And yet another: Why can't people watch their kids, thread?

[Kae]

Well then don't go to Coral Reef. Last time we were there kids were push their way to the tank. I felt sorry for the parties that had seats by the tank.

Kae

 

[DeblovesPoohbear]

Some people are just idiots

We took out kids last year to Tutto, they were 7 and 4 at the time
and that is a long dinner, we were there for hrs.

When we were getting ready to leave, we had 2 different tables
(one was an older couple dining alone, the other was a younger couple,about 30)
They both told us how well behaved our boys were, that made me feel fantastic. I would hate to be one of those tables, who the surrounding
patrons couldn;t wait to leave.

 

[oybolshoi]

Unfortunately bad behaviour isn't limited to the little ones ... for every guest who does their best to be considerate of others there's another who walks around oblivious that he / she is sharing the WDW resort with hundreds of thousands of people who are also on vacation.

I don't like to see out of control kids in restaurants, either, but I tend to place the blame on parents who don't or won't discipline their children. They are the ones who are being inconsiderate of other diners. And I agree with TDC Nala, you don't get a pass on acceptable social behavior just because you're vacationing at WDW. Common courtesy and good manners are not out of place on vacation, and that goes for adults as well as children.

 

[denisegold]

IMHO- I see nothing wrong with saying something (of course, politely) to an out of control kid, if the parents can't be bothered. If the little tyke looks at you like you're from outer space, well then chances are they just don't get reprimanded- ever. OP- you did the best you could. If you had said something to these parents directly, they most likely would have looked at you like you had two heads. Probably would have scolded you to mind your own business, in front of the kids, which reinforces their behavior. Poor kids- society will have to reprimand them because their parents are too selfish, and wrapped up in themselves to dole out a little parenting.

I don't buy the "overtired" excuse. If they are overtired, they wouldn't be running back and forth, stepping on other guests' stuff, and pulling poor Pluto's tail. They were just excited little kids, who's parents weren't paying them any attention, they couldn't be bothered to help the little kids channel their excitement.

I'm glad the mods have been able to keep this thread open (so far!!) It really gives you a little insight as to why people let their kids misbehave in public. It will also lend to giving us coping skills for these times, so nobody's day gets ruined. Great thread, I say. (If anyone sees my kids acting up when we are in Disney in 2 weeks, feel free to tell them to knock it off, if I don't catch them first!! )

 

[kaytieeldr]

It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious.

Nope. There is a HUGE difference between rambunctious, and behaving out of control. Running along the ledge behind the bench seats is NOT 'rambunctious'. If a restaurant, business, or property owner EXPECTED people to be walking/running up there, they'd have designed it to be at ground level.

 

[JanineandMike]

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

you couldnt be more wrong.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

These type posts always make me sad. In all these years of DISing, the "it's Disney" excuse never ceases to amaze me. That's a cop-out. There is no excuse for out of control behavior, meltdowns, or tantrums in any restaurant. Skipping the meal or taking the upset, disruptive child out is the only acceptable way to deal with these situations. I'm always saddened by the parents who don't seem to care that other's meals are being ruined by what is their responsibilty & only theirs. Noone else should have to deal with it. The other diners won't be fine with it just because "it's Disney". Odds are that if kids are allowed to act up at WDW they're allowed to do the same in other restaurants too. And yes, loud groups of adults are just as bad.

 

[chaoscent]

My DH call this "stop it or I will tell you to stop it again" parent behavior. We have gone out to dinner many times with my niece and her 3 children. 4 year old twins and an 7 year old. At Crystal Palace the older one wanted to get out of her seat and run to the next table to see Pooh. My niece said no, Pooh will be here shortly and my niece said (what every child says) "that table's doing it" and my niece calmly explained "she didn't care what anyone else was doing, they were waiting until Pooh got there". Well, when Pooh got there a child from another table came over and wanted to get in their picture, the 7 year old explained to her "the rules are you must stay at your own table and Pooh will come to you."
We have gone out to restaurants both here and in Disney many times. We have heard more than once, "how well behaved your children are"

I do not hesitate to say something to someone's children if the child is in my space, kicking the back of my seat on the airplane or interefering with my ability to talk and enjoy myself.
Penny

Penny

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

Completely disagree.

I have an 8 year old who will do what he wants if I'm not on top of him. He is VERY active and strong willed. There is NO way he will run in a restaurant. OMG that would be the END of that!!!! My son knows I have no tolerance for that BS and I have no problems disciplining him in public. Which to him is "so embarrassing" so he avoids it at all costs.

And if for some reason I did miss something and someone says something to him that's exactly what he deserves. And I have no problem telling a child something if their parents aren't paying any attention to them. I will NOT be nasty or yelling but I have had times where I've had to tell a child to get away from me when I've been out in public.

Just because it's Disney World it does not make it right. The happens all the time attitude, I just don't understand. I was at WDW for a week in March and had lots of character meals and didn't see this at all. Well I did see one little boy picking on Mickey and it took his mom a while to say anything but he wasn't running around or anything.

I make sure I plan our meals around the same times I do at home. I had to turn down CRT, CM and 1900 PF (which we REALLY wanted to do) because the ADR's were too late and I knew my kids couldn't handle it. I haven't had a meltdown at a meal at WDW yet. (knocks on wood!) And if we did I would remove my kids and wait for them to calm down. Not let them ruin the meal of other's who are paying money just like WE are!

BAsically it comes down to I expect the same kind of behavior from my kids whether it be McDonald's, a mom and pop place in the neighborhood, Pizza Hut or WDW!

 

[nicolem05]

Well, it sounds to me like you are complaining to the wrong people. You scolded the child, you complained to us, but did you say anything to the parents? If it bothered you as much as you say it did, I would have thought that is who you would have spoken to. If some stranger had told my child off in a restaurant (granted we actually work hard to keep our children from bothering others while diners enjoy a nice meal out), I would be livid! It's obvious you do not have children in this age range any longer, and perhaps are more sensitive to children being rambunctious. My aunt who has no children actually behaves in this same manner, and I refuse to go anywhere with her because her rudeness embaress' me. The children probably spent all day in the parks, and were overtired. That's how children act when they are overtired. The parents were hoping to actually partake in some Disney dining since they spent so much money to come to Disney, but the kids were obviously not up to it. The parents should have definitely paid much more attention the the kids, or more precisely should have not gone to Chef Mickey's that night, but they probably had ADR's for 6 months. ITS DISNEYWORLD, it happens ALL THE TIME.

I actually think a good point is being missed here.

I do not think roliepolieoliefan did anything outrageous. And no not out the box of something I might do. But I also agree that if you are in this situation, talking to the hostess or the parents wouldn't have been out of line either. In fact, I think it could have possibly improved your situation earlier. I try not to confront other people's children unless it directly involves my children, or personal belongings. Which in this case it did. I do think the posters thoughts on talking to someone other than the child was probably the best route for everyone. I saw people are really jumping on this poster but I think that speaking to someone other than the child is a valid point for any future issues that arise of this nature.

 

[TDC Nala]

If the child comes to my table and stomps on my stuff I am going to say "Where are your parents? You need to go back to your table." (and that's speaking, not yelling.) If the kid comes back, then I might speak to the parents. Children are people, I don't see why I shouldn't speak to one.

 

[JanineandMike]

honestly, i'm not going to get up from my meal to go and talk to someone about their child, but if the child is running around me and my possessions i will say something to the child. OP stated that the parent made eye contact a number of times and still did not make any effort to say anything. if anyone should have said something it should have been the parent walking over to get the child and say sorry. the person that is being "jumped on" made some comments that warranted being responded too and as she said if anyone said anything to her child she would have been "livid", really? it's one thing for a child not to realize their behavior is inappropriate, but for the parent to ignore it and get mad if others arent happy about it is absurd.

 

[bangzoom6877]

I can't understand why some people believe that just because they are on vacation, be it WDW or any other place, they are also having a vacation from their everyday life responsibilities.

DH and I took the kids on a 2-week car trip from NYC down to Florida in July, which included 5 nights at WDW. We ALWAYS made sure that we ate breakfast, lunch and dinner at the kids' regular times, went at their pace in the parks, and did not go to late night entertainment since we went to a park each day at WDW very early in the morning and we knew the kids needed to go to bed early. Would we have liked to see more? Sure we would have. But we also understood that with a 14-month-old and a 3-year-old in tow, you have to make sacrifices, and those sacrifices do not mean you will not be able to still enjoy your vacation!

Even on the car trip down, the first day we did the most driving in a single day (over 9 hours), so when we got to the hotel I stayed with the kids in the room and DH went out to get us some take-out dinner. We knew the kids were better off being able to play in the room and then enjoy a more comfortable dinner in the room rather than drag them to a restaurant after all that time in the car. And it worked out just fine the entire trip. We went at the kids' paces and we all had a wonderful trip.

Our rule of thumb is, we had 2 children and they come first, and they are our responsibility no matter where we are at the moment. Can't check into a hotel and leave your responsibilities at the door until you check out. Life just doesn't work like that.

 

[Tikitoi]

Yep, so many parents that shouldn't be parents because they don't care about the kid or other people around them. They are so quick to let their kids do what they want and if someone were to say something they would be acting as if they were parent of the year in trying to protect them from whomever is saying anything to them.

 

[Clotho]

I remember going to Disneyland with my grandparents from age 4 on. We spent time in and out of the parks to not get overstimulated. And I remember being sad sad sad all the time when we didn't get to stay for the fireworks or the late parades, but now I understand that as young as I was, my grandparents were just trying to keep me well rested and not have me be a grumpy little so-and-so all over the parks.

I am glad I had such thoughtful parents who taught me to be respectful and disciplined me appropriately when needed. Pleases, thank yous, and not throwing tantrums or running wild (or being stopped and scolded and disciplined as needed to guide me). I truly don't understand parents who let their kids run roughshod, Disney or anyplace. We didn't have one set of rules in one situation and something different in another. I was held responsible, and my parents held themselves responsible, for my behavior in public.

 

[JanineandMike]

 

[Abharmagic]

We had a less than pleasant little guy sitting at the table next to us at Chef Mickey's before MNSSHP last October. He looked like his parents woke him up to get him ready for the party and out to dinner. He was approx 7-9 years old and cursed and growled and was a hot mess at his parents through a portion of our meal- our tables were so close together we were practically sitting at the same table as him . He was verbally abusing his parents and they were ignoring him, which did eventually work... but not until a good 10-15 minutes of his very loud smart mouth. I was horrified and very upset that my young kids heard his vulgar language. My kids would have been up and out of the restaurant the first curse word to leave their mouths...

 

[TDC Nala]

It's requested that this thread stay on topic regarding Disney restaurants and not become a discussion of general public misbehavior. It's a hot issue and we can leave the thread open for discussion as long as it stays civilized. Thanks!

 

[Mackey Mouse]

As I posted this on Page 1 of this thread:

"OK.. I do know that these types of threads do tend to go into another direction....I ask that if you want to relate a story about a Disney Restaurant and an experience that you had while at a Disney Restaurant, then do so nicely. I am trying to keep this thread open."

I asked specifically that we keep this discussion to Disney Restaurants.....to keep this thread open. Sometimes people become passionate about their other trips, sometimes the thread takes a turn to bashing specific people from other countries, including our own, and sometimes these threads can turn downright nasty...

If you have any question about the moderating on this thread, feel free to take it to private message.

Please keep on topic.......and we can keep the thread open.

 

[JanineandMike]