorry for the little boy. What a memory to take home from Disney!

 

[mabenoab]

I just can't help but think...if being misted by a child, and his parents not apologizing was enough to anger me, I'd be in pretty tough shape when / if something really significant happened to me. I may not like to get misted, or have my seat kicked, or have soda spilled on me but there are bigger things in life to get upset about.

I think its easy to say the parents should have been watching the child, the adult shouldn't have turned around like that, the child should have shown more restraint, but I'm willing to bet we've all been in one of these 3 positions and shoulda, woulda, coulda handled it better. Live and learn.